Shumaker Vineyards was established in 2014, when the dream of owning a Willamette Valley vineyard finally came to fruition. This endeavor continues a strong family tradition of farming and land stewardship that’s spanned five generations in Oregon’s north Willamette Valley. Doug and Melissa, the owners of Shumaker Vineyards, both grew up on farms in the north end of the Willamette Valley, near the hamlet of Banks. Melissa's farming family arrived from Europe in the mid-1800's and put down deep roots in the fertile soil. Melissa grew up on her family farm, where her parents, Ken and Arlene Peters, raised hogs and grain crops. Doug’s family moved to a century-old homestead in the foothills of the Coast Range where they raised sheep and began the process of reforesting the 40 acres they purchased and eventually acquired the adjacent 120 acres that comprised the original homestead. The background of our labels contains woodgrain renderings that are a nod to this connection to the forestlands of Oregon. Doug’s parents, Bob and Bonnie Shumaker, remain very involved in leadership of the Small Woodlands Association, dedicated to preserving a legacy of land stewardship that will be passed down to future generations.

Doug attended Willamette University with a major in biology and went on to graduate from medical school at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, eventually establishing a practice in gastroenterology with what is now The Oregon Clinic. Melissa practiced as an orthodontics assistant for 13 years before dedicating her life to her children and family. From the moment we were married, our shared values engendered the dream that led to the purchase of 5 acres near North Plains in 2001, with an eye toward establishing a vineyard. We have raised our three children, Halle, Elijah and Annika, on this farm and instilled in them the same values of hard work, dream building and land stewardship. In 2024, Doug retired from the practice of medicine to devote his time to his growing family and vineyard.

In 2014, we finally planted the vines that completed the literal and metaphorical establishment of deep roots in the Willamette Valley soil that we hold so dear. We employed the talented vineyard manager, Valentin Mora, and his crew from Vineyard Labor Contractors to assist us in establishing a high quality vineyard. After selling our fruit to winemaker Ryan Huett from 2016 through 2018, we decided to embark on a new adventure of producing wine for our own label, Shumaker Vineyards, with the help of talented winemaker Chris James Barnes of Chris James Cellars in Carlton, Oregon. We started with the 2019 vintage of single vineyard Pinot Noir and, in early 2021, introduced the 2019 estate Pinot Noir along with the 2020 Rosé de Noirs, a sparkling rosé from 100% Pinot Noir and our 2020 Pinot Gris. Our dream had come to fruition, but the journey continues.