Divine Knowledge - The Story of AHIVOY — On the Vine: a wine journal

A year has already passed since my first article appeared in the Oregon Wine Press. Since then the editor, Michele Francisco, has kindly allowed me to continue making contributions to this unique feature of Oregon wine country. The cover story of the September 2023 issue is my article about AHIVOY - an educational initiative for Oregon’s vineyard stewards. You can read the published version - and see pictures of the people I quoted - HERE.

Sofía Torres-McKay remembers mentioning the idea of AHIVOY to her next-door neighbor, Dick Erath, back in the days when he was helping her make wine in the garage. She recalls the enthusiasm of her mentor and Oregon wine pioneer as she envisioned an education program that would open new opportunities to vineyard stewards and, in the process, increase the quality of Oregon wine. “He was so excited – his eyes were wide open!” she recalls.

That conversation eventually led the Erath Family Foundation in 2020 to supply funds for the first cohort of what has become AHIVOY (Asociación Hispana de la Industria del Vino en Oregon y Comunidad - Hispanic Association of the Wine Industry in Oregon and Community).

Foley Family Wines, Winderlea Vineyard and Winery, and Soter Vineyards are among the other industry supporters who have generously come alongside the non-profit organization in the years since. Over 40 vineyard stewards have had the opportunity to attend AHIVOY’s 16-week curriculum, which offers them a deeper knowledge of their work in the vineyards and an introduction to winemaking, wine appreciation and business aspects of the industry.

As the fifth cohort is forming this fall, it is a good time to celebrate what has been accomplished and to look to the future.

BEING REAL ABOUT THE SITUATION

“It started out as a meeting of the minds,” said Miguel Lopez, owner of Red Dirt Vineyard Management and one of the trio of AHIVOY’s co-founders. “It was me, Sofía and [the late] Jesús [Guillén] meeting up early mornings down at the Red Hills Market for coffee… being real about the situation within our industry at that time, which was: looking around a room and realizing that you are the only real bilingual person who understands the winemaking process… from the vineyard all the way through bottling and into sales/distribution.”

Speaking at a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Symposium held at Linfield University in McMinnville earlier this year, Torres-McKay named the founders’ motivation: “The only way that communities can advance is with education; it’s giving [them] an opportunity to grow… by educating themselves and going to school, or learning from other leaders and people in the community. That's the only way we can advance.”

When starting Cramoisi Vineyard 17 years ago, Torres-McKay remembers reaching out to the vineyard stewards at her property to increase her viticultural knowledge. To her surprise, many of them couldn’t answer her questions about why they were doing what they were doing. Lopez observes that the vineyard stewards “know how to do the work because we tell them. But they don’t know the ‘whys.’ And that is important that they learn… ‘Here’s why we’re asking you to do this particular job, at this time of year, for these reasons.’”

A truism among wine lovers is that great wine begins in the vineyard. It follows that increasing the knowledge of Oregon’s vineyard stewards – the people closest to the vines – will positively affect the region’s wine quality. AHIVOY benefits individual vineyard stewards through the gaining of knowledge and the fostering of a community of colleagues. But vineyard owners and managers also credit it with raising the quality of work being done in the vineyards and strengthening their teams. These ultimately lead to an improved final product.

AWARENESS BEYOND THE VINEYARD

Jesse Lange, of Lange Vineyards, has sent a member of Lange’s staff to each of the first four AHIVOY cohorts. While growing up in his family vineyards he worked “shoulder to shoulder” with Latino workers but was frustrated by not seeing them represented in other parts of the industry. He says that his vineyard stewards’ continuing education has strengthened his team. “Everybody kind of understands where he's coming from a little bit better,” he said. This has led to greater collaboration and has increased the value of each one’s input into decisions that affect crop quality. “Having a collaboration, I think, is the best way to have the best chance of success in most of the specific decisions,” he said. “I think it's ‘the only way to fly’ for having, you know, the kind of attention to detail that we really need and want,” he added. “There's no substitute for paying attention. There just isn’t."

