About Avalon Wine & Northwest-Wine.com

The Company and the Crew

Avalon was founded 26 years ago as a bed and breakfast in the Oregon wine country by Jean Yates. It quickly evolved into a retail store in Corvallis, Oregon, and continues to sell Oregon and Washington winse and gourmet foods today. Avalon started selling wine and gourmet products on the web in 1999, and continually updates the Avalon and Northwest-wine.com wine sites with articles, interviews, columns, wine reviews, and more. There's a lot of information we've accumulated over ten years online, check us out!

Housed in a hundred year old historical building, the Corvallis Arms Hotel, Avalon focuses on Oregon and Washington wines and gourmet foods. We also feature our favorite wines from Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and elsewhere. It's worth a special trip to the store, as there are often highly-rated, rare Northwest wines on the shelves that aren't available on the web site.

Avalon also has a web site office in rural Alpine, in a 105 year old farmhouse in the middle of the foothills of the coastal range, just south of Green Peak Mountain, in the South Willamette Valley wine growing region.

Avalon Wine, the store, has hosted Oregon and Washington winemakers for tastings on Saturday at the store since 1986. Avalon staff enjoys visiting with customers who stop off I-5 on their way up or down the state to check out our selection of top rated, hard-to-get Northwest wines. Our shelves represent upcoming "Indie" producers and great values as well as highly-rated, collectible wines from established producers. Whether you live in the Corvallis area or visiting from far away, we'll help you find the perfect wine for your cellar or for dinner tonight!

Personnel

Jean Yates

Founder and President, Web Guru

Jean first worked with the Oregon wine industry in 1985, when she helped develop marketing brochures for wineries in the South Willamette. She then started Avalon in 1986, and has supported the industry through her wine shop and web site ever since. Jean enjoys promoting Oregon and Washington wines and bringing Northwest wines to the notice of the wine-loving public across the country. She previously worked in high tech marketing and research in Silicon Valley.

Jean built and continually updates the Avalon web site, writes our Wine Club Newsletter, numerous e-mail articles on NW wine, and articles for the web site. Her twenty years of experience working with NW wineries and winemakers gives Avalon a deep knowledge of the industry. She's judged NW wine at various competitions for over 20 years. Jean's favorite activity is photography, and many of the images on the Avalon web site are hers. She's from NC via Palo Alto, and lives in the South Willamette wine country.

Marcus Looze

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Marcus is responsible for selecting and ordering the wines Avalon sells, and he manages our Wine Clubs. He's often the guy on the phone who answers the tough questions and writes tasting notes and e-mail articles for the web site. He knows about many of the "Insider" and "Indie" wines that don't make the national press.

Marcus moved to Oregon from Madison, Wisconsin in 2003, where he worked on clean air and energy policy for a non-profit environmental organization. An avid wine enthusiast and cook, Marcus also likes to mountain bike, cross-country ski, and play drums. He has been with Avalon Wine for since 2003.

Wendy Brown

Shipping Manager

Wendy manages Avalon's worldwide shipping. She keeps track of shipments and orders, and manages the gourmet food section of the Avalon site. She pays the bills and keeps us on the financial straight and narrow. Her son Asher is just about the best kid in Oregon. Wendy has been with Avalon Wine for ten years.

She formerly owned and managed a brew pub in Oregon -- ask her anything about beer! She also enjoys gardening and spending time on the Alsea River.

Andy Osterhaus

Customer Service Manager

Andy comes to us from Iowa, where he managed the new wine shop and wine bar at famed bookstore Prairie Lights. He's your go-to guy for questions about Oregon and Washington wine. Check with him for info about your orders and special requests.