Joe Swick

For the 15th installment of Own-Rooted, we spent some time talking with Oregonian winemaker Joe Swick. Joe is a prolific and distinctive winemaker with a house-style that is recognizable and dynamic. Although his high vitality wines share similarities with Californian naturalists, Joe is located in a much more conservative wine region.   He stands apart not only in location but in history, having begun his journey firmly entrenched in the high octane, Parker-approved power wines of the early aughts. His pathway to low-intervention wine was slow and circuitous, imparting on Joe an invaluable sense of context. The conversation begins with a discussion of organics in farming and comes to center on the definition and perils of natural wine before ending up somewhere unexpected!