Interview
This interview is with Colin Eddy of NW Wine Company. In this interview, Colin talks about his growth within the industry and the growth of NW Wine Company.
Colin talks about growing up in Texas and working in restaurants at an early age. When he transitioned to a big steak house, his wine journey began. This restaurant offered over 100 wines by the glass and were looking for someone to manage their wine program. Colin stepped up and got to taste a plethora of wines, even traveling around the world to taste more. When Colin realized he couldn’t stay in restaurants forever, he reached out to wine reps he had worked with to switch careers. Eventually, Colin was asked to come to Oregon to work at Penner-Ash Wine Cellars until it was sold to Jackson Family Wines.
James discusses his next move after losing work at Penner-Ash. Colin had known Laurent Montalieu from being at Penner-Ash and was hired at NW Wine Company through recommendations. In the 10 years he has worked with the company, they have doubled in vineyard acreage and expanded in number of employees as well. Starting in sales, Colin wanted to lead. When the company hired international sales employees, Colin rose to Senior VP of Sales. Now, he also creates his own wine at NW named after his son, Daniel Ford.
Later in the interview, Colin talks about his other involvements in the Oregon wine industry. Colin has been largely involved in Oregon Pinot Camp serving as the treasurer, Vice Chair, and eventually Chair. He truly believes in the program and cannot wait to act as a mentor to future members. He was also offered a spot of the board of directors and fulfills in the role with great honor.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at NW Wine Company in Dundee on July 21, 2026.
Interview
This interview is with Laurent Montalieu of Soléna Estate. In this interview, Laurent discusses his journey in creating a multi-generational legacy within the Oregon wine industry.
Laurent talks about his beginnings in wine. He started out studying engineering in France until he switched to the neighboring Bourdeaux’s Institute of Oenology because it looked like they were having more fun over there. While studying, Laurent did many internships. One took him to Napa Valley which gave him an appreciation for American business management. Freshly graduated, Laurent got a call from Bridgeview Winery to work with them and finally made his way to Oregon.
Laurent discusses creating NW Wine Company and its progression throughout the years. The property started as an old pie factory and was originally used to make his own wine. It turned out that people wanted Laurent to make wine for their brands as well. From there, Laurent was the winemaker for many different brands and NW Wine Company was born in 2003. After a creating a successful business with high demand, Laurent sold the company in 2021.
Later in the interview, Laurent talks about his current focus, Soléna Estate. Purchasing the property in 1999 and planting vineyards as well as living on it, Soléna Estate was overshadowed by the beast of NW Wine Company in Laurent’s mind. Now, Soléna Estate is Laurent’s main focus as he nurtures the vineyard and his daughter Soléna to become the next leader of the estate.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Soléna Estate in Yamhill on July 15, 2026.
Interview
This interview is with Jessica Endsworth of Northwest Wine Co. In this interview, Jessica talks about growing up in a small town and her journey to finding Oregon and wine.
Jessica shares about growing up and the impact her mother had on her work ethic. Jessica dives into sharing about working in restaurants and how she found herself building a resume before she even graduated high school.
Later in the interview, Jessica talks about making her journey to Oregon and how she eventually found herself working at the Northwest Wine Company. She also shares about her many passions regarding wine, education, and storytelling.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 10, 2025 in the Nicholson Library at Linfield University.
Interview
This interview is with Anne Sery of Westmount and NW Wine Company. In this interview, Anne speaks about growing up in France where wine was a standard and necessary part of the culture she was a part of. She explains that the way she grew up made her future role as a winemaker almost inevitable. She describes what it was like working her first job on a vineyard and how she eventually became a winemaker. She describes the nature of her work and her style of winemaking. She also goes over what it was like to move to Oregon, what she struggled and triumphed with in the new environment, and what her first impressions of Oregon Wine were. She compares the Oregon and French viticulture and wine cultures, noting the key role that the Oregon Wine community plays in fostering the industry.
Later, Anne talks about the how COVID-19 and the Oregon wildfires affected her work and how her team adapted to the new challenges. She shares some of her predictions for the future of Oregon Wine, which includes the possibility of more people coming from outside Oregon to join the industry. She ends by sharing her take on what wine’s role in society is.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at the Hyland tasting room in Dundee on April 15, 2021.
Interview
This interview is with Brian Irvine, winemaker at NW Wine Company. During his interview he shared what brought him to Oregon, and a bit about his first years working harvest around the Willamette Valley. Brian discussed how he ended up at NW Wine Company, his interest in Hyland Vineyard, and his connection to the team.
Later he shared the differences among some of the wineries at which he has worked. He also shared what he is proudest of, and how much enjoys teaching and building relationships with harvest interns. Brian concluded the interview with the changes he has seen in Oregon since he started working in the industry, and some words of wisdom
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on April 8, 2021 at Hyland Estates.
Interview
This interview is with Laurent Montalieu of NW Wine Company, Soléna Estate and Westmount Wines. He talks about how he came to the United State to make wine, starting each of his wineries and what makes them all special. Laurent also discusses the difficulties of selling wine once it’s made and the future of the Oregon wine industry.
This interview was conducted by Stephanie Hofmann at NW Wine Company on September 5, 2017.