Melissa and Jeff Lawson, wine writers and reviewers at Drink the Bottles. All photos courtesy of drinkthebottles.com
This July, the team at Drink The Bottles sat down with Winemaker Dave for a virtual tasting and conversation. Led by Jeff and Melissa Lawson, the wine writers published “Bells Up Winery: A Conversation with Dave Specter.” They tasted six of our estate wines and asked Dave how a corporate tax attorney ended up making wine on Bell Road.
The post retells our story: losing Sara’s mentor to pancreatic cancer, deciding to spend our lives doing something we love, and moving nearly 2,500 miles to Oregon. It also explains the name. “Bells up” is the instruction for French horn players to lift their bells during the big moments, and when we bought land on Bell Road, the name was obvious.
As the Lawsons wrote, “The French horn has since become the centerpiece of the winery’s logo, serving as a constant reminder that sometimes life’s greatest moments begin by having the courage to raise your sights and take a chance.”
Noted the Lawsons:
Many wineries proudly describe themselves as family-owned. Bells Up Winery takes that concept to another level. Dave and Sara aren’t simply the owners. They are the vineyard managers, winemakers, hosts, marketers, shipping department, and just about everything in between. That’s an impressive feat in its own right. Then consider that they produce approximately 700 cases of wine each year. For a two-person operation, that’s nothing short of remarkable.
They manage the vineyard, produce the wines, host tastings, bottle the finished product, package shipments, handle marketing, answer emails, and greet guests who visit the winery. Every bottle reflects their hands-on approach and personal commitment to quality.
Producing only a small number of cases each year allows them to focus on craftsmanship rather than volume. Instead of trying to become the biggest winery in Oregon, they’ve concentrated on becoming one of its most personal.
After spending an hour with Dave, it’s easy to understand why so many visitors become loyal supporters.
Experience Over Tasting Notes
Dave’s philosophy came through clearly. Instead of hunting for specific aromas or reaching for technical terms, he encourages people to notice how a wine makes a moment. The wines we remember most are the ones tied to a celebration or a great conversation, not a list of descriptors.
Of the tasting, the Lawsons highlighted the following:
One of the things that stood out most during our conversation with Dave was his philosophy on wine. He isn’t interested in impressing people with technical tasting terminology or rattling off a checklist of aromas, flavors, or tasting notes. He readily admits he’ll leave that to the critics. Instead, Dave believes wine is about the experience it creates.
Throughout the evening, he spoke about wine as something that brings people together, sparks meaningful conversation, and creates lasting memories. Rather than telling us exactly what we should be smelling or tasting, he encouraged us to simply enjoy the journey each wine takes you on and pay attention to how it makes you feel.
That perspective was incredibly refreshing.
What We Poured
Dave led the group through six estate wines from our Chehalem Mountains vineyard, in this order:
- 2024 Joy, our sparkling Seyval Blanc (now sold out, but the 2025 Joy Estate Seyval Blanc Brut is available)
- 2024 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc
- 2022 Titan Pinot Noir
- 2022 Jupiter Pinot Noir, which Dave calls a “chameleon” because it shows something new each time you return to the glass
- 2022 Candide Reserve Pinot Noir, a Fanfare Club exclusive
- 2022 Maestro Reserve Pinot Noir
Curious what the Drink The Bottles team thought of each one? We’ve shared their scores and reviews in a separate post.
Taste Them Yourself, in Person or Virtually
Thank you to Drink The Bottles for the thoughtful conversation. We particularly loved their parting thoughts…
Some wineries impress you with beautiful facilities while others impress you with exceptional wines. Bells Up Winery manages to do both while offering something that has become increasingly difficult to find: authenticity.
Our evening with Dave Specter never felt like a sales presentation. It felt like sitting down with someone who genuinely loves sharing his craft, his story, and the wines that he and Sara have devoted their lives to creating. Perhaps that’s the greatest takeaway from our virtual tasting.
The bottles were outstanding and the conversation was unforgettable.
If you ever find yourself planning a trip through Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Bells Up Winery deserves a place on your itinerary. And if making the trip isn’t possible, don’t overlook one of their virtual tastings. As we were reminded during our hour with Dave, great wine has always brought people together—and thanks to technology, sometimes all it takes is opening a bottle and logging in from home.
As the post points out, every tasting here is private and by appointment, and you’ll be hosted by Dave and Sara themselves. We do it all, from the vineyard and the winemaking to hosting and shipping. To book a visit or order any of these wines, email info@bellsupwinery.com or call 503-537-1328.
