The Wine Industry and Immigrants - 2/15

A Mexico City native, Sofia Torres McKay, co-owner of Cramoisi Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA, Willamette Valley with husband Ryan McKay, will share her inspirational story and discuss the importance of "Vineyard Stewards" in the Oregon wine industry. Sofia is active in the ¡AHI VOY! and ¡Salud! programs which seek to support the ambitions of winery and vineyard laborers.  The evening will culminate in a wine tasting of Crimoisi's world-class Pinot Noir!

Library, 706 4th St., 7 pm

Cramoisi Vineyard
The name Cramoisi, French for crimson, is derived from the crimson clover that blankets the vineyard every spring. Vibrant, elegant, earthy, Cramoisi reflects the color, beauty and complexity of Cramoisi’s wines born from red volcanic soils.

Mexico City native Sofia Torres McKay and her husband, Eugene, OR native Ryan McKay, met in San Francisco in 2001 and married in 2005. They were visiting the Willamette Valley in 2011 in search of the best ground for Pinot Noir when they came upon a “For Sale” sign at a 10 acre farm perched in the Dundee Hills overlooking the Willamette Valley.

They bought the property, sold their home in North Vancouver, BC and moved to Oregon. Ryan McKay had long been looking for a great opportunity to return to his roots.

In 2012, they began planting at an elevation of 500 to 600 feet. Five acres are planted to Pinot Noir, including the rare clone 122 from Vosne-Romanée, a Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy; and one acre to Chardonnay. Sofía eventually left an IT sales career to devote all her efforts to the venture — and raising two sons. She is one of the few Hispanic vineyard owners in the Willamette Valley.