Women in Wine :: Meredith Bell

This month our focus is on celebrating Women in wine – Women Winemakers + Women-Owned Wineries. Mr. West stands for fostering and achieving gender equality in the wine industry. The status of women in the wine industry feels different in 2021, yet despite some very impactful gains, it also feels fragile, tentative, and full of potential.



Est Rosé Swirl

2019 | Willamette Valley, Oregon

For her Rosé Swirl, Meredith fermented Pinot Noir juice atop fresh whole Sauvignon Blanc grapes and pressed skins of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. That gives the wine the light tannins and texture of the fruity, floral Sauvignon Blanc alongside the earthy Pinot Noir flavors. 

Statera Chardonnay

2016 | Columbia Gorge, Washington

The Statera vineyard is rooted in volcanic ash from the extinct volcano Underwood Mountain. The grapes are grown at 1000 ft elevation. The wine from the vineyard ws fermented in a single neutral barrel. Fewer than 25 cases were produced.

About the Winemaker ::
Last year, we featured a wine from Statera Cellars, a collaboration between Meredith Bell and a fellow winemaker. But EST Wines is where Meredith runs the show herself, including personally managing a small four-acre vineyard just outside of Oregon City. The vineyard, planted in 1982, is proof that world class wines can be produced from the East side of the Willamette Valley – hence the name, EST. Meredith’s approach? Question all the assumptions. Study the masters deeply, then challenge everything they’re doing. She’s a UC Davis enology graduate, but part of a group heralded as “mavericks” who are “upending expectations” while “having fun in a way that’s unusual” in winemaking.