i. Biography
Daniel Estrin has served as winemaker and vineyard manager at Cristom Vineyards in Salem, Oregon, since 2019, a position that ties the cellar directly to the work of the vines. His own account of entering wine is plain: "It was kind of an accidental path for me." What followed was less accident than accumulation—of place, of technique, and of the responsibilities that come with each step up the ladder.
The Climb
Training at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo gave Daniel Estrin the foundation for a career that would move beyond California. His first job in wine was as a stock clerk at The Wine House in Los Angeles, California (from 2000), an early point of contact with the trade and the bottles that move through it. From there, the work advanced through assistant winemaker roles at Burn Cottage in New Zealand and Littorai Wines. Each position added a different register to the craft, from cellar routine to the discipline of making wine with restraint and intention. That path brought him to Cristom Vineyards in Oregon (from 2019), where he became winemaker and vineyard manager. The role joined the practical demands of the vineyard with the broader view required in the winery. It asks for decisions made across seasons, with the vineyard and cellar treated as one continuous system.
Today
At the Salem winery, winemaking and vineyard management sit in the same working frame. Daniel Estrin handles the material of the vineyard alongside the quieter conversion that happens in the winery. Whole-cluster fermentation and native yeasts mark the house style he works within, pointing to an approach that keeps attention on texture, nuance, and what is already present in the fruit. The emphasis is on balance between site and hand, not volume.
Signature
Daniel's signature wines include Jessie Vineyard Pinot. The label reads as a direct link between vineyard and bottle, and his work helps carry that relationship through the decisions made from vine to fermentation to finished wine.
Recognition
The clearest marker in Daniel Estrin’s career is the assignment of both winemaking and vineyard management in Oregon. The role reflects confidence in his judgment and the arc of a path that began, by his own account, almost by chance and became more deliberate over time. In 2019, that work came into focus at Cristom Vineyards in Salem, Oregon, where the conversation between land and bottle is now his remit.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Daniel
What is Daniel Estrin's current role?
As of 2026, Daniel Estrin is Winemaker and Vineyard Manager.
Where did Daniel Estrin train or study?
Daniel Estrin trained at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
What is Daniel Estrin known for?
Whole-cluster fermentation and native yeasts.
