Pinot Girl: A Family. A Region. An Industry. Bristol Press, Sherwood, Oregon, 2020, 372 pp., ISBN: 978-1-7345788-0-5 (paperback), $17.95

Born in 1965 in Los Gatos, California, the same year as David Lett, known as Papa Pinot, planted the first vitis vinifera vines in the Willamette Valley, Ponzi had a front row seat during the entire birth and growth of the wine industry. In addition to sharing insights, tools, labor, and resources, some members lobbied the Oregon legislature to pass laws to protect the budding wine industry. Since money was short in the early days, trading wine for goods and services provided relief. Significant events include the birth of her children, the continued recognition of Dick Ponzi in the wine press and by his peers, the ascendance of Pinot Noir in the wake of the movie Sideways, and the construction of a new winery. On p. 149, we are told: “By 1975, there were fourteen wineries in Oregon,” but on p. 200, “By now there were nearly ten wineries in the state.” Since the story unfolds chronologically, this gives the impression that the industry was contracting.