Ron Penner-Ash

The winery’s self-avowed “mature cellar rat,” Ron loves the physicality of winemaking. Along with his cellar work and vineyard management, he shares the marketing with Lynn, dividing up the states and taking turns with marketing trips and tastings. As the estate vineyard begins full production, he hopes to spend more time managing the vineyard.

Ron has always been fascinated with technology and innovation. In 20 years as a public school teacher in California and Oregon, his interest in technology and its potential impact in the classroom led to a collaborative grant with Oregon Public Broadcasting from 1998-2001. He received numerous awards for innovation and in 1998 was nominated for Oregon Teacher of the Year. Though he retired from teaching to take on a full-time role at the winery he sees a lot of similarities between the work.

“The wine industry’s annual cycle parallels that of teaching,” Ron says. “I’ve learned that Mother Nature can be more demanding than a pre-adolescent drama queen.”

Ron loves sharing the Penner-Ash story and product and a day doesn’t go by that he isn’t grateful that they have the opportunity to pursue their dream.