When an Auggie recently visited the Airlie Winery in Airlie, Oregon, he asked fellow-Auggie and winery owner Mary E. Olson ’74 if the large “A” in the landscaping (carved out of boxwood) stood for “Augsburg.” She just smiled and said, “Sure!” Even though very few of the Auggies she encounters at the winery—or at other wine-tasting events around the country—are acquaintances from her student days, Olson still feels the connection.
Years after the Osceola (WI) native had graduated with a political science/English double major, she found her liberal arts education particularly useful as she left her work with US West after 22 years, and switched gears by following her dream of moving back to Oregon and owning a winery. In 1997, she purchased Airlie Winery, situated on the coastal edge of the lush hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley—an area that has captured her heart. She says it’s Minnesota-friendly with better weather, and she fully intends to retire there. “My winery is not a stop along the way,” says Olson, “it is a place to sit and stay.”
When her friend and Airlie’s winemaker, Suzy, died suddenly in 2005 from a brain aneurism, friends and volunteers from other Oregon wineries came to the rescue and helped Olson until she could find a replacement—Team Oregon, she likes to call it. She views sustainability of the winery as a three-legged stool—“the earth, employees, and your customers”—and she purchases grapes from a nearby vineyard that, like Airlie, is Certified Sustainable and Salmon Safe. Being part of the Oregon Pinot Noir continues to be her dream-come-true.
Airlie’s website (www.airliewinery.com) provides an opportunity for Auggies to sign up to receive emails, as well as info on where you can find Airlie wines in your area. Airlie’s distributor (amy@oenodist.com) stands ready to add another shop to the list, and responds well to such customer requests.