Queer Winemaker Remy Drabkin Voted Interim Mayor of McMinnville, Oregon

McMinnville, Oregon (April 28, 2022) — In an unanimous vote during this week’s city council meeting, queer winemaker and winery owner Remy Drabkin was appointed interim Mayor of McMinnville, Oregon in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine region. Drabkin is the first woman and the first queer-identified person to hold the office of mayor in McMinnville’s history. Her predecessor, Mayor Scott Hill resigned recently for personal reasons.

A public servant for over 12 years, Drabkin most recently led the McMinnville City Council as President and also chaired the city’s Affordable Housing Committee. She sits on the board of directors for Visit McMinnville and co-founded Wine Country Pride, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that brings Pride celebrations and visible allyship to the LGBTQ+ community in rural Oregon. Drabkin has held many other volunteer roles both in her community and at the state level.

One of Oregon’s few queer winemakers, Drabkin is no stranger to breaking barriers. In 2006, she opened Remy Wines, a Willamette Valley winery focused on crafting Old World-style wines with grapes grown in the Pacific Northwest. Remy Wines is not only known for world-class wines but also as a warm and welcoming space for all, especially underrepresented communities in rural Oregon.

“I’m honored to have the full support of the council and I hope to serve my community for many years into the future,” says Drabkin. “I have lived and worked in McMinnville for most of my life, and its future deeply matters to me. I look forward to working with my community to preserve and enhance the city we love.”

Drabkin hopes to bring strong, clear communication to city leadership and to continue her work with a multitude of city partners.

While Drabkin’s mayoral appointment is her most recent achievement of note, she is also currently overseeing the construction of a new adaptive reuse winery facility at Remy Wines, scheduled to be completed in time for the 2022 harvest season.

Additionally, this year’s Wine Country Pride festivities will feature the world’s first Queer Wine Fest, a celebration of queer-owned, queer-made, and queer-grown wines, hosted at Remy Wines on June 24.

Drabkin will run for the full-time McMinnville mayoral seat in a public election this fall.