Paul Durant Interview

This interview is an oral history conducted by Linfield College archivist Rich Schmidt with Paul Durant of Durant Vineyards. The interview took place at Durant Vineyards in Dayton, Oregon on June 4, 2019. Paul Durant is the winemaker at Durant Vineyards, established in 1973 by his parents, Ken and Penny Durant. He also runs the olive oil side of the business, Durant Olive Mill. In this interview, Durant discusses his love for farming and how that has informed his career in wine after being a mechanical engineer. He talks about the learning curve he experienced when returning to his roots, including issues such as learning how to create a sustainable business, having the right team in place, and his vision for a diverse, multi-ethnic customer base. Durant explains his role in the olive oil business and his belief that wine and oil complement each other. Durant concludes the interview by discussing why he doesn’t blend wines, his business model of wanting people to have a real connection to the land and farm, the future for his business, and the future of the Oregon wine industry itself