Susan Sokol Blosser

Susan Sokol Blosser is co-founder of Sokol Blosser Winery in Dundee, Oregon.  She and Bill Blosser were early pioneers of the Oregon wine industry, clearing the land and planting their first vines in 1971. Susan managed the vineyards from 1980-1990 and was President from 1991-2007, leading Sokol Blosser Winery to become one of the most respected and best-known Oregon wineries, with national and international distribution.  

Susan established herself as a leader in environmentally friendly winemaking, driving Sokol Blosser’s organic farming initiative and sustainable practices throughout the business. Sokol Blosser was the first winery certified “Salmon-Safe” when the program started in 1996, the first winery in the world to receive the U.S Green Building Council’s prestigious LEED certification in 2002, and one of very few vineyard-winery operations in Oregon to have achieved full USDA organic certification.  In 2007, Sunset Magazine awarded Susan and Sokol Blosser “Green Winery of the Year.”

Susan helped shape the Oregon wine industry for 30 years, as a founder and board member of the International Pinot Noir Celebration; a board member of the Yamhill Country Wineries Association; a founder of the Oregon Chapter of Women for WineSense; a founding winery of Salud; a founder of the Oregon Wine Marketing Coalition; an officer of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board; and a founder and board member of Oregon Pinot Camp.

Her community activities (past and present) include: eight years on the Dayton School Board; a trustee of Marylhurst College; a founder and board member of the Oregon Chapter of Business for Social Responsibility; a director of the Oregon Environmental Council; a director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; a member of the Key Bank Oregon District Advisory Board; a member of the Oregon Natural Step Board; an Oregon Trustee of the Nature Conservancy, and a member of the Oregon Women’s Forum.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Reed College. She has also received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Portland and two Lifetime Achievement awards from wine industry groups. Her first book At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life, detailed the story of her business and the rise of the Oregon wine industry.  Her second, Gracious & Ruthless: Surprising Strategies for Business Success, portrayed her business philosophy.