About Us

Soil…Climate…Vines…Wines…
Willamette Valley…Winemaking…Pinot Noir!

It was serendipity to find themselves working shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of modern-day Oregon wine pioneers.

For John Davidson and John Gilpin, their meeting in 1984 at one of the first wineries in Yamhill County was the start of an abiding friendship and business partnership based on a mutual love of Pinot Noir. By dint of hard work and a passion for good wine, John D. and John G.—farmers, nurserymen, and winemakers—have helped grow the Willamette Valley wine industry.

They have grown, grafted, and planted more than a million vines in verdant Yamhill County over the last two decades. Currently they own or manage more than 200 acres of vineyards in the Willamette Valley.

Walnut City WineWorks was created in 1999 by John G., John D., and winemaker Zac Spence. In keeping their focus on their wine-making background, they repurposed the original Willamette Valley Walnut Co. building. The old red building in the heart of historic McMinnville—once nicknamed Walnut City—is a winery that exudes the character of its past without pretension.

After more than 23 vintages, the WineWorks team still takes joy in the process of soils and vines producing grapes they turn into great wine.

Salud!