Meet Your (wine)Maker

Our story begins at the table – the table where people gather to share food and drink over the birth of a child, the departing of a loved one, and all of life in between. Dave Cho was born in South Korea and immigrated to Canada at a young age. He grew up in a restaurant family, the oldest of two sons. His father passed away just a few years after they immigrated, leaving his single mom to run a business with the help of her sons. Dave knew the importance of food and drink, not only as their family’s livelihood, but as a vehicle to cherish the relationships that were formed around the table.

While studying Theology in seminary school in California, he was introduced to the world of craft brewing by a good friend and neighbor over a game of Catan. He dabbled in music, released his own album and busked on the streets of Santa Monica. It wasn’t until he began playing gigs at local wineries in Temecula, CA that he started to appreciate the complexity and creativity that goes into winemaking. After getting a job as a winery lab tech, a trip to Napa was the catalyst that began his winemaking journey. He moved his young family from California to Oregon in 2014 to pursue a degree in enology & viticulture at Oregon State University.

During this time his family grew by three children. He interned at Stoller Family Estate from vineyard to cellar, worked as a cellar hand at Argyle Winery where he developed an affinity for bubbles, and advanced to enologist at Duck Pond Cellars where he oversaw a greater breadth of winemaking. During each of these transitions, time was spent at the table with neighbors, college friends, industry colleagues, sharing his dream of one day producing his own wine.

Those years were interspersed with trips to France, Italy, Spain, and southeast Asia. One of Dave’s most memorable trips was to Taizé, a monastic community in Burgundy, France. He learned to appreciate the simplicity of a shared meal prepared with strangers and a humble bottle of table wine. A common theme that arose during his travels was that community can be made anywhere. The simple table – a warm meal and a shared bottle of wine -has the power to bring us together.

We hope that our wines can be a means to celebrate, bridge gaps, and foster community – that our story can become a part of the story at your table.