Our Story

DANCIN is a love story

Romance and wine have gone hand in hand for centuries. It’s only fitting that the creation of DANCIN Vineyards has its roots in a love story. It starts with the tale of Dan and Cindy. It’s chock-full of passion, serendipity, and fated meetings. The story is best heard while sipping wine in the couple’s tasting room, maybe even from Dan himself. 

Suffice to say, inclement weather and a chance meeting twice on the same day brought the pair together. They were married three months later and have been DANCIN ever since. 

It was only a year after the couple met that they started to take a serious interest in the wine industry. They enrolled in enology and viticulture classes. Their first class was on emerging varietals taught by Glenn McGourty, the Viticulture and Plant Science Advisor for Mendocino County. 

“We just became very interested in wine. We continued taking classes. We started looking at land. But nothing really seemed to work out. Until we discovered Southern Oregon and the Rogue Valley.”

That’s where the couple bought their first vineyard property and discovered their love of Oregon Pinot noir. 

It was Dan’s dream to plant Italian varietals on his new vineyard. So, during one of his classes at UC Davis, he asked his instructor for advice on what would work in his area. He directed Dan to another teacher who happened to be teaching a class a mile and a half from their new vineyard site. The instructor’s recommendation? Pinot Nero! Dan was skeptical at first, but it turned out the man making the recommendation was none other than Glenn McGourty, Dan and Cindy’s first teacher some 12 years earlier! He pointed out that the area where DANCIN sits was similar to the Anderson Valley, where world class Pinot Noirs are produced. 

And the rest as they say, is history! As their Southern Oregon vineyard expanded, Chardonnay was planted and soon thereafter, they discovered great sources for Barbera, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Zinfandel along with Syrah wine grapes.

The Next Chapter – A Multi-Generational Business

As Dan and Cindy watched their winery grow, their three children grew with it.   But Dan and Cindy’s youngest son, Austin, demonstrated interest in his parent’s business.  As a child, he helped prepare the grounds for planting, assisted in sorting through the fruit, and helped with harvest.  As a young adult, he directed his interests to culinary arts and hospitality. He completed his education at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley while working at Auberge du Soleil, a restaurant with fifteen consecutive Michelin Star awards. He then moved to Portland, Oregon and started work at The Nines, one of the top ten hotels in the Pacific Northwest, according to Condé Nast Traveler. While there, he was trained in hospitality and hotel operations. Shortly thereafter, he returned to work with his parents at DANCIN.

With Austin’s experience in the industry and in all aspects of the family business, it was time for DANCIN to become a multi-generational winery and restaurant.  In February 2023, Austin was promoted to DANCIN’s Assistant General Manager and currently works alongside his dad and Rich Hanen, who is DANCIN's Interim General Manager. Austin is slated to become DANCIN’s next General Manager.

DANCIN's tasting room was built with a focus on authentic hospitality and a memorable experience, just like the little tasting bar Dan visited with his family in Southern Italy nearly four decades earlier. It was a memorable experience and one Dan and Cindy would like you to enjoy here!

In addition to serving artisanal bites and pizza on location, we offer live music events at our Medford winery, host private Wine Club Membership events, and winemaker dinners featuring ballet, along with salmon bakes, and more. We look forward to serving you! If you are not in Southern Oregon, you may visit our online wine store.

Our Team