West

Iran-born winemaker ‘thrilled’ to be in US after fleeing country where alcohol is outlawed

Published

3 days ago

March 8, 2026

Iran-born winemaker ‘thrilled’ to be in US after fleeing country where alcohol is outlawed

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FIRST ON FOX — As scrutiny of Iran’s leadership intensifies amid renewed attention, an Iranian-born Oregon winemaker told Fox News Digital his homeland “could progress” if the regime falls.

Moe Momtazi, founder of Maysara Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, fled Iran in 1982. Today, as an American citizen, he runs one of the world’s top-ranked vineyards.

Alcohol is banned in modern Iran under Islamic law, but Momtazi has built a globally recognized wine business in the United States.

Maysara Winery means “house of wine” in Farsi. It currently ranks No. 23 worldwide.

“If this regime is gone, we could progress and be the pride of the Middle East,” said Momtazi, 74.

Moe Momtazi was born in Iran and later became a United States citizen. He owns Maysara Winery in Oregon, home of one of the world’s top vineyards. (Direct Wines Inc.)

Iran’s restrictions on alcohol date back to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when religious authorities outlawed production and sale for most citizens.

“In Persian culture, wine has been and still is a very key component of society,” Momtazi said.

TEXAS WINERY BEATS NAPA ELITES WITH SMALL-TOWN SAVVY AND TOP-NOTCH TASTE

He, his wife and their three daughters see the family business as a continuation of that legacy, thousands of miles from their ancestral homeland.

Momtazi’s 98-year-old mother still lives in Tehran, as do two of his brothers.

Momtazi, center, poses for a photograph with his wife, second from left, and the couple’s three daughters at the family’s Oregon vineyard. (Karissa Williams Photography)

His middle daughter, Naseem Momtazi Bachinsky, told Fox News Digital she’s communicated with her mother’s relatives in Iran — and they’re all safe.

Momtazi left Iran with his wife, Flora, who was eight months pregnant at the time with their oldest daughter, in 1982. Tahmiene Momtazi was born later that year in Spain.

“We had a really hard journey to get to the United States, but I’m really thrilled and happy that we did leave from there because, even then, life was unbearable for us,” he recalled.

NAVY VET-TURNED-WINEMAKER INFUSES MILITARY GRIT INTO POWERHOUSE POURS

It would be more than two decades before he returned to visit family.

Despite the distance, the Momtazi family’s success in America is something their relatives back home celebrate.

“They’re very proud of us, which makes me proud that they’re proud of what we’re doing and what we’ve created,” said Momtazi Bachinsky, who is also president of sales.

Moe and Flora Momtazi are pictured in their native Iran before they got married and settled in the United States. (Momtazi Family)

Wine, they pointed out, is part of a cultural heritage that stretches back thousands of years — one that predates modern political divides. Persian poets wrote about wine as a symbol of joy, reflection and even spiritual connection, Momtazi said.

For the Momtazi family, producing wine in America is both an expression of gratitude and a nod to history.

“We’re just really lucky and thrilled to be in this country.”

“The United States is not second to any other country, and we’re just really lucky and thrilled to be in this country,” Momtazi said.

Momtazi Bachinsky, who was born in the U.S., said her parents raised her with a simple principle.

“Add value to where you are and who you are,” she said.

Naseem Momtazi Bachinsky, left, told Fox News Digital her mother and father, shown at right, raised her with the following principle: “Add value to where you are and who you are.” (Fox News Digital)

That mindset shaped the winery — and their outlook on Iran’s future.

“I want freedom … for the people to be able to make their own choices and to be able to do what they want,” Momtazi Bachinsky said.

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She remembers first visiting Iran and being upset that she was forced to wear a hijab while she was there.

Moe and Flora Momtazi share a dance on their wedding day, Aug. 2, 1981, in Iran. (Momtazi Family)

“I want women and girls to be able to make that choice without a fear,” she said.

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She’s also hopeful that Iran will become a country that is welcoming to all religions.

Pictured in his vineyard, Momtazi hopes for a better future for his native land as he feels “lucky and thrilled” to be able to pursue the American dream in Oregon with his family. (Direct Wines Inc.)

“I’m personally not Islamic. I don’t have ties to the religion, but it’s not the religion that [is] making people bad,” she said.

“There are certain leaders [who] are using the religious aspect as a power mechanism. And that is what has been bad for the root of that country.”

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Noted Moe Momtazi about what’s happened in Iran amid Operation Epic Fury, “I couldn’t be happier that the head guy has been put out, because finally somebody had the guts to interfere. … We’ve gone through so many things over 40-some years.”

As Maysara Winery celebrates American opportunity, the Momtazi family said it hopes the Iranian people can soon raise a glass in the name of freedom.

Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital. He covers various lifestyle topics, with an emphasis on food and drink.

