Oral history interview with John D. Weisinger

Collection

Identifier: SR 2883

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with John D. Weisinger was conducted by Jamie Minkus and Kirsten Wall on May 24, 2002. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project, which collected interviews with notable figures in the wine-growing industry, including vintners, vineyard growers, community members, and workers active in the development of Oregon's wine industry. The sound quality of this interview is extremely poor, and much of it is inaudible.

In this interview, Weisinger discusses the history of the area around the Weisinger Winery in Ashland, Oregon, and shares the reasons that he chose the site to purchase in 1978. He also talks about his family history of winemaking, then speaks about the early years of his winery, including the process of planting his first grapes. He discusses the wine industry in Oregon, and talks about the Oregon Winegrowers Association and the market for Oregon wines. He closes the interview by talking about the future of the Oregon wine industry, and shares his thoughts about how climate change will affect winegrowers.

Dates

2002 May 24

Creator

Weisinger, John D. (John Dampier), 1941- (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

John Dampier Weisinger, Jr. was born in Conroe, Texas, in 1941. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and a master’s degree in divinity from the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. He married Nancy J. Boyd, and they later had three children. In the 1970s, the family moved to Oregon, and in 1978 Weisinger purchased farmland in Ashland. In 1988, he founded the Weisinger Winery on the site. In 2008, he remarried to Janie D. Holloway.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 31 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with John D. Weisinger conducted by Jamie Minkus and Kirsten Wall on May 24, 2002, as part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project. Weisinger discusses his winery, the Weisinger Family Winery, in Ashland, Oregon.