About

Olive. Her Wines. The Label.

Olive Louise Hamilton Russell

Olive Hamilton Russell is the founder, owner, and winemaker of OLIVE HAMILTON  RUSSELL. A boutique producer dedicated to expressing the distinctive terroirs of the  Willamette Valley’s carefully delineated nested-AVAs through single-vineyard Pinot  Noirs and Chardonnays. 

Raised on a cattle ranch near the Swaziland border in South Africa, which her family  owned and ran for nearly two centuries, Olive developed a deep, formative connection to  land and agriculture. When she and her sister had to make the very difficult decision to  sell the farm, Olive chose to honor her heritage by investing her share of the proceeds in a  personal wine venture. 

Before establishing her own label, Olive spent nearly two decades working within her  former husband’s family wineries in South Africa, helping build their international reach,  respect and success. Her time there shaped her commitment to terroir-driven, small-lot  winemaking and provided a deep understanding of the growing and production of world class wines. 

Olive majored in Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Stellenbosch and holds  both the WSET Diploma and the Cape Wine Academy Diploma. She is the author of a  Gourmand Award winning cookbook Entertaining at Hamilton Russell Vineyards and has appeared on numerous food and wine television programs. 

She has served on international food and wine judging panels and participated in wine  seminars in Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts and California. She is a Chevalier de la  Société des Amis du Champagne. She currently serves on the Marketing Committee of  the Eola-Amity Hills Winegrowers Association.

  • Her Wines

     The maiden vintage of OLIVE HAMILTON RUSSELL, the 2023, is the first vintage with Olive as sole winemaker. She now lives in the Willamette Valley and is responsible for every aspect of the business - vineyard partnerships to winemaking, management to marketing. She has secured long-term relationships with LIVE Certified growers across the Valley and makes her wines at the Northwest Wine Company in Dundee. Olive holds the WSET Diploma and continues her winemaking studies through short courses at UC Davis. She is grateful to learn and benefit from the guidance of the expert team at the winery, particularly Bruno Corneaux. 

The Label

Olive grew up on a cattle ranch near the Swaziland border in South Africa, which her family owned and operated for nearly two centuries. It was here that she developed a deep, formative connection to land and agriculture. When she and her sister had to make the difficult decision to sell the farm, Olive chose to honor her heritage by investing her share of the proceeds in a personal wine venture.

Before establishing her own label, Olive spent nearly two decades working within her former husband’s family wineries in South Africa. When the marriage very sadly came to an end, Olive relocated to the United States with the intention of building this nascent project into an independent wine business.

Olive’s maiden name is Nel, and her family crest incorporates a phoenix. Given the circumstances surrounding her relocation to the U.S., she felt this mythical bird needed to be included in her eponymous label. Rather than rising from ashes, this phoenix rises from South Africa’s national flower, the King Protea (Protea cynaroides), and Oregon’s state flower, the Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium).