Willamette Valley Wineries Association Features Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

The Bells Up Winery Story…

“If you’re this successful in a career that makes you sick, stressed and miserable… how much more successful would you be doing something you love?”

That’s the question Sara asked Dave 15 years ago, following his mental and physical breakdown from more than a decade as a successful corporate tax attorney. This, while watching Sara’s professional mentor battle pancreatic cancer at age 40.

The answer, for us, was that life is too short to spend unhappy. So we turned the basement hobby that brought Dave joy — winemaking — into Bells Up Winery.

Today — micro-boutique, un-domaine and always open by appointment — Bells Up composes 600 cases annually of handcrafted, classically-styled Oregon Pinot Noir, Rosé, Pinot Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Schioppettino with grapes sourced from our estate vineyard and from Summit View Vineyard in Eastern Oregon.