Tête de Bulle | № 41 | Argyle Winery

Introduction

LMA: Welcome to Tête de Bulle! I’m your host, Lyn M. Archer, and today, I am talking to Kate Payne-Brown, the head winemaker of Argyle Winery in Dundee, Oregon. Welcome, Kate!

Kate Payne Brown: Oh, thanks, Lyn. Happy to be here.

LMA: Before Kate joined Argyle in 2025, she had a career that included making wine in Adelaide and Burgundy, as well as at some notable Oregon wineries, including Stoller Family Estate, Vinovate, and more recently, Ambar Estate.

And a fun fact for some of you, Argyle was founded in 1987 as the first sparkling-only house in Oregon.[Incorrect.]* So, it’s quite the history.

And I believe you’re only the third winemaker in its history. And the only woman. So, congratulations.

[Author’s Note: The other two winemakers include founder Rollin Soles (1987–2013), and Nate Klostermann (2013–2025).]

Kate Payne Brown: That is true. So, I’m happy to be a part of this foundational brand and the legacy, and carrying it forward into the new era.

History

LMA: So, tell us a little bit about Argyle. What makes it unique…what are some of the things that make it stand out as a legacy brand?

Kate Payne Brown: *It didn’t make only sparkling wine back then. It made still, and we continue to make still wines as well.

So, I think what sets Argyle apart in particular is that history, right? So, we have almost four decades of history to pull from and kind of collective experience to pull from.

And I think because of that history and because of all of those years of experimentation and knowledge and infrastructure, we’ve had the ability to really hone in our sparkling wine production, traditional method sparkling wine production, as well as make a significant amount that can be shared outside of Oregon.

I think what we’re seeing now is fantastic. We have a lot of producers in Oregon that are getting into the traditional method sparkling realm, and are making some beautiful wines that are, you know, a couple hundred cases here, 400 cases here.

But what really sets Argyle apart is that we’ve been making enough to share the message of traditional method sparkling wine with those folks outside of Oregon. Read Full Interview here.

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