Corvallis, Ore. (February 6, 2023) – Corvallis local and Oregon State University alumni, Nick Cheatham, dreamed of opening a wine bar and shop while pruning grape vines on a midwinter day three years ago. He envisioned a gathering place for the Corvallis wine community to explore wines of the world. Cheatham’s dreams became a reality on January 31st at Corazón’s grand opening. Locals journeyed through a variety of wine offerings from the Willamette Valley, Spain and Mexico in the renovated space on Second Street where Francesco’s Gelato closed its doors in 2019.
Cheatham first gravitated towards the wine industry at an OSU Food & Fermentation Sciences career fair. He was offered his first harvest and vineyard internships at A to Z Wineworks, then continued to explore wine production in Idaho and throughout the Willamette Valley. Before opening Corazón, he last worked as winemaker and vineyard manager for BlueBird Hill Cellars in Monroe, OR. Corazón means heart in Spanish, honoring Cheatham’s Mexican roots and Corvallis which means “heart of the valley” in Latin.
As a Fermentation Science major, he met many colleagues with a shared passion in wine, including Dave Cho, now winemaker of Cho Wines. Cho studied enology and viticulture at OSU, and forged his way in the Oregon wine industry by working at wineries throughout the Willamette Valley. After he and his wife, Lois Cho, co-founder and CEO, launched CHO Wines during the pandemic, their wine made The Enthusiast 100 List of 2022, ranking 83rd out of 21,000 blind tasted wines from around the world.
Dave Cho will be showcasing his wines with his wife and co-founder of Cho Wines at Corazón on Friday, February 10, 2023 from 5-7PM. Through his wines, he will be highlighting his technical education from Oregon State University but also his passion for experimentation and pushing boundaries. Corazón can be found at 208 SW Second Street Corvallis, Oregon with details on wine and upcoming events on their website corazoncorvallis.com and @corazon.corvallis on Instagram.
ABOUT CHO WINES
Cho Wines is the first Korean-American owned and operated winery in Oregon, founded in 2020 by Dave and Lois Cho. Cho Wines specializes in high elevation Willamette Valley sparkling wine and Pinot Noir. The couple got their start in the wine industry while performing music at local wineries in Southern California. Dave studied enology and viticulture at Oregon State University and worked for notable wineries such as Oregon pioneer sparkling wine house Argyle Winery and the largest contiguous vineyard in Dundee Hills, Stoller Family Estate. Lois Cho transitioned to a full time role as the CEO of CHO Wines after a decade long career as a family nurse practitioner. She worked in Occupational Medicine and Family Medicine at Corvallis Clinic from 2014 to 2018 while Dave Cho attended Oregon State University. CHO Wines will be hosting vineyard tent tastings at Cho Vineyards in Hillsboro starting Memorial Day Weekend. They will also be a featured winery at this year’s International Pinot Noir Celebration at Linfield University starting July 28.
