Winemaker Moms

Jessica Mozeico of Et Fille Wines with her daughter

Winemaker Moms

Patience, a level head, a sense of humor and a lot of grit: winemaking and motherhood require a surprisingly similar set of skills. We asked some of the Willamette Valley's winemaker moms for their stories and advice. 

Want to know more about what it's like to be a Winemaker Mom? A Conversation with Three Extraordinary Willamette Valley Women" featuring Anna Matzinger of Matzinger Davies, Jessica Mozeico of Et Fille Wines, and Wynne Peterson-Nedry of Ribbon Ridge WineryWatch the recording here!

Want to support them? Below, we created a map of wineries featuring moms who make wine, from every corner of the Willamette Valley.

LOIS CHO (PROPRIETOR, CHO WINES)

The Cho Family (Cho Wines)

How long have you been a winemaker and how long have you been a mom?CHO Wines’ launched during the pandemic, however, my winemaker role is very new, joining my husband and winemaker Dave Cho in the cellar for the first time in 2022. I’ve been a mom for 9 years.

Does your son or daughter help out in the winery/vineyard? Are you hoping he or she takes an interest in following in your footsteps?
Our kids are helpers with every club shipment. We currently ship out of our home as we await the completion of our tasting room and production facility in late 2023. They see the value of hard work and gratitude towards our members who put trust in our product and family. We hope they will follow their own path and if that leads to the winery, wonderful! If not, wonderful! They planted their first vines this spring.

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing for you about being a parent? 
Each day I’m surprised by my children’s intuition and maturity. Their resilience through the pandemic was inspiring.

What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood, and vice versa?
The ability to multi-task, the patience to nurture over time, and the faith that your good intentions and efforts will be rewarded.

Our industry has a lot of brand-new winemaker moms in the last year! What advice do you have for them?
Take good care of your mental health, proactively and preventatively. If mom is healthy, the family, the kids and the wine are healthy. Neglected mental health can lead to neglected children and wines. We are all better for taking care of ourselves first.

Any funny stories from winemaker mom life? 
Kids say the darnedest things: “Daddy is the winemaker, and mommy does the tax-ey stuff and tough-ey blah!”

As a mom and winemaker you have two full-time jobs. What's the key to making it all work?
Accepting help from others! 

AURORA CÓRIA (WINEMAKER, CÓRIA WINES)

Aurora Coria and childHow long have you been a winemaker and how long have you been a mom?

I have been making wine for 10 years and have been a mom for 3.5 years.  

Does your son or daughter help out in the winery/vineyard? Are you hoping he or she takes an interest in following in your footsteps?

He is too little right now to help in the winery, but I do hope that someday he takes an interest in our family winery.  If he doesn’t, that’s okay too, I just want him to do something that he’s passionate about.  

What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood, and vice versa?

Multi-Tasking! Wrangling a toddler some days can feel like the craziest day of harvest when you’ve got 100 things going on at once and are trying to keep all your ducks in a row - or simply get a shirt on your 3 year old.  It’s crazy, beautiful fun! 

Our industry has a lot of brand-new winemaker moms in the last year! What advice do you have for them?

Remember to pause and enjoy your little ones.  It goes by so fast and I feel its so easy to get caught up in the grind that we forget to slow down and soak up our kids while we have the chance.  So take a breath, take a moment to rearrange your schedule and spend some extra time with your little one. 

As a mom and winemaker you have two full-time jobs. What's the key to making it all work?

I would really appreciate the answer to that question! ;-)   In all honesty, I think its just about finding a balance that works best for you and your family.  I think some days I feel like I have to pack everything in, get it all done and make sure I make time for my kiddo too, when in reality I just have to have an honest conversation with myself about what the priorities are for the day, and that making extra time for my little boy is the most important thing.  It is so tough to balance it all sometimes, but I share that with him and I think it's good that he watches me work and see’s how passionate I am about my wine, so that as he gets older we can share in that bond.  

TAHMIENE MOMTAZI (WINEMAKER, MAYSARA WINERY)

Thameine Momtazi with her children.

How long have you been a winemaker and how long have you been a mom?

 I took over as winemaker of my family’s winery, Maysara in 2007. I became a mother to my daughter in January 2019 and once again to my son in February 2022.

 Does your son or daughter help out in the winery/vineyard? Are you hoping he or she takes an interest in following in your footsteps?

My daughter goes to pre-school and my son does come to work with me as he is too young for school yet. He is absolutely fascinated by watching the forklift, winery, and vineyard equipment in action. It would be nice if they take an interest in the wine side of our family business in the future but it will be their choice to decide what they want to be when they grow up.

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing for you about being a parent? 

