Kevin Pogue: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Kevin Pogue, of VinTerra. Kevin is a geologist, educator, and wine industry consultant whose career has taken him from the caves and mountains of Kentucky to studying tectonics in Pakistan, teaching geology for decades, and eventually becoming deeply involved in viticulture and wine regions across the country. Kevin is originally from the Bluegrass region of Lexington, Kentucky and talks about spending much of his early life outdoors; he enjoys caving, climbing, skiing, and exploring the mountains, which sparked his interest in geology. Hediscusses his decades-long career in education, beginning college-level teaching at 22 and spending 35 years teaching different types of geology. He talks about mentoring students, his time at Oregon State and Whitman College, and the fulfillment he found in helping others learn about what he loved so much. The conversation explores how Kevin developed an interest in wine through geology, eventually consulting with grape growers in Walla Walla and helping evaluate terroir — the relationship between soil, climate, and land characteristics in wine production. He explains his involvement with AVA applications across the country and how geology connects directly to agriculture and wine.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in Portland, Oregon on April 3, 2026.