A love of the land drew Carl Thoma to establish Van Duzer Vineyards on its panoramic knoll in the Willamette Valley. His upbringing on a working cattle ranch in Western Oklahoma, coupled with an exposure to the fledgling California wine industry during graduate school days, led Thoma to build a portfolio of premier California vineyards during the 1990s.

“When we first set foot on the property that now houses Van Duzer winery and vineyards, we knew the site within the Van Duzer Corridor was special,” said Thoma. He is a firm believer in the capability of Oregon’s cool-weather vineyards to produce evocative wines on par with that other wine region also located on the 45° latitude, Burgundy, France. But it takes more than a good vineyard, according to Thoma, who has insisted on the right root stocks and clones in the vineyard, the right equipment for the winery, adherence to a consistent winemaking philosophy, and the best package design.

Thoma honed his eye for potential as a venture capitalist in Chicago where he invested a succession of private equity funds. He graduated with degrees in agriculture economics from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from Stanford.

Marilynn Thoma oversees Van Duzer’s marketing effort, drawing on her brand management experience in consumer goods at Quaker Oats and Cellular Network. She also holds a B.S. from Oklahoma State and an MBA
from Stanford.