Our History

Family Owned and Operated Since 1984

Our story dates back to the 1970's,  when Dieter, our founder, made it to Eugene from the  then communist East Germany, despite the Berlin wall. In his early years in the US, he was a tree farmer; letting go of his computer analyst skills to play in the dirt. Driven by his passion for nature, and inspired by the landscape of the Elbe River Vineyards, and the romance of the wine villages which he experienced while he attended university in Dresden, Germany, Dieter planted his first vines at High Pass Vineyard in 1984. At that time, it was initially a 20-acre parcel of land and he saw the potential of this area, at a time when no one else did. 

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A few years later, he started producing some of the premium wine grapes that gained Oregon international acclaim. Local wineries were willing buyers of his early crops, but he always made sure that there were enough grapes left for him to learn about wine-making himself. High Pass Winery's first commercial crush occurred in 1994. Since then, we have continued producing exceptionally high-quality wines that have earned wide acclaim.

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Most recently.....

After years of growing Pinot Noir, Dieter believes in the centuries-old theory of terroir, which refers to how a region’s soil, microclimate, and exposure affect the wine that it nurtures. Pinot Noir, like no other grape variety, expresses the unique combination of characteristics inherent in where it is grown. Yes, we are in the Willamette Valley, but Dieter believes this area deserves its own recognition. For this reason, he petitioned for a sub-AVA, initially under the name Prairie Mountain (as proposed by the Prairie Mountain Wineries marketing group); however, this name was rejected by the TTB. A few months later, Dieter resubmitted the proposal as Lower Long Tom sub-AVA. This petition was accepted by the TTB on January 5, 2018 and in November of 2021 was officially recognized as a sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley.