Forrest Schaad: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Forrest Schaad of Schaad Cellars. In this interview he begins with describing what It was like growing up visiting and working on his families vineyard, and while he was not taken with farming at first, his thirst for knowledge and love for harvest eventually drew him in. He described working several harvests for different wineries, until deciding to start his own label. Forrest described going from working in the Westrey vineyard which led to sharing a space in their winery. He explains how their relationship has evolved over the years, and the support he has received from David Autrey and Amy Wesselman. Later in the interview, Forrest gave his hopes for the future, mentioning that he has a desire to plant grapes in other regions, eventually have an estate winery, and move into his own space. Towards the end of the interview Forrest looks ahead to the future of the greater Oregon wine industry, and finished his interview with advice for joining the wine industry. This Oral History Interview was conducted with Forrest Schaad at Westrey Wine Company on March 3, 2021.