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Oral history interview with Bill Fuller

 Collection
Identifier: SR 2885

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Bill Fuller was conducted by Jamie Minkus and Kirsten Wall in Portland, Oregon, on January 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. A transcript is also available.

In this interview, Fuller discusses his early experience with winemaking at the Italian Swiss Colony in Santa Rosa, California. He shares the reasons why he and fellow winemaker Bill Malkmus chose the area of Forest Grove, Oregon, to establish their winery, Tualatin Vineyards; talks about the types of grapes they grew; and discusses the first wines they made in the 1970s. He speaks about his involvement with the Oregon Winegrowers Association and talks about wine labeling legislation the organization lobbied for. He talks about the growth of the Oregon wine industry and market since the 1970s, and how it changed during the 1980s. He also talks about winning best of show at the International Wine and Spirits Competition with a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay in the same year. He discusses his partnership with Bill Malkmus; talks about his children and their careers; and closes the interview by sharing his winemaking philosophy.

Dates

  • 2002 January 24

Creator

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

William Lee “Bill” Fuller was born in Tulare, California, in 1937. In 1958, he earned a bachelor’s degree, and then taught high school science in Cloverdale, California. He later earned a master’s degree in food technology from the University of California, Davis. In the 1950s, he and Virginia Hamfeld were married; they later had four children. In 1973, he moved with his family to Oregon. He established Tualatin Vineyards with fellow winemaker Bill Malkmus near Forest Grove, Oregon. He was a co-founder of the Oregon Winegrowers Association. Fuller retired in 1997, and Tualatin Vineyards became part of Willamette Valley Vineyards and was renamed Tualatin Estate Vineyard. In 2013, he returned to winemaking as a consultant for Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 45 min., 6 sec.) + transcript (47 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Bill Fuller conducted by Jamie Minkus and Kirsten Wall on January 24, 2002, as part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project. Fuller discusses his winery, Tualatin Vineyards, which is now part of Willamette Valley Vineyards and was renamed Tualatin Estate Vineyard, and his involvement with the Oregon Winegrowers Association.

General

Forms part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project.

Creator

Title
Guide to the oral history interview with Bill Fuller
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.
Sponsor
The Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project was funded by a grant from the Oregon Winegrowers Association.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240