I think that one of the most surprising things that I’ve learned after becoming a parent is that when I used to see other children out in public on their best behavior, I never realized how much work those parents were putting in at home to instill those good behaviors and mannerisms in their children. Each child is so unique and has their own set of challenges to overcome. While it takes a lot of time, patience and love to support them as they develop their skills and talents, seeing them make themselves proud is incredibly rewarding! 

What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood, and vice versa?

Here at Maysara Winery, we are Demeter Certified Biodynamic in the vineyard and the winery meaning that I make the wines in a natural way and approach each lot by helping it evolve into what it wants to be instead of making it taste a certain way. I think how this carries over to my role as a mom is that I don’t approach motherhood with a one-size-fits-all approach. Each of my children comes with their own unique set of skills, interests and challenges and just like my wines, I meet them where they are at and am going to help them become who they want to be.

Our industry has had a lot of brand-new winemaker moms in the last year! What advice do you have for them?

I think it is important to know and remember that healing (physical and mental) takes time and don’t rush yourself if you’re not feeling up for things. Finding a great support system of friends or family that you can talk about how you feel is so important. I had my second child last year and he really took a lot out of me but having my support system in place really helped.

Any funny stories from winemaker mom life? 

I think this is funny story. When I go to the grocery store my daughter, Leila, goes to the wine section and looks for Maysara wine. She’ll always yell back to me “mommy’s wine is here” or “mommy your wine is not here” depending on if she finds our labels or not. Makes me sound like I need wine for the people in the store that don’t know who I am.

As a mom and winemaker you have two full-time jobs. What's the key to making it all work?

The key for me making it work is asking for help. Especially with my kids. It really takes a village to raise kids. My family is really important to me but at certain times my work has things that I need to prioritize as well. Having a great support system to step and provide the help I need is amazing. Creating an amazing support system is the key to being a great mom.

KATE AYRES (WINEMAKER, PENNER-ASH WINE CELLARS)

Winemaker Kate Ayres holds her son NicoHow long have you been a winemaker and how long have you been a mom?
I’ve been making wine since 2008. My first and only child arrived in January of 2020!

Does your kid help out in the winery/vineyard? Are you hoping he takes an interest in following in your footsteps?
Not sure I’d call it helping. His dad is also a winemaker, so I imagine he’ll steer clear after years of parents in the business!

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing for you about being a parent? 
The constant changes in all the most amazing ways.

What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood, and vice versa?
Time management! The whirlwind of juggling harvest certainly transferred to parenting.

Our industry has a lot of brand-new winemaker moms in the last year! What advice do you have for them?
Take a breath. Give yourself time to be a mom and a winemaker. It’s hard to step away from a project you are so passionate about, but the little ones need our time too. I have to remind myself daily to put the work away and just be a mom.

As a mom and winemaker you have two full-time jobs. What's the key to making it all work?
Still figuring that puzzle out! Help from my amazing partner should makes things easier.

ANGELICA O'REILLY (OWNER/WINEMAKER, DISTAFF WINERY)

Distaff Winery owner Angelica O'Reilly and her daughters

How long have you been a winemaker and how long have you been a mom?
I have been in the wine business since 1999 when I co-founded Owen Roe Winery with my husband, David. In 2019, together with my four daughters, Brigid, Moira, Me-Z, and Roisin, I founded Distaff Wine Company.

Do your kids help out in the winery/vineyard? Are you hoping they take an interest in following in your footsteps?
Since 1999, all of our kids have seen and been a part of our winemaking team from the vineyards to the cellar and sales. Although they have all worked in every aspect of winemaking, I never really expected them to choose winemaking as their career. Our purpose was to give them sound work ethics, a sense of respect for managers and coworkers––skills that can be applied to any aspect of life. It was also a way in which they could be a part of the investment in funding their college education.

However, the winemaking blood runs deep. After college our eldest, Dom, furthered his winemaking skills in New Zealand, Australia, then California, where he made wine at Ojai Winery and now Topa Winery. The girls went off to college, graduated, traveled, and worked in managerial positions in other fields but also restaurants and wineries. Then, missing the wine industry in the Pacific Northwest, they returned to begin a winemaking venture together with their mom and their younger sister.

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing for you about being a parent?
During my daughters’ time away in college, work and travel experiences, they acquired new ways of accomplishing the old ways of doing things. So much had changed since our early years. We were able to integrate past experiences with fresh new approaches to the entire business of winemaking. I am totally excited by our new adventure.