For Results Partners (RP), the Pacific Northwest’s largest vineyard management company, the program has been a resource in developing new leadership for the company. Five of their team of eight vineyard managers have been through the AHIVOY program, said Leigh Bartholomew, RP’s Director of Viticulture. These five have “come up through the ranks” by showing an interest in plant science and a desire to attain higher positions within the company. “They've been able to do that, one: by just being very eager, but two: by investing this time and energy into education,” she said. “I was kind of proud of that when I looked at the list of people who had been through the program.” Bartholomew appreciates AHIVOY’s role in “closing the loop” between the vineyard, the winery, sales and wine tasting for vineyard stewards so that they know that every vineyard decision affects the quality of the wine in the glass. “It's not anymore just: hey, we're pulling leaves, because somebody told me that that's what we're supposed to do right now. But we're pulling leaves because then this is what's going to change in the wine.”

Erica Miller, the Vineyard Manager at Argyle Winery in Newberg, has two AHIVOY graduates among her permanent staff of 18. “There are certain people… [who] have passion for the vines. And they really want to take that extra step and learn and know – not just do work in the vineyard, but know why we're doing it,” she said. Miller seeks to foster a work environment where the observations and suggestions of staff members are welcome and heard. The knowledge and skills acquired through AHIVOY give her team “more kinds of tools on their tool belt” which she says are an asset to Argyle’s vineyard program and the ongoing effort to produce fine wine. “I would love for every one of my employees to go through this program… that is definitely the goal.”

GOING THE DISTANCE

If miles driven to participate were the measure of commitment to the AHIVOY program, Elizabeth Sánchez and Fermín Valdovinos would claim the prize. Each week the couple traveled the over 500-mile round trip from Medford, where they live and work, to McMinnville to take part in the 2023 AHIVOY classes.

Natives of the Mexican state of Guerrero where they met, the couple have always farmed grapes. Their journey together has been northern-bound with a stop in the vineyards of California before settling into southern Oregon. Their three children sometimes joined in the work while they were growing up, but as adults, they work in community health and the construction industry in the Medford area.

After arriving in Oregon 19 years ago, Sánchez and Valdovinos tended vines at several properties before coming to Four Diamonds Vineyard in the Applegate Valley AVA about a year ago. Their supervisor, Lilly Hedges, encouraged them to join this year’s AHIVOY cohort.

For Sánchez, 41, and Valdovinos, 43, the AHIVOY classes offered a clearer understanding of the work they have done for so much of their lives. “I really wanted to learn more about the vineyard,” said Valdovinos. They were impressed by the differences that their work makes in the health and longevity of the vines and, in turn, the quality of the wine. Echoing the observations of AHIVOY’s founders, Sánchez recalled her experience at a previous employer. “They showed us only the basics,” she said. “Other times, we’re just working,” said Valdovinos. “Nobody told us how to do it the right way. We learned a lot at AHIVOY.”

That learning has extended to the family dinner table as they discover new styles of wine. Their studies taught them how soils, climate and fruit ripeness affect the finished wine. “Before we used to drink sweet wine,” said Sánchez. “Now we drink any kind of wine.”

AN ACTIVE MIND

Ivan George remembers preferring outdoor activities while growing up. A native of McMinnville, the self-described “very active kid” took his first steps into vineyard work during a summer break from high school when he went along with his cousins. While those cousins later decided the work was not for them, George found himself drawn to it. “I just kind of found it fascinating,” he said. “I like being outside, I like being in the warmth… and then I got a check every once in a while.”

The very active kid grew into a young man with a very active mind. After considering a number of academic directions, George finally settled on a biology degree at Linfield University. Despite having to choose a single major, George’s interests remained wide-ranging, especially in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subject areas. Vineyard stewardship continued to appeal to him and supplied much-needed funds for college as he worked weekends during the school year and as an intern during the summers. His first internship, with Results Partners, led to two more summers at A to Z Wineworks.

Since graduating, George, now 25, is Assistant Vineyard Manager at Vitis Terra Vineyard Services, which manages 800 acres in Oregon. His role is focused on labor coordination but extends into many other aspects of vineyard stewardship.

