At New Deal, we’ve always believed in the power of craft, community, and collaboration. That’s why we’re thrilled to celebrate Oregon Wine Month by hosting a series of Oregon Winemaker Pop-Ups at the New Deal Bottle Shop in collaboration with Bottle Trip Wines. These events are our way of lifting a glass to the vibrant winemaking culture that has shaped—and continues to inspire—so much of what we do.
Why we celebrate Oregon Wine You might be wondering: why would a craft spirits distillery be so invested in Oregon wine? To us, the answer is simple. Our story, like that of many local makers, is rooted in Oregon’s long-standing tradition of independent craft. When our founder, Tom Burkleaux, first envisioned New Deal Distillery in the early 2000s, he looked to Oregon’s pioneering winemakers and craft brewers for inspiration. These innovators—who first banded together in the 1970s—carved out a path of creativity, resourcefulness, and mutual support. Their legacy laid the groundwork for the rise of the craft distilling movement in Oregon, and we’re proud to carry that spirit forward.
That sense of synergy between craft wine and craft spirits is alive and well at the New Deal Bottle Shop. Since its inception during the early days of the pandemic, our Bottle Shop has become a curated hub for home bartenders and beverage enthusiasts alike. Alongside our own line of spirits, we offer a thoughtfully chosen selection of Oregon wines that showcase what makes this state’s wine scene so special—small producers working with uncommon grape varieties, organic or biodynamic vineyards, and hands-off, low-intervention winemaking techniques. We’re especially proud to feature wines made by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ winemakers, whose contributions are helping to reshape the industry with a focus on sustainability, equity, and access.
Our relationship with Oregon wine goes even deeper than merely inspiring New Deal's humble beginnings. Over the years, we’ve collaborated with wineries across the state to create small-batch brandies, eau de vies, and grape-neutral spirits that serve a range of uses—from premium cocktails to natural skincare products. Our Distiller's Workshop Oregon Brandy is distilled from 100% Oregon wine, aged in-house, with each small-batch release being a blend of aged Oregon Brandy. Our Driftwood Libations Old Fashioned bottled cocktail features house-made vermouths made from Oregon wine. Our Old Tom Gin is aged in Oregon wine barrels, imparting subtle vinous notes that elevate its flavor. These products are a true reflection of the interconnectedness of our local food and beverage landscape.
Meet Bonny MacDonald of Bottle Trip Wines
With over 20 years of experience in the alcoholic beverage industry, Bonny MacDonald is a seasoned wine professional whose career spans restaurant service, wine education, production, and event curation across multiple U.S. cities--including spending the past two years as New Deal's event coordinator and wine buyer.
Bonny’s wine journey began in New Orleans, where she first immersed herself in formal wine studies. Her curiosity soon led her to Austin, Texas, where she deepened her expertise in Italian wines. Eventually, her passion for terroir-driven wines brought her back to her roots in Oregon—drawn by the Willamette Valley’s global reputation for exceptional Pinot Noir and its community of visionary winemakers.
Returning to Portland after a decade away, Bonny found herself at the forefront of Oregon’s evolving wine scene. She became deeply inspired by the region’s commitment to organic farming, minimal intervention winemaking, and exploration of unconventional grape varieties. The innovative energy reminded her of Portland’s indie music scene of her youth—creative, collaborative, and brimming with potential.
Bonny’s hands-on experience includes harvest work at Franchere Wine Company and Hanson Vineyards during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, where she fulfilled a long-held goal of participating in the winemaking process from vine to bottle. These immersive experiences further cemented her belief in Oregon as one of the world’s most dynamic wine regions.
In 2021, Bonny launched Bottle Trip Wines, a venture that blends wine education, event production, and consulting services. Bottle Trip Wines is a platform for curious wine drinkers and adventurous palates, highlighting small producers, lesser-known wine regions and varietals, and natural winemaking practices. Through wine clubs, pop-ups, and personalized guidance, Bonny invites others to explore wines that are made with fewer chemicals, less machinery, and more intention.
Bonny continues to champion the people, places, and practices that make Oregon wine exceptional—and encourages others to taste beyond the familiar.
