This collection contains publications, photographs and documents pertaining to the Winegrowers Council of Oregon, as well as event information from the period Fred and Mary Benoit owned Chateau Benoit (1979-1999). Some of the publications include: The Oregon Wine Publication, The Tendril, NW Wine Almanac, various books, handbooks, and more. These publications range from the years 1970 to 1999. There are numerous documents relating to different events Chateau Benoit put on, attended, or at which Fred and Mary Benoit were guests. There are also many publications and documents from the Benoits/ time as members in the Wine Growers Association.

This collection contains a unique comprehensive representation of the evolution of Amity Vineyards and the history of the Oregon wine industry. The collection encompasses the day-to-day functionalities of Amity Vineyards, including business correspondence, marketing strategies, laboratory information and personal memorabilia. In addition to focusing on Amity Vineyard’s 40-year evolution, this collection also encompasses the unique perspective on the development of the Oregon wine industry through various publications, documentation of various Oregon wine organizations, as well as through local, regional and international wine events hosted by or featuring various Oregon wineries.

This interview is with Dick Erath of Erath Winery. In this interview, Dick shares his experience of working in the Oregon wine industry. He speaks about the benchmark moments in the Oregon Wine Industry, tells stories about others in the industry, and goes over struggles the industry faced - like the appearance of phylloxera. He describes the early days at Erath, as well as the challenges and questions he encountered. He discusses growing his business, selling his wine, and adapting as the industry grew. He also talks about the past and present of Oregon Wine and predicts what will be in its future.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University Library in McMinnville on May 27, 2021.

The collection includes French and Oregon wine bottles, wine glasses from various celebrations and events, numerous wine bottle corks, cork screw, books on wine and a small sampling of documents pertaining to wine events in Oregon, such as wine labels and wine event passports. This collection also contains a pair of shears that are said to have been used to prune Amity Vineyards’ original vine stock in Oregon.

The Jim McDaniel Papers include correspondence, newspaper articles, land sale documents and loan documents pertaining to the purchase of the land and equipment used to create and maintain the McDaniel Vineyard. The paper records also contain written records of grape crops and sales contracts. Photographs include images of the early days of the vineyard plantings, harvest parties, neighboring vineyard and winery owners, the family home and photos of the area surrounding the vineyard.

This collection contains documentation of climate records, early organizational minutes and notes for the Wine Grower’s Council of Oregon (now known as the Oregon Wine Board), research publications from Oregon State University for Oregon wine growers and winemakers as well as academic research notes and articles pertaining to the growing of grapes, which includes the costs associated with starting a vineyard. There is also a small amount of documentation pertaining to land use and legislative issues.