Interview
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
This interview is with Mike Willison of Adelsheim Vineyards. In this interview, Mike speaks about his youthful passions, love of education, and ever present curiosity regarding wine.
Mike talks about growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and how his childhood was reminiscent of the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” He goes on to share how he balanced his dream of becoming part of a rock-pop band with earning money and building a career in wine.
Later in the interview, Mike speaks on how he fell in love with all things wine, education, and Oregon. He dives into the different opportunities and jobs he has held and what he is looking forward to in his future.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyards in Newberg on June 18, 2025.
Interview
This interview is with Michael Kelly Brown of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Michael reflects on the various passion projects that have since led him to the wine industry. Michael’s long family line of morticians gave him a small taste of the service industry and what it means to work with people. An exciting stint in Europe allowed him to fully immerse himself in new and exciting locations and cultures, while also exposing him to the thrilling and fast pace nature of the food and restaurant scene.
Later in the interview, Michael recalls the great lineage of mentors that have helped him explore all that the hospitality and wine industry have to offer. An accumulation of job titles and life experiences has allowed Michael to understand how a meaningful career can be used to provide a better quality of life for others working around him.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg on June 18 2025.
Interview
This interview is with Ariel Daly of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Ariel speaks about her career in acting in New York and her introduction to wine through working in restaurants.
From there, she talks about her move to Oregon and her decision to dive into viticulture and vineyard management. From courses at Chemeketa Community College to internships to full-time work, she talks about the learning and camaraderie she enjoyed, before finding her role at Adelsheim. She also speaks about what she’s worked on at Adelsheim so far, and what comes next.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 26, 2024 at Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg.
Interview
This interview is with Ginny Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Ginny speaks about her journey of buying land in the Willamette Valley, building a house, and starting a vineyard. She discusses why they began making wine and what their business was like through the years. She shares photos of the vineyard, the winetasting room, and the people who operated it. She also describes designing labels for their products and her various art adventures. She includes several images of her artwork in the interview.
She talks about the many people she’s met while working in this industry. She emphasizes the role of the environment and the importance of making sustainable decisions. Finally, she speaks about appreciating art, music, and the beautiful things in life.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Ginny Adelsheim’s home on January 22, 2021.
Interview
This interview is with Dave Paige of David Paige Wines. In this interview, Dave describes how he got into wine, the education he received, and his various travels that informed his understanding of wine and winemaking. Dave then goes on to speak about what it was like coming to Oregon and working his first harvest at Adelsheim, just days after 9/11. He describes what it was like taking over as winemaker for David Adelsheim, and describes the evolution of Adelsheim wines over the past 15 years.
Later, Dave speaks to starting his David Paige Wines brand, and explains his business plan, winemaking style, and hopes for the future. He tells of the initial impressions he has received about his wines, and describes details about choosing a vineyard to make wine from. Towards the end of the interview, Dave touches on what he sees within the future, and what he has had to change over the past few months due to COVID-19. To conclude, David talks about the biggest changes he’s seen in the industry and gives his advice for newcomers.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at David’s home on August 17, 2020.
Interview
This interview is with Kelli Gregory of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Kelli takes us through her journey to finding wine and how she ended up at Adelsheim as the vineyard manager. She speaks about the education and support she received, what it’s like building relationships with other vineyards, her biggest challenges, and what it’s like to be a woman in this field. Towards the end of the industry, Kelli talks about the significance of wine within society, changes she’s seen in the Oregon Wine industry, and what she sees for the future of her career and the industry itself.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyard on January 28, 2020.
Interview
This interview is with Briana Seeley of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Briana speaks about how she came into the wine industry after working in the food and beverage industry, her various travels around the world, and how she found her love for wine. She goes on to speak about how she ended up at Adelsheim as VP of consumer sales, the learning curve that came with her job, and how marketing has changed over the years. Towards the end of the interview, Briana reflects on her role in Women in Wine and Assemblage, what she’s most proud of working at Adelsheim, where she sees herself in the future, and how the Oregon Wine Industry has changed and will look like in the future.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyard on January 28, 2020.
interview
This interview is with Gina Hennen of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Gina discusses how she got into winemaking after having a degree in chemistry and working in engineering. She speaks about her education at Chemeketa, her job at Adelsheim that led her to become head winemaker, and the responsibility to continue the legacy of Adelsheim. Towards the end of the interview, Gina touches on what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated field, what the industry looks like in the future, and where she sees herself in the future.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyard on January 28, 2020.
Interview
David Adelsheim was interviewed as part of the project, “The Pinot Chronicles: 25 Years of Oregon’s International Pinot Noir Celebration.” This video was sponsored and conducted by the Linfield College Center for the Northwest.
This interview was conducted by Jeff Peterson in the summer of 2010.
Interview
David Adelsheim founded Adelsheim Vineyard with Ginny Adelsheim in 1971. He is now the president of the company after having filled various positions over the years. He earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Wine Board in 2012. In this interview, David Adelsheim shares what drew him to wine growing and some of his early connections in the industry. He talks about some of his mistakes and what he has learned after years in the industry.
This interview was conducted by Jeff Peterson on July 7, 2010.
Interview
This interview is with David Adelsheim, founder of Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg, Oregon in 1970. Adelsheim Vineyard was one of the Willamette Valley’s first vineyards. Adelsheim discusses the early years of the wine industry, the evolution of wine culture, and many of his other experiences in the industry.
This interview was conducted by Janis Miglavs on November 1, 2007
Interview
David Adelsheim founded Adelsheim Vineyard with Ginny Adelsheim in 1971. He is now the president of the company after having filled various positions over the years. He earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Wine Board in 2012.
In this interview, David Adelsheim discusses some of the innovations of the Oregon wine industry, such as Scott Henry trellising. He also addresses the idealism of the Oregon industry as well as some of the major events that were established to help share Oregon wine with the world.
This interview was conducted in 2004.
Historical Documents
Newspaper Clippings
Historical maps
In 1973 Oregon passed two ground-breaking pieces of legislation, Senate Bills 100 and 101. These bills established the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development and required the creation of statewide planning goals and the protection of designated farmland. Pioneer vintners David Adelsheim and David Lett, along with others in the wine-growing community, seized on the opportunity to designate and protect future vineyard sites by lobbying county planning committees to restrict residential growth in the areas the men believed would be profitable. These maps served as a visual aid for Adelsheim and Lett during those meetings and are a reminder of how much work these men put in to ensure the future of their industry. Note that the areas they determined to be good vineyard sites are highlighted in pink. Adelsheim, Lett, and others made the case that it was not only the low-level lands of the Willamette Valley that should be considered for agricultural purposes.