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Colorado

‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now

Published

6 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now

Head coach Jared Bednar is often calm and calculated during his postgame press conferences. But his frustrations were made loud and clear on Tuesday, following the Avalanche’s 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Ball Arena in a game that saw superstar center Nathan MacKinnon get ejected late in the second period.

With the Avs on the power play trailing 2-1, MacKinnon entered the Oilers’ zone with speed and received an east-to-west pass from Martin Necas. MacKinnon’s shot went wide, but with little space to maneuver because Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse was cutting in on him, MacKinnon barreled into goalie Connor Ingram and was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

“[MacKinnon] makes the play on the puck, and I got his toes cutting up ice probably through the top of the paint, and Ingram’s on the goal line. There’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie,” Bednar said, after watching his team fall to 43-11-9 on the season.

Ingram left the game with an injury and did not return.

“I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, if it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty,” Bednar said. “If you put guys in your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.”

The MacKinnon call prematurely ended the Avs’ second power play of the night. They successfully killed off the 4:05 remaining on the major and tied the game, but couldn’t secure a point.

Ross Colton, Necas, and Valeri Nichushkin had Colorado’s goals. Unfortunately for Colton, he left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.

“He took a shot from a player during the game and he kind of tightened up so he’s got an upper-body injury. Hopefully he loosens up for tomorrow and can play in Seattle,” Bednar said.

Mackenzie Blackwood started for the Avs after getting pulled in Dallas two games ago. He let in three goals on his first 10 shots before locking in later in the game. Blackwood made several big stops during the lengthy PK before Nichushkin tied it up. But it still wasn’t enough. Blackwood finished with 20 saves.

The Oilers finished 2-for-4 on the power play, getting the game-winning goal from Connor McDavid on a spectacular give-and-go with Leon Draisaitl with 10:57 remaining in regulation. Both of them finished with two points, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two goals.

Colorado had a power play after that, but could not capitalize. Necas’ tally came on the PP earlier in the evening, and the Avs finished 1-for-3. Colton’s goal came just 24 seconds into the first period, which snapped his nine-game goalless drought.

All of the Avalanche’s best plays were in the first and third periods. The second was a different story.

“I’ll give you an example, three or four times at the start of the second period, we try to go in on a rush, and we lose it and change, and they get odd-man rushes and a scoring chance against,” Bednar said. “You can’t do that. You can’t do that against anybody, never mind the best offensive team in the league.”

Edmonton also played with a shortened bench. On top of losing Ingram to an injury, forward Colton Dach, and defenseman Ty Emberson also left with ailments and did not return. From the moment MacKinnon was ejected, the pace of the game changed. Frustrations were noticeable on both sides.

“It was a great game up until that,” Nazem Kadri said. “I think it was a good battle out there. Players were playing hard and, you know, it’s unfortunate that’s how it’s gotta end.”

Kadri was also vehemently against the MacKinnon call.

“I think Nate makes an effort. He’s diving across the top of the crease to try to get out of the way, like that’s a part of the rule for the player to at least make some sort of attempt. There was clear contact. I have no idea how that was a five-minute,” he said.

Good: Nichushkin Is Heating Up

When he’s been available to play, there haven’t been many bad stretches for Nichushkin. His on-ice production has been solid over the past three regular seasons. But this year, the 30-year-old veteran forward has had tough stretches. Entering the break, and coming out of it, Nichushkin wasn’t producing at the rate he usually does.

Over the past three games, he’s looked more like the power forward that we’ve grown accustomed to. And he’s gotten rewarded for it on the scoresheet.

Bad: The Penalty

I had a hard time deciphering if it was or wasn’t a penalty on MacKinnon when it first happened. I watched replays, I slowed them down, and I started to form an opinion.

But regardless of whether MacKinnon should’ve been called for anything, it shouldn’t have been a five. That part I can’t wrap my head around.

Bednar was frustrated and asked about it again. He added, “I really don’t give a crap if the goalies hurt. That’s on their D.”

Good:

Bad: Defensive Breakdowns

Each of the first three Edmonton goals were scored by guys that were open in front of the goal. On the first two,

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Hawaii

Towering lava fountains of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano trigger park and highway closures

Published

36 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Towering lava fountains of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano trigger park and highway closures

HONOLULU — The latest lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaii volcano reached 1,000 feet high Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash.

Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.

The fountaining that began Tuesday morning marked the eruption’s 43rd episode since it began in December 2024. A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. It’s unclear how long the fountaining will last. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours.

This image from video by the United States Geological Survey shows lava erupting from Kilauea volcano on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii.USGS / via AP

Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings.

But the lava fountains were creating trouble for neighboring communities and a highway where the volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, was falling. The tephra prompted temporary closures at the national park around the summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.

Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson.

The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning.

Volcanic tephra can irritate eyes, skin and the respiratory system, according to county officials. Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, officials said.

Ash fell so heavily during a previous fountaining episode that some communities needed help from county civil defense workers to clean up ash that coated their homes, Callis said.

Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

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