Friends, we have an exclusive look today into the mind of the talented new Argyle winemaker Kate Payne Brown. Kate is also making some electric new wines for other clients including Pinstripe Wines which I recently tasted. She is an oenology school graduate of the University of Adelaide and has a long-standing background in the Oregon wine industry, formerly working for many years with eminent winemaker Melissa Burr at Stoller. I think you will really enjoy hearing more about her story in wine. Without further adieu here is my exclusive interview with Kate Payne Brown of Argyle.
OB: How did you decide to become a winemaker, and what drew you to sparkling wine in
particular?
KPB: Before winemaking, I was working at an eye clinic in Portland and preparing for optometry school. Around that time, I started volunteering at an urban winery and it didn’t take long for me to realize that winemaking brought together everything I enjoyed. It is the crossroad of science, creativity, and travel with a tangible connection to land and sense of place. That experience changed the course of my life. I applied to graduate programs in Oenology and was accepted into the University of Adelaide’s program at Roseworthy, which has a long-storied history. Studying there was a gift. I spent two immersive years focused entirely on the theory and craft of winemaking, alongside 20 classmates from all over the world. Being so far from my routines and immersed in a new environment gave me the space and clarity to really lean into the work.
I can’t pinpoint one specific moment that formed my love for sparkling wine. I’ve always gravitated towards it even before I was in the industry. The strength of that gravitational pull kept getting stronger the more I learned about making wine. Sparkling wine requires a particular kind of patience, precision, and long-term vision. You’re making decisions that won’t reveal themselves for years, so there’s an inherent trust in the process and in the future. That kind of commitment and optimism; both technical and philosophical really resonated with me.
OB: Are there any sparkling wines or Champagnes that have had a particular impact on
you?
KPB: So many. One that stands out is Jacquesson. It was one of the first grower Champagnes I encountered during my trips to France. I had the great fortune to have an extended stay in Épernay during the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption, and that twist of fate led me to the Terres et Vins de Champagne tasting. It was only the second year of the event, which brought together grower-producers to showcase both their vins clairs (base wines) and current releases. It was a transformative experience. Tasting unfinished base wines alongside finished cuvées opened a whole new level of understanding and how choices made early in the process shape the final wine. I was also introduced to so many other producers during that fateful tasting such as Agrapart, Bereche, and Marguet which have become mainstays in my cellar.
OB: Can you talk about working with Melissa Burr at Stoller and the growth you helped
oversee there?
KPB: I first met Melissa Burr when I was working at Archery Summit. Our paths crossed at various events, and we quickly struck up a friendship. From the beginning of my career, I’ve felt incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by strong, generous women in the wine industry; women who believed in lifting each other up. That spirit of support and collaboration has shaped my path in profound ways, and I’m grateful to count Melissa among those influential people.
In 2014, while I was working with Burgundian Consultant Kyriakos Kynigopoulos, Melissa reached out to me. Stoller was considering launching a sparkling wine program, and she asked if I’d be interested in consulting for the 2014 vintage. That opportunity evolved into something much bigger. In 2015, I came on full time to oversee the Reserve Winery, where I focused on elevating the premium tier wines and building the sparkling program from the ground up.
It was remarkable to be given the trust and opportunity to build something new. Melissa has always been one of my biggest champions. She saw something in me that I didn’t think I saw in myself at the time. I will always be so grateful for our time working together as well as her friendship.
OB: Argyle is one of the top producers of sparkling wine not just in Oregon, but across North America. How challenging is it to craft your entry-level vintage wine, which is widely considered one of the best values on the market?
KPB: The Argyle Vintage Brut truly is an incredible wine. It is vintage-dated, aged for three years on the lees, and crafted from estate-grown Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. It’s not just great value; it’s a reflection of our commitment to quality at every level.
Working with such high-quality estate fruit (akin to smaller growers’ champagne) is a dream, but producing a wine at this scale does come with its own set of challenges. It takes thoughtful blending, careful planning, and a great deal of logistical coordination to ensure consistency and character across the entire cuvée. But even with the volume, we treat it with the same level of attention and care that we give our smaller bottlings.
For me, magic lies in the ability to create a wine that’s both accessible and complex, something that speaks to the vintage, the vineyard, and the legacy of Argyle. It’s an honor to carry that legacy forward and to introduce more people to the beauty of Oregon sparkling wine through this wine.
OB: Do you have any favorite wines or producers from around the world? What is your
cellar like?
KPB: In a word: eclectic. As you might expect, my cellar has a strong showing of Oregon wines, and yes, quite a bit of sparkling wine and Champagne. But there are some hidden gems tucked in there as well. I was just looking through it the other day and came across a bottle of Occhipinti nestled next to a Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard and an Assyrtiko from Santorini. It made me smile (and realize I need to organize my cellar) because that really captures my approach to wine: always exploring, always curious.
My Champagne collection runs deep, and a few current standouts are Agrapart, Pertois Lebrun, and Laherte. But I’m constantly on the lookout for producers I haven’t heard of before; wines that surprise me, challenge me, or offer a new perspective. That sense of discovery is what keeps me inspired, both as a winemaker and a wine lover.