Dispatch · Saturday, September 3, 2022
Kathryn Herman of 00 Wines Tells Her Story
Oregon leads the world in B-Corp wineries, Raise the Temp returns, and Kathryn Herman of 00 Wines gets the interview she didn't expect.
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So many pictures of veraison (the process of grape growing where grapes start to ripen) in the vineyards this week. Harvest will be here before we know it, and I could talk more about the 2022 vintage, but I don’t want to jink anything.
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Three Champagne Houses (Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck, Charles Heidsieck & Rare Champagne) announced this week getting their B-Corp certification. I know this isn’t directly related to Oregon. However, I feel this is still very important to mention. I am not the only person this week who mentioned B-Corps. Jancis Robinson did a piece explaining B-Corps. A to Z Wineworks in Oregon was the first winery in the world to get a B-Corp certification in 2014. Seven other Oregon wineries followed in A to Z's footsteps (Brooks, Chehalem, David Hill, Et Fille, Sokol Blosser, Stoller, and Winderlea). Regarding wine regions worldwide, Oregon is setting the standard for giving back and taking care of the land. California is next with five wineries.
Wine Enthusiast published a piece titled “Where Gamay Shines Across the Globe”. Can you guess where I am going with this? Yes, Oregon was mentioned, along with Switzerland and Canada.
Earlier this summer, Russ Rainey, co-founder of Evesham Wood, passed away. Last Saturday, he was laid to rest. Vincent Fritzsche was at the ceremony and shared a blog post he wrote in July of 2010 titled “Reflecting on Evesham Wood.“
Did you miss out on last year’s “Raising the Temp” focusing on Oregon Tempranillo? Well, I have some good news for you. It is back this year at the Chehalem Cultural Center on November 12th from 12-4. So could you mark your calendars now as I have? When I notice tickets going on sale, I will let you know! Sidenote, many of you enjoy Tempranillo and work on Saturdays. So plan to call in sick or take a vacation day. You don’t want to miss this event!
One of the questions I always ask myself when I interview someone for the podcast is, “Why do I want to interview this person?” I listen to many podcasts, and there are times when it feels like a person is on only to promote a book, product, or something else. I never want that to happen for my podcast. So I want to be able to answer my question, “Why do I want to interview this person?”
I was talking with Kathryn Herman from 00 Wines in April, and she was trying to get me to interview her husband, Chris, and winemaker Matt Perry. My gut told me it would be a great interview in an instant, but I wanted a story that most people haven’t already heard. So I looked Kathryn in the eye and said, “I want to interview you and tell your story.” I could not read her face, but she said, “Ok.”
The following week I sent her an email getting a date on the calendar, but she and Chris were getting ready to head out for a whirlwind trip to France. When she returned, I touched base again, and the interview was set up for June 10th. So finally, almost three months later, I am releasing the episode for you to enjoy.
Why the three months wait? Well, five words, time management, and batch processing. This year has been exciting getting interviews set up, processed, and out the door, along with the newsletter. I am still figuring things out and haven’t planned Harvest into my interview process. I have a hunch that there will be weeks without a podcast episode to release in the near future.
Grammar police disregard the next paragraph.
Getting back to Kathryn Herman. I want everyone to know her full story of growing up in Maine, moving to Boulder, Colorado, getting into the tech scene, winning an Oregon Entrepreneur Award, and how she passed up an amazing opportunity to taste blends with Mike Etzel Jr. for 00 way back in the day.
Before listening/watching the episode, you might want to read a long newsletter I did last year for 00 Wines. I dive into Chris’s history and how his dad got into the Oregon Wine scene. If you want to continue a deep dive on 00, here is a Drinking on the Job podcast episode with Chris and another episode on the Cool Change podcast with Chuck Allen (the first 00 club member).
Before I give you links for YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, I feel you also need to know the wines from 00 score significantly off the charts. Over the last several years, I feel like 00 has gone from an underground Oregon Winery one needs to take notice to a global luxury brand. Their current membership has a waitlist, and I am sure James Suckling giving them 99 points for their Chardonnay doesn’t hurt.
Chris and Kathryn are way more than a dynamic duo. Chris has the knowledge to ensure the wine is impeccable. Kathryn has a background in tech startups and how to market a brand for exposure. Together they have executed a vision of helping Oregon Chardonnay do more than get on the map.
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Without further delay, please enjoy this 79-minute conversation with Kathryn Herman from 00 Wines, and any love via a like, comment subscription is always appreciated beyond belief!
All the Links
Outline of our talk
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:30 Do you feel you have become your own superhero?
- 03:00 Growing up in Maine and being a fan of Super Mario
- 06:00 Rites of passage growing up
- 09:35 A trip to Paris at 16
- 13:40 Following her sister to Boulder from Maine
- 16:00 Participating in Triathlons
- 17:45 What got Kathyrn hooked into the Startup World
- 20:40 Viral video of Portlandia
- 26:00 The Terroir of People in Oregon
- 27:15 Ruby on Rails Coding project and meeting Chris
- 30:30 Startup Weekend in Seattle
- 32:40 Diving into decision fatigue and Scout Savvy
- 37:00 Scout Savvy Award, Launch Party, and being an introvert
- 42:00 Married to Chris and went all in for 00 Wines
- 48:00 Coming back to, “Do you feel like you have become your own superhero?”
- 53:45 Concrete Fermenters
- 57:00 Willamette Valley Barrel Auction collaboration between 00 and Adelsheim
- 1:00:00 Ways to experience wine
- 1:02:00 Visiting Paris in 2022 and comparing to Kathryn’s first Paris trip
- 1:06:00 Sharing the story of 00 Wines internationally to bring more meaning to the wines
- 01:08:44 Legacy with 00 Wines
- 01:14:25 Rapid Fire Questions
All the Links Again Just In Case
Is there someone you think I should interview for the podcast? Hit that reply button right this instant and let me know!
With Gratitude,
A.J.
PS - Keep going with quotes or drop 'em?
A.J. Weinzettel
Wine journalist & podcaster covering Oregon wine country