Oliver says: “When I moved to Portland in 2021, I was thrilled by the proximity of the Willamette Valley excited to make my own wine. I harvested some Pinot from a conventionally-farmed U-pick vineyard and made my wine strictly by the book: laboratory yeast, chemical nutrients and plenty of sulfur. And I hated it. Couldn’t drink it. So I threw the book away. Since 2023, I have made wines and ciders with no additives at all except for a small amount of sulfur at bottling, or sometimes not at all. The process and the results have given me enormous satisfaction, and I’m eager to share what I’ve learned in the past couple years along with some of what I’ve made. If you want to learn to make wine the right way, this is not the class for you. If you want to make your wine—and find your own way—I might be able to help.”
Per OLCC regulations, since we will be sampling homemade (tax-free) wine, we can’t charge for the tasting. Oliver also says: “No refunds.”
A native New Yorker, Oliver Longwell caught the wine bug in 2012 after a number of years working in government and politics. He has worked for leading wine retailers in New York and Los Angeles, with a particular focus on organically-farmed and natural wines. Oliver is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and works as a freelance wine consultant. He enjoys experimenting with fermentations, especially ciders. He and his wife moved to Northeast Portland in 2021, welcomed their first daughter in 2022 and their second daughter in 2024.
Oliver says: “When I moved to Portland in 2021, I was thrilled by the proximity of the Willamette Valley excited to make my own wine. I harvested some Pinot from a conventionally-farmed U-pick vineyard and made my wine strictly by the book: laboratory yeast, chemical nutrients and plenty of sulfur. And I hated it. Couldn’t drink it. So I threw the book away. Since 2023, I have made wines and ciders with no additives at all except for a small amount of sulfur at bottling, or sometimes not at all. The process and the results have given me enormous satisfaction, and I’m eager to share what I’ve learned in the past couple years along with some of what I’ve made. If you want to learn to make wine the right way, this is not the class for you. If you want to make your wine—and find your own way—I might be able to help.”
Per OLCC regulations, since we will be sampling homemade (tax-free) wine, we can’t charge for the tasting. Oliver also says: “No refunds.”
A native New Yorker, Oliver Longwell caught the wine bug in 2012 after a number of years working in government and politics. He has worked for leading wine retailers in New York and Los Angeles, with a particular focus on organically-farmed and natural wines. Oliver is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and works as a freelance wine consultant. He enjoys experimenting with fermentations, especially ciders. He and his wife moved to Northeast Portland in 2021, welcomed their first daughter in 2022 and their second daughter in 2024.
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