Archives West Finding Aid

This oral history interview with Dick Ponzi was conducted by Clark Hansen at Ponzi Vineyards in Beaverton, Oregon, on April 8, 2003. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project, which collected interviews with notable figures in the wine-growing industry, including vintners, vineyard growers, community members, and workers active in the development of Oregon's wine industry. A transcript is available.

In this interview, Ponzi discusses his family background and early life in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and Detroit, Michigan. He briefly talks about his education at the University of Michigan and about working as an engineer for North American Aviation in Los Angeles, California. He describes how he and Nancy A. Berry met. He talks about his other engineering jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, his early interest in winemaking, and winemakers in California.

Ponzi discusses founding the Ponzi Winery with his wife, Nancy Ponzi, in Beaverton, Oregon, in 1970. He talks about his reasons for choosing the Willamette Valley, other winemakers in the area, and his grape-growing methods. He discusses the growth of the wine industry in Oregon and talks about importing grapevines from California and Europe. He talks about the types of grapes that grow well in Oregon, particularly Pinot noir; legislation regarding Oregon wines; and the early Oregon wine market. He also discusses the differences between the wine industries of Oregon and California. He speaks at length about the character of Oregon Pinot noir. He talks about the development of the national and international markets for Oregon wines, recognition his wines have earned, and the growth of the Oregon wine industry. He also briefly discusses the growth of the wine industry in Washington. He closes the interview by talking about the success and growth of Ponzi Winery.