Happy Harry's Direct Offer No. 20

The “budwood” of Willamette Valley Vineyards began long before its founding in 1983 by vintner Jim Bernau. His Dad, a Roseburg attorney, was hired by California winemaker Richard Sommer to secure one of the first winery licenses in Oregon since Prohibition. Jim’s Dad allowed small tastes of Richard’s wine at the dinner table, lighting a path that led Jim from home winemaking to studies at UC Davis and eventually Beaune, France.

Jim’s early “winemaking” grew more from mischief when at the age of 10, he liberated his Mom’s frozen Concord grape juice and followed the description of fermentation he found in the family’s set of encyclopedias! In 1983, with the encouragement from winemakers making their move from California, Jim cleared an old pioneer plum orchard in the Salem Hills, hidden underneath scotch broom and blackberry vines to plant Pinot Noir. Unable to afford drip irrigation, he watered the vines by hand using 17 lengths of 75’ garden hose to get the grapelings through their first summer.

Jim’s vision of organizing wine enthusiasts to help build a world class winery in Oregon has, over time, resulted in the winery being named “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” by Wine Enthusiast. Among the winery’s unique distinctions is that it’s owned by more than 20,000 wine enthusiasts (NASDAQ: WVVI & WVVIP).