Iranian refugee builds world-ranked American winery rooted in heritage and health

One American winemaking family believes exceptional wine doesn't require shortcuts.

After decades of quiet persistence in their trade, global recognition recently arrived for Maysara Winery, located in the rolling hills of Oregon wine country. It currently ranks as the No. 23 vineyard worldwide.

"We were informed we were chosen [to be among] the top 50 vineyards in the world," founder Moe Momtazi told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

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His middle daughter, Naseem Momtazi, president of sales, said, "You can have beautiful American-made, quality-made wines coming from an actual family, an actual farm and an actual story."

The winery has partnered with the Fox News Wine Shop on a 2017 pinot noir.

Moe Momtazi started out as a chemical engineer, but his longtime passion was farming. Today, he and his family run a winery in Oregon.  (Direct Wines Inc.)

Even so, when Moe Momtazi talks about his life, he starts not in Oregon — but in the turmoil of post-revolution Iran. His story of escape, new life in America and, ultimately, a winemaking philosophy rooted in heritage and health, became the foundation for Maysara Winery.

Though he came to the U.S. in 1971 to study engineering, his life took a dramatic spin after he returned to Iran in the late 1970s. "Things got pretty ugly" amid the 1979 revolution, he said.

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"So, in 1982, myself, with my wife — she was eight months pregnant — we escaped from Iran," Momtazi continued, recalling his "difficult journey" to the U.S. by way of Pakistan, Spain, Italy and Mexico.

The new parents finally arrived in 1983 and initially settled in Texas, where Momtazi applied for political asylum and returned to civil engineering. But farming was his long-term dream.

Middle daughter Naseem recalled her father's interest in farming.

Momtazi moved to Oregon with his wife, center, and established a winery — where all three daughters work. They're all pictured here.  (Karissa Williams Photography)

"I remember as a kid, he would just buy small parcels when he could, because they didn't have much when they came to the United States," she told Fox News Digital. "With whatever he could save, he would buy land."

In 1990, Momtazi left engineering and moved his family to Oregon. Seven years later, the family purchased an abandoned wheat farm that would become their winery's home. 

"It was my mission to farm holistically."

Today, the property spans roughly 563 acres of "amazing elevation," daughter Naseem said.

Momtazi's wife and all three daughters work at the winery.

‘Need to produce better’

From the beginning, Momtazi envisioned a farm built on biodynamic agriculture.

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"It was my mission to farm holistically and just not to use any kind of material from outside," he said.

The method, grounded in the early 20th century teachings of Rudolf Steiner, emphasizes natural cycles and soil vitality.

The Momtazi family's winery spans roughly 563 acres of "amazing elevation" in Oregon, the family said.  (Direct Wines Inc.)

One such unconventional method involves filling cow horns with manure and burying them in the ground.

Naseem Momtazi summed it up as "the most natural, holistic way to produce wine."

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She added, "We do need to produce and consume better as people," tying the winery's methods to broader concerns about modern food production.

Moe Momtazi is even more uncompromising about how wine should be made.

Momtazi founded Maysara Winery in 1997. The entire family helps in the effort.  (Direct Wines Inc.)

"We absolutely do not manipulate our wine … no use of commercial yeast or enzymes or adjusting acidity or adding sugar," he said.

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Some customers have told them that their "wine is medicine," Naseem said, reflecting the differences between Maysara wines and heavily processed wines.

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"If you drink too much, you're going to get drunk," she added. "But if you consume a moderate amount of our wine, I truly do say that you're not going to get the same effects. … So much wine is manipulated."

Momtazi's Maysara Winery has partnered with the Fox News Wine Shop on a 2017 pinot noir. (Direct Wines Inc.)

American-made wine

A defining trait of Maysara wines is that they're aged far longer than most American wines, the family said. 

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"We truly believe in holding back the wines and releasing [them] when ready," Naseem Momtazi said — noting that Maysara wines aren't released chronologically. 

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"That is not a natural concept for American wine," she said. 

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