Al MacDonald: Oral History Interview

This interview is an oral history conducted by Rich Schmidt with Al MacDonald. The interview took place at the Jereld R. Nicholson Library at Linfield College on June 25, 2015 and included topics such as MacDonald’s creation of a curriculum for Chemeketa Community College’s Vineyard Management/Winemaking (now Wine Studies) program, as well as his role in LIVE (Low-Input Viticulture & Enology). Al MacDonald is the founder of Seven Springs Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. Seven Springs provided quality fruit for many local winemakers from the early 1980s through 2007. MacDonald was a key proponent for wine education and sustainability in Oregon. In this interview, MacDonald discusses what brought him into the Oregon wine industry and shares many of his experiences. MacDonald goes into depth about the creation of the wine curriculum at Chemeketa and the founding of LIVE. He also touches upon his time teaching, as well as predictions for the future of the industry. This interview was conducted on June 25, 2015.