Newberg, Oregon (January 9, 2017) – Adelsheim Vineyard, one of Oregon’s founding wineries, announces today that long-time Vineyard Manager, Chad Vargas, is leaving Adelsheim to open a new vineyard services company, NewGen Vineyard Services.
During his ten-year tenure at Adelsheim, Vargas managed the annual operations and long-term planning for the company’s 11 estate vineyards in consultation with Winemaker Dave Paige and President David Adelsheim.
With a wealth of experience in vine nutrition and pest and disease management, Vargas initiated a wide range of experiments in the estate vineyards and earned a reputation as a top viticulturist in the Valley. He has been the chairman of LIVE and has reviewed competitive grant research proposals for the Oregon Wine Board, Oregon Wine Research Institute, and the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research (NCSFR). For the past several years, he has traveled to D.C. with a group of stakeholders from the NCSFR to lobby for increases in research funding to specialty crops for the Pacific Northwest. In 2015, he was honored with the Oregon Wine Industry’s Outstanding Industry Service Award.
“Chad’s management of our estate vineyard program during his 10-year tenure has placed Adelsheim in the envied position of having complete control of our vineyard operations. His leadership of our vineyard team, including protégé Kelli Wagner, has advanced both the quality of our wines and our company’s reputation. Finally, his leadership in the viticulture community has had a profound influence on the success of Oregon’s wine industry. As we send him on his way, we also wish him great success in his new venture”, says David Adelsheim.
Vargas will continue to consult with Adelsheim while Kelli Wagner takes over the management of Adelsheim’s estate vineyards.
“Adelsheim has given me 10 great years of continuous learning opportunities to hone my knowledge of fine wine management and contribute to the state’s vital industry. I will now leverage this experience as I launch NewGen, my vineyard management company, and do so confidently knowing that Adelsheim is in capable hands with Kelli’s leadership and experience with the vineyard’s amazing crew,” says Vargas.
About Adelsheim Vineyard
Adelsheim Vineyard is one of Oregon’s founding wineries and is still operated by the original owner. We believe in staying true to place and honoring the natural characteristics of the land. We know that raising the bar with every growing season requires tireless attention to detail. We are industry leaders who aim to change the world’s view about the production of exceptional wines in Oregon. We champion the collaborative and pioneering spirit of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We open our doors 360 days per year to wine lovers seeking a uniquely Oregon experience. Visit Adelsheim.com for more information.
About NewGen
NewGen Vineyard Services is a full service management company. We specialize in improving grape quality by identifying zones of vineyard variability and farming them specifically to their needs. We leverage proven vineyard technologies to their fullest including software to automate client reporting of crop development and budget performance. Additonally, NewGen is an exclusive provider of thermal culture through a business partnership with AgroThermal Systems. Chad Vargas founded NewGen with partners Armando Martinez (Martinez Vineyard Services) and Ezequiel Salazar (Ezequiel Labor Contractor) forming a powerful team of vineyard knowledge and labor resources.
