Future 40 Tastemaker Awardee Remy Drabkin

Call Her Madame Mayor.

Community organizer, winemaker and now Mayor, Remy Drabkin is breaking glass ceilings. After making wine all around the world, Drabkin, a self-identified queer winemaker, returned to her hometown, McMinnville, where she opened Remy Wines in 2006. The 29-acre property (with 7 acres planted) in Willamette Valley specializes in northern Italian varieties grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Photos by Matt Sayles | Wine Enthusiast 2022
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A Force for Good: Dundee Hills Dynamo Remy Drabkin Won’t Be Denied

“Accomplished winemaker; dedicated public servant; advocate for acceptance; environmental educator — in the Pacific Northwest wine industry, Remy Drabkin commands unicorn status.”

Eric Degerman writes about Remy for Great Northwest Wine, including her trailblazing advocacy, mayorship, her affinity for Italy, and the inaugural Queer Wine Fest.

“Drabkin is a woman, she’s queer and she’s Jewish. Any one of those might make her stand out in any industry. While she’s seen as a lightning rod for her many causes, she’s content to embrace the current.”

Photo by Richard Duval Images | Article by Eric Degerman
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Wine’s Most Inspiring People 2023: Remy Drabkin – a Universal Drive for Holistic Equity

The Wine Industry Advisor named Remy one of Wine’s Most Inspiring People of 2023, one of 10 individuals from within the wine industry who showcase leadership, innovation, determination and inspiration.

“It’s all about equity,” Remy Drabkin says of her mission as a winemaker, mayor and co-founder of a nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “That encompasses everything from how we interact with our environment as individuals, companies and cities, to how we interact with each other.”

Drabkin’s self-appointed task is to address issues of pervasive inequality in her place of work, her city and the broader community of rural Oregon, while also combating climate change.

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by Kathleen Willcox
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Imbibe 75: Remy Drabkin

Remy Drabkin, who identifies as queer, co-founded Wine Country Pride, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Although out since age 16, she says she closeted herself in and around the wine industry. After hearing similar stories from others, she founded Wine Country Pride in 2020 to lift more queer voices. As the world came out of its pandemic haze, meet-ups, in-person events, and even a festival in McMinnville, Oregon, enhanced the programming and mission of the organization. The nonprofit took another big step with the inaugural Queer Wine Fest last June at Remy Wines, which featured 16 wineries from California, Washington, and Oregon. “It’s the difference between being put on display and having a platform for your voice,” Drabkin says of the day.

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by Shana Clarke
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Savoring Oregon’s Wine Country, No Driving Required

Elaine Glusac offers a sweeping tour of McMinnville, featuring Mayor Remy and Remy Wines prominently.

“As we pedaled past farm fields, orchards and the occasional winery on lightly trafficked two-lane roads, stopping to forage for wild blackberries, Ms. Drabkin described growing up with the children of the founding winemakers of the region, now next-generation vintners. She also explained her interest in the plummy lagrein grape variety from Northern Italy that she grows at her vineyard, which may be more resilient in a warming climate.”

Photo by George Barberis | Article by Elaine Glusac
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