John Pratt: Oral History Interview

This interview is with John Pratt of Celestina Vineyard. In this interview, John talks about transitioning from working as a teacher in northern California to becoming a grape farmer in southern Oregon.John talks about beginning to enjoy wine in his 20s, noticing that wine could make an ordinary social situation into a more enjoyable and memorable one. Growing up on a farm between Stockton and Lodi, his neighbor grew his own grapes and made his own wine, which inspired John to think about the farming that goes into wine.John discusses working as a teacher for 40 years and beginning to look for a wine region to retire in. Both he and his wife Sherry had visited southern Oregon, and after viewing property there they purchased what is now known as Celestina Vineyard in 2004. They began building a home on the site in 2006, planted vines in 2007, and had their first harvest in 2009.Later in the interview, John talks about his short stint in winemaking before deciding that he preferred to just grow the grapes. He discusses what varietals they planted and why, and how they were affected by red blotch disease. He also talks about his work on the Rogue Valley Vintners Association and the Oregon Wine Board, spending time on both organizations’ research committees.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Celestina Vineyard in Medford on March 14, 2026.Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!