- [Bertony] Growing up in New York, this is a 180 degree flip.

I didn't even drink before I started making wine.

I looked around and it was like, I got grapes.

If it don't work out, I'm gonna make raisins.

It's a lot of hard work, but every day you're reminded that your blessed.

When I'm out here, it definitely brings a balance.

This is where all of my creative, amazing ideas come from.

It's especially when you own the business, run the business, make the wine, there's so many moving pieces.

This is my getaway, this is my escape.

My name is Bertony Faustin, and this is the crick life.

(upbeat music) (laughing) When I first got the property, part of it was still forest, so I'm limited to the amount of sunlight that we get, but that same challenge is actually also my benefit.

- [Eldridge] Bertony is the hardest worker I ever met.

You will always find him somewhere, standing out, somewhere being different, somewhere that you won't find people who look like him, and so that's what a trailblazer essentially, is.

- [Bertony] This is our largest block of grapes, here.

Everything is still a little bit dormant.

- [Eldridge] He's the first Black winemaker in Oregon, and to be looking different, and to be different in that environment says a lot about him.

- [Bertony] Customers would come into the winery and ask, you know, "Who's the winemaker?"

And when I say me, I'll get the glance, like, "Oh."

It was the industry that said I didn't look the part.

And so those are those little moments, that you know, made me decide that, you know what?

I have to go ahead and be that pioneer and trailblazer.

People ask me, why did you name it Abbey Creek, and Abbey Creek is actually running through our property, and even our logo, actually, it's river rock, with the uh, water flowing through it.

So, the hip hop, wine and chill, that's the sentiment, in that order, as well.

You know, growing up in New York, '80s, '90s kid, hip hop is my thing, but those are the Haiti colors, of the flag.

Owning my heritage, owning who we are.

My family is from Haiti, it's French.

I'm actually named after my father.

I didn't actually start using my government name, until my father passed.

But that's Pops, that's my reminder, daily, as I walk in the door, of why we do what we do.

It was that tragedy that has me here.

It made me feel as if I wasn't living up to the legacy, and when I say that, I mean, the immigrant hustle.

So this here, was a tribute wine, that I made for my Dad.

And this was me, uh, acknowledging, owning, honoring what got me here, today.

So, the same tragedy of my father passing, brought a whole 'nother level of honor and pride for my heritage, who I am.

Some people say I'm African American.

No, I'm Haitian American.

And the reason for that distinction is so that you can honor that other side of me, as well.

So, you are officially at The Crick PDX.

This is the only location that has this logo on the wall.

I wanted the headphones to be the thing that made you chuckle at yourself, instead of feeling like, "Oh, I'm at a winery, and I need to act a certain kind of way."

Crick PDX is another extension of the OG Crick in North Plains.

So many people who, you know, they were worried that we were going to go try to fit in.

No, we went The Crick PDX to stand out.

When I talk about wines, uh, to me it's not necessarily about the flavor profile, the character.

It's about the context, and how you want to enjoy the wine.

So, I actually hashtag all my wines, because it's a feeling.

For instance, the Cabernet Sauvignon, we call it cha cha.

You know, you ever have those moments, you see food coming or something, and you start to move in your seat?

That's what the cha cha does to you.

We don't just sell wine, you could have got that at the gas station.

The love, magic and moments is the, you know how you walked into the door, but it's up to us how you leave.

- You got the cornbread, I can just put right here, so you can see what they got.

- So this is my man, Chef Earl Roberts, I call him Chef Homeboy RD.

- So, my role here, pretty much Culinary Director, but also an extension of what I currently do, I teach at Clark College, and I teach culinary arts.

- You can eat with anyone.

But you break bread with family, and that was the idea of the Crick Kitchen.

Due to all of this COVID and being COVID compliance, we haven't been able to actually entertain on site.

So what we thought about was doing a to-go model.

We call it the Crick Fat Sacks.

And what's kind of dope as well, about what we're doing here, because Chef has the direct pipeline to working with students, we want to turn this into sort of that incubator program.

Bring in youth, and even adults, and show them that this could be your opportunity.

- People of color, in this industry for so long, you know, they're the backbones of the kitchen.

I want to make sure that I see more people that look like me, in this field.

- So, Abbey Creek, to me, is the umbrella, the foundation is the vineyard that we have, the tasting rooms, the wineries, the experience, the kitchen.

Simply, I call it the Crick Life.

You know, that is the me against myself sort of mentality, and mantra.

So many people ask me, why in North Plains?

Because I get to stand out.

Where can I be the most impactful?

Where you don't expect me to be.

If I went to wine country, we would have never had the same kind of opportunities and the eyes on us, that we do now.

But we are creating such a movement, but what can we do tomorrow?

What can we do the next day?

Abbey Creek is about the who, and more importantly, Abbey Creek is about you.

(upbeat music)