Will Craigie: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Will Craigie of Bryn Mawr Vineyards. In this interview, Will discusses the many pivots he took that led him to the wine industry.

Will talks about his beginnings as a musician and performer. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Will performed in an acoustic rock band as a guitar player. After many incredible experiences within the music industry, Will decided he needed a lifestyle change in 2006. During his time as a musician, Will worked in restaurants on the side. After leaving the music industry, Will continued working in restaurants in the kitchen, guiding the chaos of service. Later, Will started working in a kitchen at a wine tasting venue where he learned a lot about wine through making wine lists and taking opportunities to help on the line.

Will discusses his transition to Oregon and the wine industry. Will’s boss at the restaurant had sent Will on a trip to the Willamette Valley to taste wines and bring back to the restaurant. Will was captured by Oregon and decided to make another pivot into the Oregon wine industry, not at a winery, but as a wine tour driver. Will started his own wine tour company and took people across the valley for tastings, frequently visiting Bryn Mawr. When Will’s business went under during the pandemic in 2020, he started working part-time at Bryn Mawr as a cellar assistant. By 2021, Will was brought on full-time as a cellar assistant and before that harvest was over, he was named cellar master. In 2022, Will transitioned into an assistant winemaker role.

Later in the interview, Will talks about his future and the future of the Oregon wine industry. Will is happy at Bryn Mawr and does not plan on going anywhere. Will believes he still has more to learn at Bryn Mawr, specifically the vineyard side of things. As for the wine industry, Will trusts that things will regenerate as they have done in the past. He has hopes for the future for himself and the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Bryn Mawr Vineyards in Salem on August 19, 2026.