The story of Hawkins Cellars begins not with historic ties to the land and agriculture, nor with the cashing out of stockoptions from the high-tech industry.  But rather, it begins with one man’s curiosity and determination to blindly follow one’s passion wherever it led.  After spontaneously moving to Oregon in 2001, Thane Hawkins was immediately attracted not only to the Willamette Valley’s signature Pinot Noir, but to the land and the people who, contrary to his perception at the time, were not all former CEOs looking for a retirement hobby, but rather hard-working, do-it-yourself types who possessed an unbounded passion for what they were doing.  A seemingly unfortunate stint on the unemployment line gave Thane theopportunity to begin to pursue a passion that was beginning to consume him- winemaking.  After working a couple of harvests Thane was given the opportunity to work with Chris Lubberstedt, who, after years at Willakenzie and Wine By Joe, had recently been hired as winemaker for Methven Family Vineyards.  It was while working for Methven that Thane was presented the opportunity to produce a small quantity of his own wine.  And thus, Hawkins Cellars was born.  As an avid hiker, skier, and climber, Thane enjoys traveling throughout Pacific Northwest to pursue his love of the outdoors, and to find the highest quality grapes for his boutique wines.