Winemakers
Myron Redford, president and winemaker of Amity Vineyards, has been consistently recognized in the regional and national press as one of Oregon’s top Pinot noir, Pinot blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer producers. Myron became the first US producer of true Gamay noir in 1988, and Amity Vineyards is still the leader with this varietal. Myron produced Oregon’s first sulfite free wine from organically grown grapes in 1990. In 1995, Myron was once again ahead of the curve, recognizing Oregon’s potential to produce excellent Pinot blanc. Never one to follow in the footsteps of others, Myron was the first to phase out Chardonnay production, believing the growing period didn’t make sense in Oregon. Myron has contributed to the development of the Oregon wine industry as a mentor to other winemakers, a member of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board for eight years and a past president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association.
Born in 1945 in Cedar City, Utah, Myron spent his growing years in Seattle, Washington, where he lived until moving to Amity, Oregon in 1974. He attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio where he obtained a BA in Political Science in 1968.
Although winemaking runs in his veins, (Myron’s great, great uncle owned part of the Mormon Winery in Toqueville, Utah in the late 1800’s) it was a chance placement of diners at the University of Washington Faculty Club in 1970, that led to his winemaking career. There he overheard Lloyd Woodburne & Neal Peck, two of the principles in the fledging Associated Vintners Winery, talking of their winery. He interrupted and asked to visit it. That led to a part time job. For the next three years he learned winemaking under these two pioneers, from the cellar up.
In 1974 Myron purchased a small, existing vineyard in Amity, Oregon. The next two years were spent learning farming and preparing for making the first vintage of wine. He built the winery himself in 1976, and has been making wine ever since. He has supplemented his on-the-job training with short courses and seminars at both the University of California at Davis and Oregon State University.
Since those early days his wines have won many national and international awards. Although, best known for his Pinot noir, he has won awards for Riesling, Pinot blanc, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Gamay noir. Acclaim has also come from wine critics and writers such as Roy Andries DeGroot, Harvey Steinman, Anthony Dias Blue, Coleman Andrews, Robert Parker & Terry Robbards. Myron’s tradition of excellence continues. Amity Vineyards’ Pinot noirs have taken back to back Gold Medals in the Oregon State Fair and the McMinnville Wine and Food Classic, two of Oregon’s premier wine competitions. In a recent tasting of over 140 Oregon Pinot noirs held by the Wine Press Northwest, Amity Vineyards outperformed all other Oregon wineries with three wines rated “Outstanding” and one rated “excellent”. At the 2002 Northwest Wine Summit, Amity Vineyards received the “Award of Excellence”, bringing home five medals in four different categories.
Darcy Pendergrass is the co-winemaker and a native Oregonian. She received her BS in Microbiology from the University of Montana in 1999. After returning home to Oregon in 2000 she signed up for Winemaking courses at Chemetketa Community College in Salem and found her passion. She found her way to Amity Vineyards in 2001 starting out in the tasting room and working her way up to Assistant Winemaker. She has served as a judge at several amateur and professional wine competitions. Last year she spent three months in New Zealand working for Dry River Winery.