LIBERTINE WINES
Alex Neely, Winemaker
Saturday, May 3rd, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
Libertine Wines is the collaborative vision of Alex and Veronica Neely, a husband-and-wife winemaking team rooted in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Before founding Libertine, Alex Neely helmed a successful high-end cheese and wine shop, but his passion ultimately led him away from retail and into the vineyard. Today, the duo embraces a hands-on, intuitive approach to winemaking—one that values responsiveness to vintage over rigid technique. Their philosophy is rooted in stewardship: As they put it, they are “merely shepherds” guiding a process of “controlled spoilage.” They embrace inconsistency as a virtue, capturing the singular truth of each vintage with honesty and intention.
Before the Neelys produced wine, they worked in vineyards, gaining firsthand knowledge of the complexities of each growing season. In 2019, they took over the 1990-planted Barncat Vineyard, an all-Riesling site that they farm entirely by hand. This physical connection to the vines is central to their identity. When they do purchase fruit, it’s exclusively from small, family-owned vineyards—like Dion and Sunnyside—that share their commitment to sustainable farming and environmental responsibility.
Libertine Wines are fermented with native yeast in neutral oak and made without additives, fining, or filtration—just a trace of sulfite at bottling. The result is a raw, unmanipulated expression of place and season, where no two wines are the same. They embrace inconsistency as a virtue, capturing the singular truth of each vintage with honesty and intention.
FLIPTURN CELLARS
Meg Rulli, Winemaker
Saturday, May 10th, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
Meg Rulli, founder & winemaker behind Flipturn Cellars, began her journey with wine in 2005 while studying abroad in Barcelona, where she fell in love with the everyday joy of Spanish table wines. That spark grew into a deeper passion during a year-long backpacking trip in 2012, where she explored some of the world’s most iconic wine regions. In 2019, Meg experienced her first harvest as a cellar volunteer and was instantly drawn to the production side of winemaking.
Trusting her instincts, Meg launched Flipturn Cellars in 2020 with a debut Syrah that sold out in just six months. Her approach to winemaking is rooted in minimal intervention and a deep respect for the vineyards she sources from—selecting fruit from growers who share her values of sustainability and care for the land.
FRANCHERE WINE CO.
Mike Hinds, Winemaker
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
Since 2013, Mike Hinds has crafted thoughtful, site-driven wines under the Franchere Wine Co. label, championing minimal intervention and vineyard transparency. His approach centers on native yeast fermentation, eschewing temperature-controlled tanks, additives, new oak, or filtration. The result: wines that are balanced, expressive, and true to origin.
Based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Mike works with organically, biodynamically, and sustainably farmed vineyards across the Valley and the Columbia Gorge. About 15% of the fruit is hand-farmed by Mike himself; the remainder comes from long-standing grower relationships rooted in shared values.
While Pinot Noir and its kin remain close to his heart, Mike’s portfolio showcases lesser-seen varieties such as Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch, Ehrenfelser, and Kerner. These wines are vinified with a light touch, aged in neutral barrels or tanks, and crafted to pair beautifully with food.
STYRING VINEYARDS
Colin Styring, Winemaker
Saturday, May 24th, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
Tucked away in the hills of Oregon’s Ribbon Ridge AVA, Styring Vineyards is a family-owned winery that has produced exceptional wines for over two decades. Perched above the Willamette Valley with views of the Oregon Coast Range, Colin Styring & his family are devoted to the craft of small-lot Pinot Noir.
Since its founding 22 years ago, the Styring family has taken a hands-on, ecosystem-first approach to viticulture. The vineyards were purposefully designed for organic farming, supporting vine health by promoting biodiversity, reducing pest pressure, providing shade, and encouraging the presence of beneficial wildlife.
Styring practices dry farming, choosing not to irrigate or water the land. Vineyard work is done by hand—from pruning and canopy management to cluster thinning. Colin and his family maintain a strict organic spray program using only sulfur, orange oil, and cinnamon oil.
PARRA WINE CO.