As a member of AHIVOY’s second cohort, held soon after his college graduation, he remembers sometimes feeling out of place as one who was comfortable being in the classroom and studying in English. But he soon saw his background as an asset to his colleagues, even as their longer work experience positively influenced him. “They knew the answers,” he said, “because, you know, they did this longer than me.”

He frequently appears with AHIVOY’s leadership in public presentations in order to increase awareness of the organization’s work.

EAGER TO LEARN MORE

The path to the vineyards of Oregon led through the kitchens of fine dining restaurants for Adrian Mendoza, 34.

His parents worked in the agriculture industry after migrating from Mexico. The Fresno native remembers a childhood of being brought along as they traveled to harvest strawberries and cucumbers at farms in central California and Oregon. But his parents left the industry behind and found employment in childhood development and manufacturing. “They didn't really want me to get involved in the agriculture industry,” he said.

After graduating from high school, Mendoza attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland. That training led him to Lake Tahoe where he worked in a fine dining restaurant at one of the area’s casinos. There he met celebrity chefs, helped prepare wine dinners featuring Napa Valley wines, and was exposed to a part of the wine culture he hadn’t known existed.

But the Great Recession hit seasonal economies like Lake Tahoe especially hard. His work was suddenly one week on, one week off. During his downtime, he would come home to Oregon in search of work. But the restaurants here weren’t hiring either. “Everybody was struggling, especially the food industry,” he said.

Mendoza was eventually hired by his uncle, a labor contractor, to help with seasonal vineyard work. That led to his moving back to Oregon and to his full-time commitment to vineyard stewardship, first as a crew member and later as a supervisor. He saw the move as a chance to become familiar with a new industry, learn all aspects of farming, and gain experience in a range of operations large and small.

While working for NW Wine Company, Mendoza saw an announcement about AHIVOY on Facebook. His supervisor encouraged him to attend, although the program then was new and unknown. “Give it a try… come back and let me know if it's something that we want to continue,” Mendoza remembers being told. While he felt he already knew a lot about vineyard operations, he was eager to learn more. Mendoza was a member of AHIVOY’s first graduating class in 2020.

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

While the sharing of knowledge is crucial, a value of the AHIVOY experience mentioned by everyone interviewed for this article is that it has built a supportive community among the vineyard stewards. Graduates spoke of feeling more confident because they can reach out to classmates for vineyard advice or help with implement repairs. “It was something that I had no idea was going to happen,” said Argyle’s Erica Miller. “But it's been such a blessing because – every one of them – they have these allies and these people that they can communicate with.” Jesse Lange described it as a second-order effect: “The program has, I think, facilitated more of that interconnectivity within the industry, which I think benefits everybody. Approaching the challenges and problem-solving with more communication is a major plus.”

Bryan Berenguer is faculty and program chair for the vineyard management program at Chemeketa Community College, which, along with Linfield University, provides most of the instructors and meeting space for AHIVOY. Berenguer has organized continuing education events for those who have completed the initial 16-week curriculum. These intensives so far have focused on pruning techniques, pest identification, sprayer calibration and crop estimation. In addition to offering more depth on single topics, these are also opportunities for vineyard stewards to strengthen ties with one another as they spend time together. Berenguer, who previously worked in international agricultural development, observed, “In anything – especially in farming – if you're an island, you're gonna starve. You need to have your community with you.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE

As a fifth cohort of vineyard stewards convenes after this year’s harvest, the future looks bright for AHIVOY. Earlier this year, Business Oregon awarded the organization a Workforce Development grant of over $195,000. AHIVOY was one of only five projects funded in this category, having demonstrated “a meaningful track record of delivering programs or resources to target populations,” according to Business Oregon’s website. Hopefully, other supporters will continue to join in providing much-needed funding.

“I don't think there are many places in the world that are putting this much care and attention into the education and development of the people who are out working so hard every day,” said Leigh Bartholomew of Results Partners. “I just am really grateful that it exists and that we get to participate in it.”