OWB welcomes two new Directors to the Board beginning January 1, 2026
Portland, Ore. — (December 16, 2025) — Oregon Wine Board (OWB) is pleased to announce the new slate of Board officers and the Governor’s appointment of two new board directors to the 2026 Oregon Wine Board of Directors, beginning their tenure in January 2026. The Oregon Wine Board of Directors includes:
- Tiquette Bramlett, Board Chair
- Cristina Gonzales, Vice Chair
- Adam Ramirez, Treasurer
- Greg Jones, Chair Emeritus
- Ben Casteel, Board Member (Newly Appointed)
- Dionne Irvine, Board Member (Reappointed)
- Austin Kraemer, Board Member
- Robert Moshier, Board Member
- Andy Steinman, Board Member (Newly Appointed)
Tiquette Bramlett, Founder of Henderson Ave and Co-Founder & CEO of Our Legacy Harvested, will take over as Board Chair, succeeding Abacela CEO and OWB Chair Emeritus, Greg Jones. Cristina Gonzales, Founder & Winemaker of Gonzales Wine Company, will be the new Vice Chair, and Adam Ramirez, President of Sixmile Canyon Vineyards, will continue as Treasurer.
“In the ten years I have been in Oregon, this industry has given me so much,” said Tiquette Bramlett, incoming Chair of the Oregon Wine Board. “I wanted to be on this Board to provide a lens that is not typically there. People who look like me get to see their likeness in this space, and I get to honor my commitment to this industry. This is my opportunity to lean in and amplify the beauty we have here in Oregon and in our wines.”
Bramlett is dedicated to making wine approachable, inclusive, and inviting for all. She has been a member of the Willamette Valley wine community since 2015, and in May 2021, she became the first Black woman hired to lead a winery in the country. She is the founder of Henderson Ave Wines and cofounder of Our Legacy Harvested, a nonprofit founded in 2020, that aims to advance diversity and inclusion across Oregon’s wine industry with educational programs and a first-of-its-kind internship.
Cristina Gonzales is the granddaughter of migrant farm workers from Texas, who moved to Wisconsin to pick cherries in search of a better life. Her passion for wine began while traveling as a backpacker through South America in 2001 and landing in Mendoza, Argentina, the epicenter of South American Malbec. She honed her skills at A to Z Wineworks/REX HILL in the Willamette Valley, and in 2009, she finally launched Gonzales Wine Company, uniting winemaking experience from around the world with that first spark of inspiration in a glass of Malbec she experienced in Argentina.
Adam Ramirez, originally from Red Bluff, California, made his way to the Northwest in 2006 to attend the University of Portland’s Pamplin School of Business. During his time in Portland, he started his career in Finance and established his roots in Oregon. In 2014, Adam moved to the Columbia Valley to enter into the wine industry. He worked with Wyckoff Farms and Coventry Vale Winery. He is currently the President of Sixmile Canyon Vineyards, pioneering grape plantings just west of Boardman, Oregon.
“The OWB team is thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside this stellar new Board of Directors and executive leadership team as we continue advancing the priorities outlined in our strategic plan,” said Gina Bianco, executive director of the Oregon Wine Board. “Their collective perspectives, expertise, and commitment to Oregon wine will help guide meaningful investment in our strategic pillars of marketing, research, and education while promoting the long-term vitality and global reputation of Oregon’s wine industry.”
To fill seats previously held by Maria Ponzi (Laurelwood Vineyard Management) and Gary Mortensen (Stoller Wine Group), Governor Tina Kotek appointed to the Oregon Wine Board: Ben Casteel, winemaker at Bethel Heights Vineyard, and Andy Steinman of Walter Scott Wines.
Ben Casteel grew up at Bethel Heights, son of co-founders Terry Casteel and Marilyn Webb. After college, Ben spent a season working the 1999 harvest in Burgundy, then returned to Oregon to work at Rex Hill under Lynn Penner-Ash, where he spent the next five years working his way up to Assistant Winemaker. In 2005, when Ben’s father retired as winemaker at Bethel Heights, Ben agreed to accept the position. Ben strives to continue the vision of his father and family to produce wines that reflect time and place at Bethel Heights Vineyard, more so than that at the hand of the winemaker.
Andy Steinman is partner and CFO of Walter Scott Wines located in the Eola-Amity Hills nested AVA of the Willamette Valley. He is also a principal of Global Wine Partners, a wine industry focused merger & acquisitions and financial advisory firm that has completed hundreds of transactions with wineries and vineyards in Oregon, California, and Washington. Andy and his wife Sue are the financial partners in four noted Portland area restaurants: Le Pigeon, Canard, Canard Oregon City, and the new Canard Beaverton. His diverse background offers him a broad, informed perspective on the wine industry with expertise that will greatly benefit the OWB.
In addition to these new appointees, Dionne Irvine has been reappointed for another term to the Oregon Wine Board. Irvine is a co-founder of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards in Ashland, Oregon. Dionne and her husband, Doug Irvine, established Irvine & Roberts in 2007, which today includes 47 acres of Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Pinot meunier, and Gamay noir planted on high-elevation estate vineyards.
“Serving as Chair of the Oregon Wine Board has been an honor, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to strengthen Oregon’s reputation as a world-class wine region,” said Greg Jones, OWB Chair Emeritus. “The incoming Board reflects the diversity and expertise of Oregon’s wine community. I’m confident this leadership team will continue to champion strategic growth and long-term success for our growers and wineries across the state.”
The Oregon Wine Board of Directors guides the organization by setting strategic direction and allocating resources in service to the industry. The Board also provides leadership and general promotion of OWB’s work in support of the newly released 2025-2030 Strategic Plan. Directors appointed to the OWB serve a three-year term.
For more information on each board member, visit industry.oregonwine.org/about.
Media Contact
Ben Engel, Public Relations Manager
(971) 421-1360
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About Oregon Wine Board (OWB):
The Oregon Wine Board (OWB) is a semi-independent Oregon state agency leading efforts in marketing, research, and education initiatives that support and advance the Oregon wine and wine grape industry. The Board works on behalf of all Oregon wineries and independent growers throughout the state’s diverse winegrowing regions to ensure they are supported and empowered. To learn more, visit industry.oregonwine.org.
