Wine Enthusiast....

LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
LUISA AND DICK PONZI
PONZI VINEYARDS

When they walk through the family’s original estate vineyard together, this father and daughter duo never seem to stop looking at the vines. There’s the occasional nod and query from the father, Dick Ponzi, followed with a ready answer by his daughter, Luisa Ponzi. Mostly, it’s just two winemakers walking through a very historic vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Ponzi, the son of Italian immigrants, was a Pinot Noir pioneer. However, he‘s also allowed his daughter to blaze her own trail as Ponzi‘s winemaker of more than a decade. “My brother, sister, and I actually helped plant and water the vines, which were each surrounded by milk cartons,” she reminisces. “I would board the school bus and kids would tease me about growing milk!”

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Dick and his wife Nancy built Ponzi Vineyards into one of the most respected wineries in the US. Many awards, plus consistent praise from Robert Parker, touted Ponzi’s Pinot Noir.

Meanwhile, Luisa Ponzi continued her informal education in winemaking, though she emphasizes her father never put any pressure on her to follow in his footsteps. After completing her undergraduate studies, she chose to study the great Burgundies of France, immersing herself in winemaking science and culture. She earned the prestigious Certificate Professional D’Oenologie et Viticulture in 1993 and returned home to work on that year‘s vintage with her father.

She says she knew she’d gained her father’s complete trust when he went on vacation during the harvest of 1996. Though he still provides advice and experience, Luisa Ponzi is now very much her own winemaker when it comes to Pinot Noir and other Ponzi offerings. She also enjoys working with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Italian varietals like Arneis and Dolcetto, the last two a nod to her father's heritage.