20 June 2025

I Got This Email Saturday

I met Dave and Sara a number of years ago during a wine wandering trip in wine country just outside of Portland.

I believe it was their first ever bottling year. 

Their wine was great: best rosé I had had from an American vineyard, and a great pinot blanc.  

And their story was interesting.  

Dave was a successful attorney in Cincinnatti Ohio and Sara was happily running a successful and growing PR firm.  

But they discovered the Oregon wine country and decided that they wanted to do that - make wine.  

They have done that and have prospered.  

Dave's attached comments document one of the people who has contributed to achieving that prosperity.  

And in that story lies a microcosm of America. 

I could wax poetic, but the dollar bill tells the tale quite simply: it says "E pluribus unum. 

That's us; that's America.  

And we and all our forebears have all prospered under that banner and its associated and resultant corollaries.  

As a country we have prospered, from our origins, like Dave and Sara have since their first bottling.

E pluribus unum.  

And if we let the current regime of sadism, hate, incompetence and contrived mayhem prevail, if we let people like the Sotelo family be persecuted, we deserve the attendant dark age that will descend upon us all.

I am going to make a contribution to this family.

I thought y'all might like to consider doing so as well.

Moises Sotelo
Moises Sotelo standing in an Oregon vineyard

We Are Asking For Your Support

Thursday, June 12, the political got very personal. The owner of our vineyard management company, Novo Start Vineyard Company, Moises Sotelo, was detained by ICE. It has been both an honor and a blessing to have Moises’ hands-on expertise in our vines since 2019, and our vineyard has never looked better or healthier than in his care.

Professionally, he’s a highly respected member of the Willamette Valley wine growing community — so much so that the industry recognized him with an award in 2020. He’s truly one of the most humble, kind, and generous individuals we’ve met in Newberg, and — as owners of two small businesses ourselves — we were proud to be among his first customers when he founded Novo Start. In fact, if you’ve been following our social media feeds this year, you know that we’ve featured Moises and his second-in-command, Victoria Reader, in multiple videos as they shared what’s happening in our vineyard.

Moises has no criminal record, pays taxes, has a wonderful wife, amazing kids and grandkids, is significantly involved in his church, treats everyone he meets like family, and genuinely cares for his employees, customers, and community. He poses ZERO threat to public safety. His family is justifiably distraught, and we share their distress.

So on his behalf, we’re asking for your support. As Moises' family navigates the complex legal system, they have set up a GoFundMe during this difficult time. 100% of the funds raised will help with Moises’ legal fees, keep his small business going, and support the family with immediate material needs like paying rent and groceries. 

During this time, no action or donation is too small. Please share his story by reposting news articles and the GoFundMe.

Thank you to our community for supporting this invaluable member of the Oregon wine industry.

– Dave & Sara
SUPPORT GOFUNDME

New Articles To Share:

KOIN ARTICLE
NEWBERG GRAPHIC ARTICLE


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