Behind the vine

Jeanne Feldkamp - Corollary Wines - Willamette Valley, Oregon

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

The wine bug hit me through my husband (and business partner), Dan. Dan got introduced to grower Champagne from a friend who owned a wine bar. He learned a lot about it and took me down the rabbit hole of bubbles.

In terms of thinking of wine as a career, it was a slow process. People used to ask us what we would do if we weren't doing our day jobs, and the answer we'd give was 'We'd go and make wine'. We circled back to the idea after a visit to the Willamette Valley where we got interested in why bubbles weren't coming out of the area. We kept asking why this area of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay had only one label doing bubbles.

We really edged into the wine space one tiny step at a time and at some point just decided we were going to do it. We approached winemaking in a really start-uppy way and bought apples at the farmer's market and made traditional sparking cidre in our garage. The following year we got grapes.

What story does your wine tell?

The name Corollary encapsulates the idea that we're trying to understand the relationship between all of the components that go into making sparkling wine. People have really explored the Willamette Valley and the tiniest permutations of what makes a good Pinot Noir, but that hasn't been done methodically for sparkling. So while we felt like we couldn't contribute any more to the world of still Pinot Noir, we could certainly contribute to an understanding of sparkling from the Willamette Valley.

Our wines tell the intertwined story of the land and farming as it's done here - where people are paying close attention to their land. Our sites are organic, biodynamic, and regenerative. We want to understand each of our sites individually and approach the wine not as one product and one year, but really appreciate the whole ecosystem that surrounds it.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

The idea that there's a right answer about tasting notes. It's just wrong. If you got a bunch of somms in a room together, they would each get different things out of one wine. Perception is totally subjective, literally, no one else is tasting what you're tasting. I wish people embraced that.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

People should remember that wine is meant to be enjoyed. It's OK to be curious about wine and start with no knowledge. There are a lot of bottles that we Google to find out more about the story and winemakers. People look for a point of connection, and if you remain curious, you can find that in wine.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

Start anywhere. You can get into the wine industry anywhere and figure out what you're interested in. People will help connect you to what you're more interested in doing. In my experience in Oregon, the wine industry is a very generous place.

Who is a woman in wine you think everyone should know about?

Mimi Casteel. She has done a lot of work educating people about regenerative agriculture. She's been a strong advocate for regenerative principles and has been hugely influential in the region and industry, even outside of wine. She believes in a holistic approach where farming can be a solution to different types of problems.

Where can women find your wine?

corollarywines.com and retail shops in OR and CA.