Without Sandra West, there would be no J. Christopher Wines. As the proud mom of winemaker Jay Christopher Somers, Sandy literally started it all by giving Jay life. Her late husband, Darrell, also gets credit for introducing both Sandy and Jay to the joys of fine wine. “Darrell would be over-the-moon proud of what Jay has pursued and worked tirelessly to accomplish,” says Sandy.

At J. Christopher, as in most small wineries, everybody does a little bit of everything. Over the years, Sandy has assisted in the cellar, dropped crop and pulled brush in the vineyards (she is a brush puller extraordinaire), pitched in at harvest, catered meals for the always-appreciative harvest crew, made deliveries, helped with special events and — her favorite part — enthusiastically consumed the end product. (The Sandra Adele Pinot Noir, by the way, is named after her.) These days, she most often is found helping out in the office.

Sandy — and Jay, too — was born and raised in Oregon, the descendant of one of the original pioneer settlers of the Aurora Colony (now Aurora, Oregon). J. Christopher, therefore, is rooted as deeply in Oregon’s history as it is in the soil.

Before joining her son in the wine business, Sandy spent many years working in advertising and communications. If she ever has free time again, she hopes to rekindle her long-lost piano skills.