Interview
This interview is with Zach Mance of Sidereus Winery & Vineyard. In this interview, Zach discusses his journey into the wine industry and what led him to pursue a career in wine.
Zach is originally from upstate New York and attended college at Ithaca College, where he studied film and cinema making. After graduating, Zach went wine tasting with friends, which sparked his interest in wine. He eventually moved back to Ithaca and got a job at a winery, beginning his career in the wine industry.
Zach later moved to Oregon in 2011 and continued building his experience in the wine industry. He started at Cooper Mountain Vineyard, where he worked as a Tasting Room Associate, then continued his career at Ardiri Winery & Vineyards as a Tasting Room Manager before eventually joining Sidereus Vineyard & Winery, where he has worked as a Hospitality Manager for the last five years.
Throughout his career, Zach has expanded his knowledge of wine, developed his palate, and became involved in wine education. He has also earned WSET certifications and developed wine education classes, including Wine 101 and Wine 102: A brief History of Wine. At Sidereus, Zach has helped build the wine club, create a welcoming tasting room experience with awesome monthly events and share his passion for Oregon wine with customers.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Sidereus Winery & Vineyard in Cornelius on August 27, 2026.
Interview
This interview is with Skip & Ruth Tarr of Sidereus Winery & Vineyard. In this interview, Skip & Ruth discuss what brought them to the wine industry and what they are still learning.
The couple talks about how it wasn’t actually wine that brought them to the wine industry. After retirement, Skip & Ruth were looking to move into the country to find their final home. When looking at properties in 2020, they fell in love with the location and view of their current property, it just happened to have a vineyard. When they figured they didn’t have anything specific to do after retirement, they decided to take on the challenge of starting up the winery as people who knew very little about wine.
Skip & Ruth discuss their road to Sidereus. Not knowing much about the industry, the two hired a winemaker and tasting room manager to help them along the way. Luckily they scored two people who had previous experience and knew what it took to create and open a successful winery. Since they started their venture during the pandemic, they had to soft-launch Sidereus by hosting tastings on the crush pad. As for the name, Ruth would look up what certain words were in Latin and see if they were already taken. Remembering the first word she used to describe the property, heavenly, the winery was named the Latin version, also meaning divine and starry.
Later in the interview, the couple talks about being newcomers within the industry. Although they haven’t been in the industry for long, they have already experienced what it’s all about. They explained their experiences with collaboration and generosity within the industry. They believe the industry attracts good people. The two are proud of what they have been able to accomplish in a short amount of time and hope to see more growth in the future.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Sidereus Winery & Vineyard in Cornelius on August 27, 2026.