Story
I am Chris Lubberstedt. My wife Ja’Nien and I established STEDT wines in 2015. We both grew up in California – me in the Napa Valley, and her in the Monterey Peninsula. We moved to Oregon in 1995, but our two sons, Caprin and Everett are proud Oregon natives. Downtown Portland was our base as I completed my college degree in Biological Science. Ja’Nien was thriving with her career in hair artistry. The fervor we shared for food and wine led us to explore the wine scene in the Willamette Valley, and we soon realized it was so much more than a “scene.” We were compelled by genuine camaraderie and overt cooperation, as this was a community striving to raise the standard of wines produced and grown here. We wanted to be a part of that circle. Behind our wines is a family. We are people with wines worth getting to know.
Craft
I now have over 20 years’ experience of wine production, having worked in some of Oregon’s most distinguished wineries. Before we started STEDT wines I was head of winemaking at Methven Family Vineyards, and previous to that I worked in the cellars of Cristom, Willakenzie, and Dobbes Family Estate. While I have the experience of regional winemaking styles, from working harvests in California and Australia, I am committed to the cool-climate styles of the Northwest.
Premise
The birthplace of wine is the vineyard, and it is our philosophy to make our wine so that it clearly tells the story of its origin. The winemaking should provide the path for which the personality and identity of the wine shines through. This is our focus, to produce wines from a single vineyard site of a single varietal type. I match the fermentation practices and cellar development for each varietal to respect the core of the fruit and terroir. I communicate directly with the barrel cooperages in France to obtain just the right profiles of wood age-seasoning and toasting. Prior to final bottling I will select only the most expressive tank-lots and barrels from each varietal to blend together into bottle. To further express the wine’s individuality, we create a unique graphic label and name for each wine.
Dedication to good vineyard stewardship is not only paramount to our wine quality but also connects our resolution to be good stewards of our earth. The vineyards we work with are farmed in the most sustainable, forward-thinking way possible for each specific site. Carrying this principle through to our business has led us to become a member of ‘2% for Conservation’.
“We believe that more businesses and more people need to get involved in conservation to ensure the future existence of fish and wildlife. Our goal is to preserve our hunting and angling heritage and to promote the proper science based conservation of fish, wildlife and their habitat.”
