My Latest in Oregon Wine Press: “Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability”

Pascal Brooks is the son and heir of the late Jimi Brooks, founder of Brooks Winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Pascal Brooks is the son and heir of the late Jimi Brooks, founder of Brooks Winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Photo by Andrea Johnson.

Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability

Winegrowers go green for future generations

By L.M. Archer

Oregon leads the country in more than premium wine growth; according to the Oregon Wine Board, 48 percent of Oregon vineyards are currently certified sustainable. Here’s how a few are sowing the seeds for future generations.

Sustaining a Legacy

Brooks Wine

When 38-year old winemaker Jimi Brooks of Brooks Wine died tragically in 2004 of an aortic aneurism, he left behind an eight-year-old son, Pascal. Now 22, Pascal Brooks carries himself with the quiet grace of an old soul belying a youth burdened with high expectations.

A recent graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz, Pascal speaks to his future in winemaking, “I don’t know, I think I’m still too young, and the world is so big. I would like to explore. For a long time it was my concern that I didn’t want to be funneled into anything. But it’s also because I’m afraid that I wouldn’t have the passion to do it. Talking to Tad [Seestedt from Ransom Spirits] — he was a close friend of my dad — I remember asking him about working 100-hour work weeks, “Why do you do it?” He explained, “It takes an obsessive trait.” For me, I know that if the going gets rough, I would hope I would have the passion that I’ve seen other people do to complete it. I know my dad had that, and I see it in Chris and Janie.”

Mentor and family friend Seestedt concurs, “I think he [Jimi] touched a lot of people. Pascal is that next generation.”

But Jimi Brooks didn’t only leave behind a son. Jimi’s sister, Janie Brooks Heuck, helps carry the message of her brother’s vision. “When Chris and I decided to keep the winery going, it was really about keeping Jimi’s vision going, not that either one of us really wanted to get in and do this for a living. I definitely had no ideas about what my philosophy would be. Nothing.” Read more here. 

4 Comments

    1. TY, Michelle – means a lot that you took the time to read and comment – you are one busy lady. Cheers!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.