Olivier Prost is a winemaker at A to Z Wineworks in Willamette Valley, Oregon. His primary focus is leading the development of A to Z Wineworks’ red wines, with a particular emphasis on Pinot Noir, one of the winery’s signature wines. Olivier began his studies of wine in his native France, first completing viticulture and winemaking studies in Montpellier, followed by beverage and wine marketing in Paris. Beginning in 1998, he worked harvests across several key French wine regions, including in Languedoc-Roussillon, Bordeaux, and Burgundy, before expanding his experience internationally with harvests in Napa Valley, New Zealand, and Australia.
In 2009, Olivier joined A to Z Wineworks, where he has grown through a range of cellar and winemaking roles, including Cellar Hand, Cellar Master, Assistant Winemaker, and now Winemaker, where he is in charge of all of the red wines at A to Z. Olivier has extensive hands-on experience and a global perspective across all aspects of production.
Media Inquiries: Eva Grace egrace@colangelopr.com | https://atozwineworks.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Over 20 years ago, A to Z was founded with the goal in mind to offer the best quality wines at an affordable price. This is still one of our core values to this day while believing in being responsible and being a force for good. These beliefs resulted in us becoming the first Certified B Corporation winery in Oregon and joining the International Wineries for Climate Action.
While being in the heart of the Willamette Valley, we proudly craft our blends from the four main wine-growing regions of Oregon. We have formed decades-long relationships with our partner growers to consistently deliver exceptional value and drinkability.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
Oregon is a fairly small state but has such diverse geology and climates offering so many unique terroirs. It would be amazing to showcase this unique diversity by matching these terroirs with specifically crafted wines. We are so fortunate to mainly focus on making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, two varieties that require only fine touches by the winemakers and are best defined by how they are grown in the vineyard. Alongside the main varieties Oregon is known for, I would love to offer complementary wines that also express our winemaking knowhow and the uniqueness of the terroirs in Oregon.
We see a growing excitement and recognition for high quality sparkling wines in Oregon. I would love to expand our program, try new varieties and work with diverse vineyards!
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
In a couple of months, we will be bottling our 25th vintage of the A to Z Pinot Noir! This is the wine that started the company and over the year has brought us recognition and a reputation for delivering outstanding quality. A lot goes into making this wine so we can offer the most depth and complexity. We carefully choose vineyards and winegrowing regions that will bring unique characters while complementing each other. We focus on picking our grapes when their tannins are ripe which results in a wine that is approachable to all wine drinkers while retaining a true varietal and Oregonian identity. We blend a modern approach with traditional methods to bring consistency in quality and style. Read my review of the A to Z Pinot Noir.
Bonus Question: What are your wholehearted convictions related to the wine business? Not about your wines!
Most of the people who work in the wine business are passionate about wine! Wine brings people together and is often consumed during specific occasions which ties it to memories. It has a long history, tradition and pioneers and has a strong connection to the land and cultures.
Oregon has one of the best collaborative wine communities where we support and learn from each other by tasting, exchanging suggestions and ideas during symposiums, meetings and technical tastings. We have strong ties to the academics to develop research projects that are actionable by the industry.