David Adelsheim founded Adelsheim Vineyard with Ginny Adelsheim in 1971. David stepped back from his role as CEO of the company in April 2017 and he and Ginny sold their ownership in the company to their partners of 23 years, Lynn and Jack Loacker, in June of the same year.
David continues to lead the winery’s export sales and public policy programs, as well as representing the winery and Oregon’s industry in the search for ever-higher quality, standards of production, and recognition by fine wine drinkers around the world. In 2019, he led the Willamette Valley Wineries Association’s efforts to pass bills in the Oregon legislature to strengthen the State’s already strict wine labeling requirements. More recently, he has helped launch a new six-year research program to define the neighborhoods within the Chehalem Mountains AVA. To celebrate Adelsheim Vineyard’s 50th anniversary in 2021, David interviewed the founders of the first ten wineries in the Willamette Valley. The full-length and edited short versions of these videos are available at adelsheim.com.
In the 46 years, when he led the company, he had been the vineyard manager, winemaker, and the person in charge of sales, marketing, accounting and fixing broken plumbing. His early winemaking experiences included work at the experimental winery of the Lycée Viticole in Beaune, France and at the Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon. On behalf of the Oregon wine industry, he has led work on clonal importation, wine labeling regulations, establishing statewide and regional industry organizations, and creation of industry events, such as the International Pinot Noir Celebration, Oregon Pinot Camp, and Willamette, the Pinot noir auction. As one of the founders of the Oregon wine industry, he helped set standards of excellence for that industry. He was given the industry’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, in February 2012 by the Oregon Wine Board (which he helped bring to life and on which he served for eight years, appointed by Oregon’s Governor.)