OUR PEOPLE
Knudsen Family
Page Knudsen Cowles is an owner and the Managing Partner of Knudsen Vineyards. She has led the family’s return to winemaking and oversees the management of Knudsen Vineyard and KV Wines. She has spearheaded a substantial replanting of Knudsen Vineyard over the last decade and manages our relationship with Argyle Winery. Page is deeply committed to supporting and promoting Oregon’s wine industry.
Page also serves as immediate past Chair of the National Board of Directors for the Trust for Public Land, the leading nonprofit working across America to conserve land for people.
Page possesses boundless energy. She has many interests and connects genuinely with friends and everyone she meets. She is a great steward of Knudsen Vineyard and a powerful advocate for land conservation.
She is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and Yale College. Page is married to Jay Cowles and they have three children.
Page is the only daughter of Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen.
Colin R. Knudsen is an owner and Partner of Knudsen Vineyards. He is actively engaged in the family’s return to winemaking with particular oversight of financial, marketing and strategy aspects of the business. A Pacific Northwest native, Colin loves spending time at the vineyard and at the “beach” in Oregon. The Knudsen family’s return to winemaking is a lifelong dream. He is a lover of wine, Pinot Noir in particular.
Colin is a 30-year veteran investment banker currently with BTIG, a leading global securities and investment banking firm. Colin was formerly with DLJ and Credit Suisse, and was a founder of boutique M&A firm Coady Diemar Partners. He specializes in providing M&A and corporate finance services to Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) companies.
Colin is a graduate of Columbia Business School and Brown University. He is married to Rita McNally and has four children.
Colin is one of three sons of Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen.
David C. Knudsen is an owner and Partner of Knudsen Vineyards and is engaged in oversight of all operations.
David was President and CEO of Ostrom Mushroom Farms from April 2007 through November 2020. Founded in 1928, Ostrom is the largest mushroom grower and packer in the Pacific Northwest.
David is now retired and resides near Houston, Texas with his wife Claudia Cannon and their four dogs.
David is a graduate of Wharton Business School and the University of Washington.
David is one of three sons of Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen.
Calvert Conrad Knudsen is an owner and Partner of Knudsen Vineyards. Cal provides oversight related to the management of all operations of the vineyard and winery. Cal has been active in the automotive parts delivery service business for 20 years. Cal’s love for sports of all kinds makes him an avid and incredibly well informed fan of all the local sports teams.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Cal has lived in the Pacific Northwest his entire life.
Cal is one of three sons of Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen.
Our Team
WINEMAKER
In 2005, Nate joined Argyle as a harvest intern. He was quickly promoted to enologist and then assistant to Rollin Soles, founding winemaker of Argyle. Nate was appointed Head Winemaker of Argyle Winery in March 2013.
Nate has a “hands on” approach to winemaking and works closely with José Sanchez with respect to the vineyard operations of Knudsen Vineyard.
Prior to joining Argyle, Nate worked at Falconer Vineyards in Minnesota and Petaluma Winery and Knappstein Enterprise Winery & Brewery, both in Australia.
Nate is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.
DIRECTOR OF SALES & RETAIL OPERATIONS
A wine industry veteran of 19 years, we welcomed Patty to the Knudsen Vineyards team in January 2020. Patty has helped to launch and grow Direct to Consumer sales for a few of the most premium wineries in the Willamette Valley, including Sokol Blosser, Bergstrom, Owen Roe and Lemelson. An Oregon native, Patty has a true passion for the Pacific Northwest and the future of our ever-changing wine community.
Patty holds an Associate of Arts degree in Fashion Design and continues to enjoy this passion through creative design at the workplace and home sewing projects. While Patty is not busy running around Knudsen Vineyards, she is happy to spend quality time playing tennis, kayaking and charades with her husband and young daughter.
CONSUMER SALES & EVENTS MANAGER
Jennifer resides right here in wine country where she and her husband Jason run a hobby farm in Gaston. Jennifer achieved her WSET II and WSET III during covid to strengthen her wine knowledge. Jennifer’s professional experience includes Accounting, Recruiting and Human Resources prior to joining the wine industry. When Jennifer is not at the tasting room, she is enjoying the outdoors camping or walking her goats and putting up all the food she grows on her hobby farm.
MARKETING MANAGER
Lauren’s background is a fusion of marketing and advertising, wine writing, and creative prowess. She has spent the past five years focused within the wine trade, complemented by ten years as a product manager in the mobile technology industry. She is Level III Certified through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), and also holds a Certified Wine Professional (CWP) post-nominal certificate. She also holds a bachelors degree in Interactive Media Design from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Outside of work, Lauren serves on the board for the Minnesota Chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier and staying active by competing in local triathlons, hiking and camping with her husband and their rescue dog, Presta.
Lauren joined Knudsen Vineyards as Marketing Coordinator in early 2018.
SALES & SUPPORT MANAGER
Alec brings an intercontinental background to Knudsen Vineyards, having lived all along the East coast to the Pacific Northwest, and several places in between.
Alec’s last major relocation brought him from Arizona to Oregon in order to live closer to his family. His sales career started with luxury apparel and accessories; however, he forayed into the wine industry soon after arriving in the Willamette Valley. Having grown up in a family with strong German heritage, good wine and beer are like condiments on the table — his enthusiasm for great food and fine wine along with exceptional hospitality made for a natural fit.
Outside of work Alec enjoys spending time at the coast with his wife and dog. He has a rather Epicurean outlook on life, and food in particular. His favorite dish is Tom Kha Gai, a spicy coconut curry soup which pairs beautifully with Knudsen Vineyards Family Series Rosé. A cool-climate wine lover, some of Alec’s favorite wines include the Alsatian varietal Auxerrois, German Riesling, and of course, Oregon Pinot Noir.
Fluent in German and conversant in French, Spanish & Mandarin, Alec is a connoisseur of linguistics as well as wine — Icelandic-speaking guests to Knudsen Vineyards may also find in him a friendly ear when greeting Alec with “Hæ, hvað segirðu?”
HOSPITALITY AMBASSADOR
Lester joined the Knudsen Vineyards team in October of 2021, and was new to Dundee HIlls wine country, but no stranger to fine wines. For seven years prior, he served as manager and wine buyer for a wine bar in Sherwood, Oregon where he developed a taste for and served up some of Oregon and Washington’s finest beer, cider, spirits, and of course… wine!
Since coming to Knudsen Vineyards, Lester has immersed himself in Oregon wine history. He recently earned the certification of Oregon Wine Expert through from Napa Valley Wine Academy. Lester is currently working towards his WSET Level II certification, with plans to continue his wine education with WSET Level III shortly thereafter.
Outside of work Lester enjoys spending time with his wife and four kids, and his interests range from playing golf to camping, and volunteering for USA Hockey. For the past 22 years, Lester has been involved in various facets of Hockey and currently serves as the affiliate president of Oregon State Hockey Association.