Jo Spencer: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Jo Spencer of Roth’s Fresh Markets. In this interview, Jo discusses how she views the relationships between wine and retail consumers.Jo talks about how she started drinking wine and created a brand. When Jo and her husband first met, they would drive around Oregon tasting different wines. Her husband’s mother had made fruit wines growing up, and he wanted to make some himself. After the two took wine courses at Chemeketa, they decided to open a winery in 2002 with their brand Mia Sonatina Cellars, eventually opening a tasting room in 2006 in Amity.Jo discusses how she got into being a wine steward. After her husband had passed, Jo could no longer keep their business open and decided to shift gears in her career. She wanted to stay in the wine industry and the only role that appealed to her was being a wine steward. Jo remembered that Roth’s had wine steward positions because she used to sell her wine to them. After being trained at different stores, Jo took the permanent position of wine steward at the West Salem store.Later in the interview, Jo talks about selling in the store and the future of the wine industry. Jo has learned to ask the right questions to ensure her customers are getting exactly what they are looking for. Jo has noticed that younger customers are leaning more towards Asian products compared to European wines. Jo believes that the industry should listen to their younger customers to learn what products they are looking for.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at the Roth’s Fresh Market in West Salem on July 22, 2026.