Kevin Parsons: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Kevin Parsons of Cluster Stuck Wine Consulting. In this interview, Kevin talks about his experiences within the wine industry and discusses parts of the industry not everyone sees.

Kevin talks about his early aspirations of becoming a winemaker. Kevin knew he wanted to be in wine early on in his life. After brewing beer with his father and going to an art high school, Kevin decided he wanted to get into the wine industry as a sophomore in high school. From there, Kevin studied horticulture at CalPoly and worked his first harvest his senior year as a lab assistant. This cemented Kevin’s ideals of becoming a winemaker.

Kevin discusses his many different roles within the industry. After moving to Arizona for his wife’s education, Kevin was looking for wine jobs within a difficult climate. He started in agricultural research and transitioned to brewing beer where he got to express his creativity. After proposing to his wife in the Willamette Valley, he knew that was where he wanted to put down roots. Within the valley, Kevin has worked as an assistant and head winemaker and custom crush manager. During this time, Kevin started the Willamette Valley Wine Journal Club, a place where like-minded people can mix wine academics and practice together.

Later in the interview, Kevin talks about the difficult times he’s gone through within the industry. Kevin has learned that he prefers to work under an owner that practices humility and leaves their ego at the door. Through his experiences, he has learned how he wants to treat people and more importantly, how he doesn’t want to treat people. While Kevin may not have had the best experiences at certain wineries, he is proud of what he was able to accomplish at bad places. Now, Kevin operates his wine consulting business and keeps an eye out for the right opportunities within the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 4, 2026.