Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Jorgensen-Jean. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Leah grew up in Northern Virginia and attended a women’s college, Sweet Briar College, in Virginia, majoring in English Literature and Creative Writing. After graduating, she worked in the non-profit sector working in development at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and then PBS Headquarters. She went on to work at a corporate think tank in Washington, DC in 2001 and then left the corporate world to manage a small wine shop in DuPont Circle. From there, she worked at a Virginia winery in Middleburg, a segue to working for a distributor in Washington, DC. While selling wine to 80 fine-dining restaurants and a handful of retail accounts, she completed an intermediate certificate in wine from the WSET.
In 2004, Leah won a coveted “silver bullet” ticket as a guest of Domain Drouhin Oregon to attend the highly coveted wine industry event – Oregon Pinot Camp – also, a return to her father’s home state in the Pacific NW. Within hours of her visit to the Willamette Valley, she found a way back to her roots to work where her grandparents had settled and farmed. Her grandfather’s side came to Oregon by way of Denmark and her grandmother’s side from Norway. Both lines of her family had been farm owners and workers in Scandinavia long before coming to America in the late 1800s. Both families lived and worked on farms in Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota, before settling down in Corvallis and Eugene Oregon.
Speaking of family heritage… Leah’s maternal great-grandfather, Pasquale Stravino, left his home in Caserta, Italy in the early 1900s to follow his dreams to establish himself as a prominent businessman in America. He started his distribution and Italian grocer business in Allentown, Pennsylvania where he imported Italian meats, cheeses, olive oil, and yes – wine!
Pasquale was a descendant of Marchese Piero Stravino, a baron and landowner in Montefalcone in Caserta, Italia (in the Campania region). Wines from Marchese Stravino were in production beginning in the mid-1700s. Ten generations later, the Stravino lineage continues to make wine in the new world through Leah’s visionary work.
Leah has been joyfully employed in the wine business for over two decades, working for pioneering wineries in the Pacific Northwest, including Erath Vineyards, Adelsheim Vineyard, and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as a sales, marketing, and communications expert before leaving behind administrative offices for the lure of the cellar. She has worked in the cellars of Anne Amie Vineyards, Shea Wine Cellars, and Alloro Vineyard before making her wine in 2011.
Leah went on to earn postgraduate degrees in holistic nutrition at the Wellspring School, studying a curriculum of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine, and then Enology, the science of winemaking, at the Northwest Viticulture Center. She just completed a comprehensive Certificate in Herbalism through Ecoversity. Leah finds her inspiration in her father’s farming heritage rooted in Denmark and Norway, and her mother’s winemaking heritage rooted in Italy and Austria. She is a 10th-generation winemaker from her Italian lineage in the Campania. Leah specializes in the production of Cabernet Franc, what she calls the “ultimate Cinderella grape”.
Leah has been recognized for her exceptional work with Cabernet Franc by world-renowned sommelier, Ian Cobule (SOMM Select), Forbes Magazine, and more. Food & Wine named Leah one of the top 15 Women Winemakers in the World; San Francisco Chronicle named Leah one of four winemakers to watch; and Wine Enthusiast named Leah one of eight Cutting Edge Oregon Winemakers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all! The winemaking has been smooth. I’ve had great relationships with growers. But the greatest hardship has been around funding my wine project. The adage is: How do you make a small fortune in the wine business; start with a large fortune. I threw caution to the wind and turned my meager savings into a micro-winery. It’s super stressful trying to work out the financing every year.
It has never been my intention to scale; I have struggled because I have refused to scale. Scaling a business comes with even more stress and cost – not just financial, but in preventing work/life balance. I have other interests – my family; I want to home-school my young son in alignment with a nature school program; I want to grow herbal medicinal plants for my local herbalist/acupuncture community; I want to make my herbal medicinal products; I want to write nonfiction, novels and children’s books. While I love making wine, there’s more to my life than one passion project. I think having many interests and skills makes for a much more interesting and well-lived life.
I don’t want to teach my son that he has to work himself to the bone in an unhealthy trap; balance is key. Learning lots of things, trying new things, and having lots of growth experiences – all key to a life well-lived. I want to show him by example that you can do whatever you want to do, that hard work and a solid work ethic are important, that education goes hand-in-hand with the meaning of life, and that you can create a full life for yourself by engaging in all of your passions. To me, advanced study and mastery are the true markers of career success – not financial rewards or traditional accolades.
When you master something it brings a sense of true accomplishment and joy that is so personal – no one can take that away from you, no one can judge or critique that. Mastering something is all about your personal growth, not reward. When you learn this very important lesson, it makes for an easier, more fulfilling life. Not saying it’s not important to earn a living. I just think that following your bliss, finding your soul’s purpose, and cultivating mastery will bring long-term fulfillment in a way that nothing else can!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is business, creative, art, science, agriculture… which is why I love it so much! I get to be a kind of Renaissance Woman in my work!
I am the Founder, Owner, and Winemaker of my microwinery based in Newberg, Oregon. I am a one-woman show – I do everything! I occasionally hire part-time helpers to assist with events and cellar work. I use my expertise in sales, marketing, and communication to bring my product to the world – including Minnesota! I’m only distributed in a few states (Oregon, Washington, California, New York/New Jersey, Virginia/Washington, DC, and Minnesota).
I specialize in the production of small lots, handcrafted, world-class Cabernet Franc. I’m the first American to produce a still-white Cabernet Franc (inspired by a handful of cult winemakers in France’s Loire Valley). I’m the only winemaker in Oregon dedicated to the production of Cabernet Franc.
I am most proud of my signature Blanc de Cabernet Franc wine – it’s inspired winemakers in California, Washington, Oregon, NY, and VA to produce versions of this special wine!
I’m also most proud of my elegant, ethereal age-worthy, collectible reserve and library Cabernet Franc wines! I’m pinching myself because many important sommeliers, collectors, and writers are comparing my wines to some of the most iconic Cabernet Franc wines in the world! It’s humbling!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think being humble and having a spirit of generosity is critically important to my success. The winemaker stratosphere can be full of ego-driven characters searching for “rock star” status. I shy away from attention, I avoid public tasting events.
I have a mix of humble feelings (and beginnings!) and anxiety. I’m most comfortable topping or washing barrels quietly (Zen work – repetitive action and yet critically important to the overall health of production), sitting around a small table sharing my wine with a handful of guests in my “garagiste wine library” (yes, it’s my commercial sized garage at home), and being near my family versus traveling during this season of my life. I try to be generous with my time and wines with a small audience of guests/customers.
I love that my wine club members come to my house and feel comfortable like they’re part of my family. At my recent fall open house for my club, one member brought her son over to play with my little boy in my backyard (they were busy riding a toy tractor and “working” in the garden; all my members brought friends or family members to hang out. It’s so much more personal and lovely than what’s typically available or expected in wine-tasting experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: leahjorgensencellars.com
- Instagram: @leahjorgensencellars
- Facebook: @leahjorgensencellars
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drunkenmantra
Image Credits
Frida Kahlo, John Valls, Sarah Culver, Josh Chang, and Leah Jorgensen Cellars
