About Michelle & Nathan

 

   Michelle and Nathan Dean met in North Dakota in 1998, married in 1999, and embarked on a worldwide adventure the following year. Nathan served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft mechanic and Michelle worked in education on many continents. Nate, originally from Astoria, always planned to return to Oregon after retiring from the military where he lived until enlisting at age 20. Michelle, daughter of an Air Force Sergeant, had grown up living in multiple countries before settling in North Dakota and attending the University of North Dakota where she got to travel across the country playing for the UND volleyball team. They left Noth Dakota in 2000 and were stationed around the world from Germany, Japan and New York before retiring.

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They fell in love with wine while in Germany where they would drive to various Vineyards throughout the region. They continued learning about wine and trying them through their time in Europe, Asia, and New York.

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When the Dean family moved back to Oregon in 2017, they settled in Salem, and Nathan decided to embark on culinary endeavors. He enrolled in the Oregon Culinary Institute (which closed months after the pandemic began in 2020), then worked as a chef at Willabys Catering, pairing food for Zenith Vineyards, Bjornson vineyards, and many others. Michelle continues to work in education in Oregon. 

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Michelle and Nathan wanted to offer something new in the local area and saw a need for a wine bar. There were none, even though they were in the heart of Oregon wine country and at the capital of the state. Learning and meeting winemakers from his culinary profession, they decided to focus just on Oregon wine and bring the vineyard experience to Salem without their clientele needing to travel all over the state for the amazing wines Oregon has to offer.

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