Sam Parra, Winemaker
Saturday, May 31st, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
Founded in 2019 by Sam Parra, PARRA Wine Co. is a boutique, hand-crafted wine brand rooted in heritage, passion, and perseverance. The name “Parra,” a Spanish & Portuguese surname meaning grapevine or trellis, aptly reflects Sam’s deep agricultural ties and lifelong commitment to the vine.
Born and raised in St. Helena, California, the heart of Napa Valley, Sam was immersed in the wine world from an early age. His journey honors a multi-generational legacy: His grandparents came to California in the 1950s as part of the Bracero Program, a labor agreement that brought millions of Mexican workers to the U.S.
Sam officially began his wine industry career in 1999, following 15 years rising through the ranks in Napa and Sonoma counties. From 2002 to 2006, he traveled across Europe, studying traditional winemaking practices. Sam relocated to Oregon in 2016 and launched PARRA Wine Co. three years later.
Today, PARRA Wine Co. is recognized as one of the leading Latino-owned wine brands in the U.S., known for its authenticity, small-lot production, and commitment to craftsmanship. Sam sources Gewürztraminer, syrah, and tempranillo grapes from three Oregon vineyards: ALAD Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Havlin Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA, and Zenith Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA.
RAM CELLARS
Vivianne Kennedy, Winemaker
Saturday, June 14th, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
RAM Cellars is a boutique winery based in SE Portland, producing small lots of low-intervention wines. Founded by winemaker Vivianne Kennedy, RAM Cellars reflects a hands-on, artisanal approach to natural winemaking—fermenting with native yeasts, avoiding fining or filtration, and minimizing sulfite use to craft wines that are rooted in their varietal identity.
Working with sustainably farmed fruit from vineyards across Oregon & Washington, RAM Cellars favors underrepresented varietals, such as Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Counoise, Gewürztraminer, and Tempranillo, alongside Pinot Noir and Riesling.
Vivianne launched RAM Cellars in 2014 after years of viticulture and enology studies through Washington State University and practical experience at wineries such as Davenlore, Montinore Estate, and Enso.
In 2018, Vivianne came out as a transgender woman and soon after created the VIV label—wines that not only express her personal rebirth and resilience but also serve as a platform for advocacy and support. Each bottle of VIV donates $3 to LGBTQ+ organizations.
The name RAM Cellars is a tribute to Vivianne’s late grandfather, whose initials—R.A.M.—remain a guiding force behind the winery’s values of legacy, love, and courage. As a proud member of the Portland Urban Winery Association, RAM Cellars embodies a spirit of independence and inclusivity, with wines that are vibrant, acid-forward, and thoughtfully made.
GONZALES WINE COMPANY
Cristina Gonzales, Winemaker
Saturday, June 21st, 2025
3:00 - 5:00 PM
New Deal Bottle Shop
900 SE Salmon, Portland
Gonzales Wine Company was born from a single, unforgettable glass of Malbec. While backpacking through Argentina, Cristina Gonzales stopped in Mendoza for a steak dinner that would change her life. The alchemy of the food and wine that night sparked a passion that would take her around the globe—from harvest-hopping in Australia to winemaking in California—and eventually, to launching her own wine label in Oregon in 2010.
Cristina is the granddaughter of migrant farm workers who moved to Wisconsin to pick cherries in search of a better life. Her journey into winemaking was immersive and hands-on—learning from the ground up, often quite literally atop a forklift. As she worked her way through harvest internships and cellar jobs, Cristina gravitated toward the vineyard stewards whose deep knowledge and labor made every vintage possible. Bilingual and community-minded, she not only built relationships but also advocated for better working conditions in the vineyard.
Today, Gonzales Wine Company reflects Cristina’s commitment to authenticity, equity, and delicious wine. She crafts expressive, minimal-intervention wines that showcase Pacific Northwest-grown grapes—aromatic whites like Riesling and Gewürztraminer, bold reds such as Syrah and Petit Verdot, and her signature Malbec.
Based in Portland, Cristina remains a dedicated advocate for the wine community. She serves on the Boards of AHIVOY and the Oregon Wine Board and is a co-founder of Community Wine Bar, amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities in the industry and ensuring that vineyard stewards are recognized as the backbone of winemaking.