Authenticity and Sustainability with Brooks Winery
Wednesday, 5PM PST/ 7PM CT/ 8PM EST on June 26th Via Zoom
Janie Brooks Heuck has been the Managing Director of Brooks Winery in the Willamette Valley since 2004. She has worked tirelessly to put Brooks Winery on the map as one of the only wineries in the world to be Demeter Certified for Biodynamics, a Certified B Corporation, Earth First E-Commerce Certified, a member of 1% for the Planet and a member of Ecology. Janie’s leadership and her commitment to people, community, and our planet have garnered admiration and respect throughout the Oregon wine community. In 2022, Janie Brooks Heuck was named Oregon Wine Person of the Year by the Oregon Wine Press. From Janie herself “At Brooks Wine, regenerative agriculture is the farming philosophy we have utilized since we began in 1998. Providing the next generation with the knowledge and tools of how to farm in this manner is shaping our future.” Lets get to know Janie and Brooks Winery together as we sip on some world class wine from Brooks winery.
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Janie Brooks Heuck | Managing Director | Brooks Winery
To look at the impact Janie has made on the Oregon wine industry, one would never guess that she originally had no intention of running a winery. But when her brother Jimi, the founder of Brooks Winery, passed away unexpectedly in 2004, Janie assumed responsibility for the business operations he started.
A decade and a half under her guidance, Brooks Winery is now one of the most esteemed establishments in North American winemaking, including recognition by Wine & Spirits Magazine as one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World. Known for social responsibility and a heightened sense of hospitality, Janie hopes to leave a legacy of being “selfless and kind” and her achievements are testament to her priorities.
She has a resourcefulness — particularly in times of change or downturn — that elevates Brooks Winery and its partners into new ranges of stewardship and success. In fact, Wine Industry Advisor named her one of Wine’s Most Inspiring People 2021, for “taking on challenges and [being] committed to giving back.”
In 2020 she reinvested energy and winery talent into collaborations, and was proud to retain most staff at a time when many were forced to lay off swaths of the workforce. When the wildfires caused Brooks Winery to forgo a 2020 vintage release, Janie realized that this would impact grower partners who counted on selling their grapes to Brooks Winery. In response, Janie established Brooks Grower Relief Fund, a multi-month commitment to revenue sharing on a portion of bottle sales, enabling these growers to enjoy earnings on any vintage of their single vineyard wines sold direct to consumers.
Janie is known for her energy and kindness, and her ability to roll up her sleeves for Brooks Winery and the Willamette Valley. It’s a place that she loves for many reasons, but there is something particularly striking about the way the sun touches the land. “I love how the sun rises east of the Cascades, backlighting the mountain range,” she says. “And the sunsets where the very last thing lit up in the day is sunlight on Mt. Hood.”
Under Janie’s direction, Brooks Winery became a Certified B Corporation and partnered with 1% For The Planet to dedicate a portion of revenues to regenerative agriculture and climate balance. In 2021, Brooks became a member of Ecologi and plants trees in the rain forests to help our climate for future generations. Brooks has continued to farm their 20 acre Estate Vineyard biodynamically since 2002 and are Demeter Certified in both the Estate vineyard and the winery.
As for daily pleasures, Janie can be found hiking or at the beach in her free time. She enjoys spending time with her two adult children and her husband who she has been married to for 33 years.
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