Interview
This oral history interview is with Alex Nichols of WillaKenzie Estate. Alex talks about starting his wine path at Oregon State and getting excited after a harvest interview and other early roles in the industry. He then talks about his path from that point to now, including multiple times he was part of a new winery building being constructed.
Later, he talks about the impact of 2020 on the himself and the Oregon wine industry, and about what’s ahead for him and the team at WillaKenzie.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at WillaKenzie Estate in Yamhill on March 9, 2022.
Interview
This interview is with Erik Kramer of WillaKenzie Estate. In this interview, Erik describes his decision to join the wine industry and why he became passionate about wine. Erik then goes on to speak about studying wine in New Zealand and what eventually brought him to Oregon. He speaks about his time at Adelsheim and Domaine Serene, and what he took away from working for these well known brands. After, he speaks about working at WillaKenzie, the atmosphere of the winery, and the terroir of the Estate, and his winemaking philosophy. Towards the end of the interview, Erik 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, Erik gives his advice for those that want to join the wine industry.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at WillaKenzie Estate on July 17, 2020.
Interview
This interview is with Ronni Lacroute, the founder of WillaKenzie Estate. During the interview, she talks about the early days in the Willamette Valley, the founding of the winery and selling wine in Oregon. Ronni also discusses being on the Board of Trustees at Linfield College and her passion for the arts.
This interview, by Rich Schmidt and Stephanie Hofmann, took place in Nicholson Library at Linfield College on March 17, 2017.
Interview
Ronni Lacroute is the co-founder of WillaKenzie Estate. Along with operating WillaKenzie Estate, she was also a very active community member and an advocate for the arts. She was interviewed as part of the “Beyond the Vines” project with the Linfield College Center for the Northwest.
Interview Photos
Wine Labels
