Anna Maria Ponzi: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Anna Maria Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards. In this interview, Maria talks about how she was born into the wine industry with visionary parents and how she is so grateful to be a part of the industry. She speaks about her past— how Ponzi has evolved into what it is today— reflecting on her childhood memories of long hours in the dirt and rain. She then goes on to explain how she found her place in the marketing side of the industry after moving back from the East Coast to work with her family. Maria then goes on to state how the winery has thrived because of the way her parents had an open relationship with their kids, as well as how being a woman and daughter in the industry meant she had to be strong, persistent, and courageous to be taken seriously. She then speaks about her day to day life, her marketing philosophy, the various organizations she has been a part of (including Salud!), as well as the numerous amount of projects she has been working on. From completing her first memoir and sharing the story of Oregon wine, to being an advocate for women, equality, and inclusion, Maria is most “proud of everyone and what we’ve done.” Towards the end of the interview, she discusses the future for her business (keeping the same values as her parents, and doing what they do well), changes in the Oregon Wine Industry, and offers advice to someone looking to enter the industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 7, 2019.