Leading lifestyle publication VICE shines a light on the Oregon wine industry for a unique mobile healthcare service co-founded by Ponzi Vineyards’ own founder Nancy Ponzi in the early 1990’s. Many of the field workers in the region’s wineries are immigrants or undocumented, so they do not benefit from our healthcare system. To combat this, Ponzi helped introduce ¡Salud! The Oregon Pinot Noir Auction, a hugely profitable fundraising event from Oregon’s most prized vintners. All proceeds provide low-cost healthcare via mobile vans for vineyard workers and their families, treating between 2,500 and 4,000 vineyard workers and their families annually.
“For a lot of these patients, this is it. This is their only visit of the year,” said Leda Garside, nurse and services manager for ¡Salud!
The writer spoke to Nancy Ponzi, who added: “Immigration and the seeming fear of and war on immigrants were not hot political issues 28 years ago.” She continued, “I view it more as a responsibility we have as owners of these businesses to take care of our workers. They don’t have a safety net of any kind.”
The writer explains that employees at Tuality Healthcare, a nearby community hospital, invited Ponzi and another winemaker to a meeting to discuss putting on a collaborative event such as a tasting or festival.
“When we left the meeting, we thought, ‘Oh man, we can’t have another event,’” Ponzi said. “We have the opportunity to do much more than a marketing thing… The most meaningful thing we could do in healthcare and wineries is with the field workers. They have so little protection and resources.”
As further context, the writer notes “she and her husband Dick Ponzi, who started their winery in 1970, and were among a group of family-owned wineries that laid the groundwork for what is now a multibillion-dollar industry that includes more than 700 wineries. Around 40 of those wineries participate in Salud—donating their time, resources, and product to create the exclusive vintages that attract high bidders. Though not all wineries participate, Salud’s services are extended to any vineyard worker.”
“In my very biased opinion, I think the (winemakers) who came to Oregon came here because they wanted to make wine, they didn’t want to get rich,” Ponzi said. “It’s a group of people who are idealistic and for the most part passionate, generous and philanthropic.”
To read the full story and more about Ponzi Vineyards’ involvement, read here!
D Magazine wine columnist Hayley Hamilton includes Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé in her latest column, “What to Drink Now: Red Wine Options for Under $25.” In the story, she explains that high quality wine doesn’t have to cost a fortune and that she is always on the lookout for affordable wines that drink like they cost $100. She continues to describe the Ponzi Pinot Noir Rosé as a wine boasting flavors of “watermelon, and strawberry” and that the Willamette Valley bottle “is the ideal wine to sip as summer transitions into fall.” You can read the full story here.
Robb Report wine columnist Sara Schneider focuses her latest Robb Report column on Chardonnays from Oregon. In the piece, she boldly argues that “Willamette Valley winemakers rival their French counterparts for world-class versions of the world’s favorite white.” She praises winemakers in the Willamette Valley, including Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards, for setting a new, extremely high quality standard for Chardonnay in Oregon over the last few years. She describes this breed of chardonnays as “crisp, aromatic, energetic, minerally and downright savory.” Ponzi Vineyards 2015 Avellana Vineyard Chardonnay is featured as one of six wines, recommended for its “exotic citrus and orchard blossoms on the nose give way to mouth-filling, creamy lemon, apple, and peach ($63).” You can read the full story here
Bloomberg wine columnist Elin McCoy explains that while many Pinot Grigios lack complexity and can be described as dull, consumers can still find terrific options to enjoy, including Ponzi Vineyards 2017 Pinot Gris. In the story, “Wine Made Easy: Nine Pinot Grigios Actually Worth Drinking,” she elaborates by telling readers to “forget all those tired clichés and have a rethink about why the grape had such mass appeal in the first place. Delicious, food-friendly examples can be had for $25 and less, and they’re not hard to find.” The story offers history on the grape and its rise in popularity, then features recommendations from Italy, Oregon, New Zealand and France. Ponzi is one of only two Oregon wineries selected and Elin says of the 2017 Pinot Gris that “this crisp white from an Oregon pioneer in the Willamette Valley consistently overperforms for the price. Its style is midway between Alsace and Italy, with juicy, refreshing pear, citrus, and mineral flavors that slip down easy and the hints of fennel and attractive slight bitterness you find in examples from Alsace.” Read the whole story here.
The New York Times published a great story in their Travel section that highlights the best places to get a taste of the harvest season. In the story, “Six Places to Get a Taste of the Fall Harvest,” writer Alyson Krueger selected Oregon’s Ponzi Vineyard as one of the destinations to seek out. She elaborated by explaining that as result of visitors’ growing interest to experience the season in an interactive way, Ponzi President Anna Maria Ponzi and Winemaker Luisa Ponzi created a unique lunch series that involves an active tour showing what’s going into harvesting grapes before sitting down for a beautiful, extravagant lunch with wine pairings. You can read the full story here.
Ponzi Vineyards in the New York Times’ Travel section
“Ponzi’s Tavola consistently out-performs reserve-level wines from elsewhere. Credit the outstanding vineyard sources, which include Ponzi’s Avellana vineyard, and of course the skillful winemaking, which begins with native yeast fermentation. It was aged 11 months in 20% new French oak and has scents and flavors of Bourbon tea, cinnamon spice and black cherry fruit. There’s plenty of power and a clean, fresh finish.”
