West
Iranian refugee builds world-ranked American winery rooted in heritage and health
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One American winemaking family believes exceptional wine doesn’t require shortcuts.
After decades of quiet persistence in their trade, global recognition recently arrived for Maysara Winery, located in the rolling hills of Oregon wine country. It currently ranks as the No. 23 vineyard worldwide.
“We were informed we were chosen [to be among] the top 50 vineyards in the world,” founder Moe Momtazi told Fox News Digital in an interview.
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His middle daughter, Naseem Momtazi, president of sales, said, “You can have beautiful American-made, quality-made wines coming from an actual family, an actual farm and an actual story.”
The winery has partnered with the Fox News Wine Shop on a 2017 pinot noir.
Moe Momtazi started out as a chemical engineer, but his longtime passion was farming. Today, he and his family run a winery in Oregon. (Direct Wines Inc.)
Even so, when Moe Momtazi talks about his life, he starts not in Oregon — but in the turmoil of post-revolution Iran. His story of escape, new life in America and, ultimately, a winemaking philosophy rooted in heritage and health, became the foundation for Maysara Winery.
Though he came to the U.S. in 1971 to study engineering, his life took a dramatic spin after he returned to Iran in the late 1970s. “Things got pretty ugly” amid the 1979 revolution, he said.
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“So, in 1982, myself, with my wife — she was eight months pregnant — we escaped from Iran,” Momtazi continued, recalling his “difficult journey” to the U.S. by way of Pakistan, Spain, Italy and Mexico.
The new parents finally arrived in 1983 and initially settled in Texas, where Momtazi applied for political asylum and returned to civil engineering. But farming was his long-term dream.
Middle daughter Naseem recalled her father’s interest in farming.
Momtazi moved to Oregon with his wife, center, and established a winery — where all three daughters work. They’re all pictured here. (Karissa Williams Photography)
“I remember as a kid, he would just buy small parcels when he could, because they didn’t have much when they came to the United States,” she told Fox News Digital. “With whatever he could save, he would buy land.”
In 1990, Momtazi left engineering and moved his family to Oregon. Seven years later, the family purchased an abandoned wheat farm that would become their winery’s home.
“It was my mission to farm holistically.”
Today, the property spans roughly 563 acres of “amazing elevation,” daughter Naseem said.
Momtazi’s wife and all three daughters work at the winery.
‘Need to produce better’
From the beginning, Momtazi envisioned a farm built on biodynamic agriculture.
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“It was my mission to farm holistically and just not to use any kind of material from outside,” he said.
The method, grounded in the early 20th-century teachings of Rudolf Steiner, emphasizes natural cycles and soil vitality.
The Momtazi family’s winery spans roughly 563 acres of “amazing elevation” in Oregon, the family said. (Direct Wines Inc.)
One such unconventional method involves filling cow horns with manure and burying them in the ground.
Naseem Momtazi summed it up as “the most natural, holistic way to produce wine.”
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She added, “We do need to produce and consume better as people,” tying the winery’s methods to broader concerns about modern food production.
Moe Momtazi is even more uncompromising about how wine should be made.
Momtazi founded Maysara Winery in 1997. The entire family helps in the effort. (Direct Wines Inc.)
“We absolutely do not manipulate our wine… no use of commercial yeast or enzymes or adjusting acidity or adding sugar,” he said.
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Some customers have told them that their “wine is medicine,” Naseem said, reflecting the differences between Maysara wines and heavily processed wines.
“If you drink too much, you’re going to get drunk,” she added. “But if you consume a moderate amount of our wine, I truly do say that you’re not going to get the same effects.… So much wine is manipulated.”
Momtazi’s Maysara Winery has partnered with the Fox News Wine Shop on a 2017 pinot noir. (Direct Wines Inc.)
American-made wine
A defining trait of Maysara wines is that they’re aged far longer than most American wines, the family said.
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“We truly believe in holding back the wines and releasing [them] when ready,” Naseem Momtazi said — noting that Maysara wines aren’t released chronologically.
“That is not a natural concept for American wine,” she said.
Learn more about the Fox News Wine Shop here.
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San Francisco, CA
Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
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They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
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Denver, CO
Denver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather
DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.
Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.
“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”
A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.
“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.
This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.
“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.
He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.
“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.
With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.
McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.
“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.
Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.
“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.
Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.
“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.
As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.
“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.
To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.
Seattle, WA
Here, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026
A whimsical world of whiskers, creativity, and community took over Seattle Center this weekend as POP Cats 2026 returned for a celebration of all things feline. The immersive convention turned the Exhibition Hall into a vibrant ‘cat city,’ complete with colorful art installations, interactive exhibits and endless photo ops. From adoptable rescue cats and hands-on workshops to cosplay, shopping, and meetups with fellow cat lovers, the event blended fun with purpose. Attendees could even bring their own cats, making it one of the few conventions where pets are part of the experience. Felines and their human friends embraced a joyful, cat-filled escape and one meow-velous weekend in Seattle. (Image: Elizabeth Crook / Seattle Refined) April 18, 2026{ }
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