A pioneer in the Oregon wine industry, founder and president Myron Redford built the winery himself after purchasing a small vineyard in 1974. Over four decades of winemaking, Redford has supplemented his on-the-job training with short courses at Oregon State University, winning multiple honors and awards. Redford was the first American winemaker to introduce a true gamay noir variety in the United States in 1988 after a quarantine and various tests at Oregon State. Co-owner and wife Vikki Wetle earned her master's in philosophy and Ph.D. in education from Oregon State.