Man fled Iran in 1982, founded Oregon winery using biodynamic farming
By Peter Burke | Fox News
Published December 7, 2025
Oregon winemakers honoring Persian culture say exceptional wine doesn’t require shortcuts and one family’s global recognition is proving them right.
After decades of quiet dedication, Maysara Winery, nestled in the rolling hills of Oregon wine country, has earned a place among the world’s finest vineyards. It recently ranked No. 23 globally.
“We were informed that we were chosen as one of the top 50 vineyards in the world,” founder Moe Momtazi told Fox News Digital.
His middle daughter, Naseem Momtazi, who leads sales, added, “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 to release a 2017 pinot noir.
From revolution to refuge
When Momtazi reflects on his life, he doesn’t begin in Oregon but in post-revolution Iran. His journey of escape, rebuilding in America, and forging a winemaking philosophy grounded in heritage and health forms the backbone of Maysara’s identity.
Momtazi first came to the U.S. in 1971 to study chemical engineering, but his life was transformed after he returned to Iran in the late 1970s. The turmoil of the 1979 revolution upended everything.
“So, in 1982, myself, with my wife she was eight months pregnant we escaped from Iran,” he said. Their “difficult journey” took them through Pakistan, Spain, Italy, and Mexico.
They arrived in the U.S. in 1983, settling in Texas, where Momtazi applied for political asylum and resumed work in civil engineering. But farming remained his long-held dream.
Planting roots in Oregon
Naseem remembers her father’s determination.
“As a kid, he would buy small parcels when he could because they didn’t have much when they came to the United States,” she said. “With whatever he could save, he would buy land.”
In 1990, Momtazi left engineering and moved the family to Oregon. Seven years later, they purchased an abandoned wheat farm that would become the site of their winery.
“It was my mission to farm holistically,” he said.
Today, the estate spans about 563 acres of what the family calls “amazing elevation.” Momtazi’s wife and all three daughters now work alongside him at the winery.
A commitment to biodynamics
From the beginning, Momtazi envisioned a vineyard rooted in biodynamic agriculture a method inspired by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes natural cycles, soil health, and closed-loop farming.
“We don’t use any material from outside,” he said.
One of the method’s more unconventional practices includes filling cow horns with manure and burying them to enrich the soil.
Naseem describes biodynamics simply as “the most natural, holistic way to produce wine.”
She connects their farming choices to broader concerns about modern food production. “We need to produce and consume better as people,” she said.
Wine without manipulation
The same philosophy carries into their cellar.
“We absolutely do not manipulate our wine no commercial yeast or enzymes, no adjusting acidity, no adding sugar,” Momtazi said.
The family says customers often tell them the wine “is medicine,” a reflection of how different it tastes compared to heavily processed wines.