Donna
Stoney
A serial entrepreneur, barrier-breaker, and one of the first African-American female winemakers in the United States.
Quietly breaking
barriers
Donna has spent three decades building a career that places people and their quality of life at the center of everything she has done. A serial entrepreneur, she is the Founder of Stoney Wines as well as the Executive Director at StoneyBrooke Residential Services LLC.
She set NCAA records in basketball before becoming Oregon's first Black female case manager for Multnomah County's developmental disability services agencies in 1988 — a role that would shape everything that came after.
A dream
realized
When Donna followed her lifelong dream to become a winemaker and opened Stoney Wines in 2019, she joined the ranks of a very small, prestigious group of African-American female winemakers in the United States. She is quick to credit Iris Rideau — the very first African-American female winemaker in the US — for providing inspiration and paving the way.
Donna has been covered in Food & Wine, The Oregonian, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Street Roots News. She is committed to taking down barriers and unifying people wherever she goes and in whatever she does.
Serving people is at the heart of everything I do. What I love about wine is that it's a great unifier. It brings together people and allows us to create enjoyable experiences and memories together.
Donna StoneyFour traits of great wine & great service
Making wine and serving people both require the same traits in order to be successful.
Attention
A high level of attention to every detail — in the vineyard, in the cellar, and with every person served.
Patience
A tremendous amount of patience. Great wine cannot be rushed. Neither can meaningful human connection.
Curiosity
A natural level of curiosity — always learning, always asking, always seeking what makes something truly great.
Passion
A deep, abiding passion for where you are investing your efforts. This is what unites winemaking and serving people.
You can have the most amazing glass of wine in your hand but if the company you're sharing it with is not enjoyable, it will lessen the entire experience. What goes in our glass is important, but who we are sharing that glass with is just as important.
My dream is that the Legacy of Stoney Wines will bring people together and truly let them feel comforted. Our friends and family don't need an invitation. Everyone just shows up and next thing you know we are sitting in our kitchen, turning up the smooth jazz, opening a beautiful wine, and pairing it with our famous recipes. Our cups may be filled but it's the laughter and smiles that fill our hearts. To me, that's the true quality of life.
Taste Donna's
vision.
Every bottle is an expression of her passion, her community, and her lifelong mission to improve the quality of life for all.
