Proud Pours

When you arrive at Remy Wines and see the dusty gold 1900s farmhouse perched unassumingly on a small family vineyard, there’s no indication — but for the Progress Pride and BLM flags hung proudly off the porch — that the picturesque property transforms once a year into the first community celebration of queer-owned, queer-made and queer-grown wineries in the world.

The fourth annual Queer Wine Fest will return to the Willamette Valley on June 29th, highlighting 20+ different LGBTQ+ producers and creating a joyful outdoor space for queer wine culture to thrive. Oregon native and queer winemaker Remy Drabkin is the benevolent force behind the festival. It’s not your typical tasting event where you make your rounds traversing rows of vendor tables. “It feels more like a big party. People surround the tasting room, and there’s music, food, fascinating people to visit with — and some fun and exciting surprises folks will have to come to find out about,” she says with a sparkle in her eyes.

Tickets grant the full tasting experience, which offers a diverse curated assortment showcasing the most exquisite varietals from each producer, meaning you’ll taste tannic reds, vibrant whites, sparkling rosés and everything in between. Participants range from local operations like Roco Winery to Sulei Cellars from Walla Walla, and newcomers Capo Creek (Healdsburg) and Troix Noix (Napa Valley) traveling up from California. They also vary in size, from smaller brands like Ze Wines to larger, more well-known producers like Elk Cove Vineyards.

The festival will feature a live stage performance by Camp Crush, a highly entertaining husband-and-wife duo with new wave indie pop tunes, and a number of other equally delightful elements, like a bona-fide aerialist, performing skilled acrobatics that will have your jaw dropping. Renegade Catering will be supplying the bites, all easy to pair with wines. There’ll be a variety of gourmet snacks, including vegetarian options, and a gigantic spreadboard with all kinds of dips and other goodies.

Remy’s passion for creating community drives everything she does, and Queer Wine Fest is no exception. Whereas most wine festivals charge vendors to participate, Remy Wines gives each winery a sample allowance, so no one is giving away free product, and all the supplies are provided. The event supported over 30 queer-led businesses last year in total, including a trans barber who came out and gave haircuts.

Remy Wines is the original location of Wine Country Pride, which Remy co-founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2020, followed by her being elected the first female and openly queer mayor of McMinnville in 2022. Her winemaking journey began at 14 and spurred the development of a unique, small-batch winery featuring Old World Italian varietals that are handcrafted in the on-site 5,000-square-foot production facility and poured from their charming farmhouse tasting room.

Queer Wine Fest is above all, a safe and inclusive event and a place for collaboration. “We’re fostering a community not only in the queer space, but in the queer, professional network of wineries, which hasn’t existed previously,” Remy says. “It’s all about participating in queer culture, not just observing it — there’s a big difference.”

Tickets go on sale June 1st and typically sell out fast, so hurry to reserve your spot for a wine-filled celebration you’ll never forget. Blocks are reserved for out-of-town guests at the Atticus Hotel and The Vintages Trailer Resort, and the festival has partnered with Pinot Car to provide a shuttle service within surrounding towns.

Remy Wines is located at 17495 NE McDougall Road in Dayton. For more information on Queer Wine Fest, visit the website at www.queerwinefest.com.