INTERVIEWER
Schmidt, Rich
DURATION
1 hour 12 minutes 55 seconds
DATE
August 14, 2025
INTERVIEW SUMMARY
This interview is with Rob Alstrin of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Rob talks about his initial career in tech, when wine sparked his interest, and how he made his passion his job.
Rob shares about working for a semiconductor company both in the states and later in Australia. He first moved to Sydney in 1990 and would take weekend trips to the Hunter Valley wine region. After studying wine marketing at the University of Adelaide, he returned stateside to find a job in wine.
While working with a distributor to adapt their computer programs to automate warehouse functions, Rob met many people from Oregon who were excited about wine. He traveled to Oregon in 1999 for IPNC and quickly fell in love with the wine region.
Later in the interview, Rob talks about moving to Oregon and starting his first job at Domaine Serene in 2001. He left in 2005 to start his own business, a wine brokerage called Northwest Core Collective, and held a few other positions in the industry before starting at Adelsheim in May 2020.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg on August 14, 2025.
Interview photos
COMMENTS
Some oral history interviews are conducted on site and may contain background noise from nature, winery, or tasting room operations.