What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood, and vice versa? 
As we all know, in motherhood, there are many sweet moments as well as challenges. The challenges are almost always overcome by collaboration. We had the challenge of conflicting tastes and ideas, mostly resulting from generational differences. By working together we were able to come up with a plan that we all agreed upon. The pandemic caused even greater issues. We had to pivot and find new ways to make, bottle and ship our wines. In motherhood, when faced with a seemingly impossible barrier, one never gives up but finds a way to overcome that barrier—so too, in winemaking. We found a way to continue during the pandemic while addressing an issue we had long wanted to solve, and ship in PET plastic bottles. Together, we created a fun brand with balanced, approachable wines in an infinitely recyclable vessel that reduced its economical footprint by half.

Our wine community has a lot of brand-new winemaker moms in the last year! What advice do you have for them?
To new winemaker moms, I would say as in winemaking, balance is everything, but kids come first. Their time with you is so short, but essential to their confidence in who they are and in knowing they are loved. Along with kids comes the responsibility to being there for them, however that looks. Don’t miss a game or performance if you can help it. My youngest are now teens which allows me to be at the winery more often around their busy schedule, but when it comes to their needs and activities, I make that time and space. Today, my four daughters and I make and sell wine together. That balance has come to fruition. We are not only a family, but also a team!

RACHEL ROSE (WINEMAKER, BRYN MAWR VINEYARDS)

Winemaker Rachel Rose on tractor with son Shea

How long have you been a winemaker and how long have you been a mom?
Winemaking 14 years, "mom-ing" for six. 

What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing for you about being a parent?
The lack of quality sleep.
 
What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood and vice versa? 

I'm very good at multitasking, prioritizing in chaotic environments, and triaging disasters. I think these skills are all perfectly transferable between winemaking and motherhood. 

As a mom and winemaker you have two full-time jobs. What's the key to making it all work? 
I'm still working on that part. 
 

KATIE SANTORA (WINEMAKER, CHEHALEM WINERY)

Winemaker Katie Santora with son

How long have you been a winemaker, and how long have you been a mom?
 
My first job in the wine industry was in 2007. I've been with Chehalem since 2012 and was promoted to head winemaker in 2018. I became a mother in August 2019. 
 
Does your kid help out in the winery/vineyard? Are you hoping he takes an interest in following in your footsteps?

At this point, no, my son does not help in the winery or vineyard. He was born just before the start of the 2019 vintage, so when he was a newborn, he came with me to work, and it was great. He mostly slept, ate, and went to the bathroom, as most newborns do. As he's getting bigger and more toddler-like, bringing him to work has become more of a distraction than a help. 
 
That said, I let him smell the wine I drink at home to help grow his sense of smell from an early age. If he follows in my footsteps, it's up to him. I would love for him to enjoy wine, respect it, and understand it down the road. But if it only goes as far as just drinking a glass, that is just fine by me. 
 
What has been the most surprising or unexpected thing for you about being a parent?
 
The continuous seesaw of extreme love and admiration for this little human we brought into the world, versus the extreme amount of patience needed to take care of him. Being a mom is the best and hardest thing I have ever done. 
 
What skills from winemaking transfer over to motherhood, and vice versa? 
 
Multi-tasking! Being a winemaker, there are always several things happening at different stages during the year. You have to be flexible at all times because things never go exactly according to plan. If this isn't setting you up to be a mother, I don't know what else is. You can only try to control as much as you can for these souls. To be ready to multi-task and be flexible at all moments is a must. Now, instead of harnessing that idea only at work, I am harnessing it at all times of my life.  
 
Our wine community has a lot of brand-new winemaker moms in the last year! What advice do you have for them?
 
My son is only 20 months old, so I would put myself within this group of new moms. I have learned a lot about the mom work/life balance over the last year and a half, though. The first year is tough. I love being a mother, and I love working, but they are hard to do together. And that is ok. There are many days where I feel like I am not doing either great, but I think that's pressure I put on myself. My advice is to be gentle with yourself, set boundaries, ask for help when you need it, and reach out to other working moms. Knowing you aren't alone and not the first one trying to do it all is reassuring and helpful.   
 
As a mom and winemaker you have two full-time jobs. What's the key to making it all work?

This is a hard question. Some days it just all works together, and you feel like no matter what is in your way, you can do it all. Other days, nothing works. Just knowing that everything ebbs and flows is comforting. Your love for your children is all they need, even if you're not at the top of your mothering game that day. And, your dedication and passion for wine is enough for the days where you don't feel like you're enough. 
 
Also, a good team is critical. As a mother and a winemaker, I really cannot do either alone. I have an amazing partner and father to our son that is always there to help or step up when I need support. And, I have the best team and boss I could ask for to help keep this winemaking train moving in the best direction. 
 
It is not an easy balance but one I would not trade for anything. I love my son, and I love my job. As a woman, you don't have to choose one over the other. You can have both.