Traute Moore

Traute Moore, a pioneering wine grower and co-founder of Quail Run Vineyards and South Stage Cellars, died at her home the evening of April 20, with her family by her side. She was 89 years old.

“My mom was always so interested in people and so nonjudgmental and kind,” said her son, Michael Moore, general manager of Quail Run Vineyards. “She just had these qualities that I feel are so needed in this world.”

Traute Fischl was born Nov. 6, 1933, in Vienna, Austria. In 1938, she and her mother escaped Hitler to England, living in the Isle of Wight refugee camp until 1940, when they traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, via the help of her uncle. Her father, an engineer, had been conscripted into Hitler’s army, and she did not see him again until she was 12.

While studying occupational therapy at Washington University, she met her husband, Don Moore, at an anti-segregation club meeting. They moved to Pasadena, California, where he set up a medical practice, and she became a mother and set her sights toward environmental, social and political issues. She received a master’s in public relations and innovated the launch of carpooling lanes in Los Angeles in the 1970s.

During this time, she also created large pieces of stained-glass art for buildings. Her son remembers when he was young, “She made plate glass window-size stained glass — these enormous things. All on commission.”

Discovering what would become her life’s labor of love — farming — she had a farm in Morro Bay along the Central California coast growing oranges and avocados. Ultimately, she became involved in, and wrote about the Farmer’s Market movement.

In 1989 while visiting Southern Oregon looking for farmland, they looked at a house and she “fell in love with the view.”

Taking over the property’s vineyards, planting, trellising, riding the tractor and teaching crews about farming were just the beginning.

“There’s something creatively satisfying about developing a vineyard site that she really loved and just engaged with completely,” Moore said.

Returning from global travels, there were always ideas for new grape varieties to try in the Rogue Valley. Connie Thomas, general manager of South Stage Cellars, remembers, “They were the ones who originally brought Syrah grapes here. The first for Marsanne-Rousanne, Pinotage and Carménère also.”

“Traute was a pioneer overall with all the experimentation with grape varietals,” said local musician Jeff Kloetzel, the first recipient of the Rising Star Award, a competitive live music event created at South Stage Cellars in 2012. “Pioneer and community-minded in so many ways, fundraisers and donations, they were the first to have music several days a week. The arts, her community involvement and pioneering new things. They likely grow the most varietals in Oregon.”

Traute Moore was a true pioneer of local viticulture, experimentation, innovation and development. She receiving the Founders Award from the Oregon Wine Board in 2010, and made a plethora of award-winning wines over 20-plus years. The original 15 acres of Quail Run Vineyards has grown to 13 vineyards and 31 grape varietals.

In 2008, she opened South Stage Cellars, the first tasting room in Jacksonville.

“Opening the new tasting room when she was 75 launched her into a whole new career. I’ve just always loved that,” Michael Moore said. “From the very beginning, she envisioned South Stage as a place for music, art and culture. Wine was just part of the mix. The whole vision was about community.”

In 2014, she helped create the Jacksonville Winery Association, initiating the idea for bus tours to wineries.

Betty LaDuke, a local author, artist and long-time friend, said she “appreciated how Traute always wanted to feature art in the tasting room. I spent a lot of time sketching in the vineyards and was always impressed with how respectfully the vineyard crews were treated.”

After the Almeda Fire, she coordinated a wine case sale, a fundraiser for many of the vineyard crew who had lost their homes.

“Traute was just an incredibly kind, giving person,” Thomas said. “She meant a lot to me. We could use more people like her in the world.”

Just one of her many shining graces was her warm and generous presence. She had a deeply, loving spirit for life, an “I can do anything” attitude, spontaneous humor, and a quick intellect. She lived out her values and ideals. She was an avid reader and “always noticed the details, pointing out the little things that make life meaningful,” Michael Moore said.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Don, in 2021. She is survived by her three sons, Greg (Mariko), Michael (Kelly Birch), and Andy; four granddaughters, Anya, Savonne, Caelin, Sophie; and one grandson, Aaron.