Mia Ponzi Continues Her Family's Winemaking Legacy with New Ventures

From running a bed-and-breakfast to operating a wine bar and bottling her own label, Ponzi is building on her family's storied history in the Willamette Valley.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 12:36am by

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A vibrant, pop art-inspired illustration featuring repeated silhouettes of a wine bottle, coffee cup, and bed linens in a grid pattern, capturing the lifestyle and hospitality elements of Mia Ponzi's new businesses.Mia Ponzi's new hospitality ventures, from a cozy bed-and-breakfast to an experimental wine label, build on her family's storied legacy in Oregon's Willamette Valley.Portland Today

Mia Ponzi has followed in her family's footsteps, working in the wine industry and opening new businesses that build on their legacy. She grew up on her family's vineyard and winery, and after stints in New York City restaurants, she returned to Oregon to open a bed-and-breakfast called Sosta House and launch a new wine label, Lerzi, with her mother. Ponzi's businesses all reflect her focus on community, hospitality, and honoring her family's decades of work in the Willamette Valley.

Why it matters

The Ponzi family is one of the pioneering winemaking families in Oregon's Willamette Valley, helping establish the region's reputation for world-class pinot noir. Mia Ponzi's new ventures, from the casual bed-and-breakfast to the experimental wine label, show how she is carrying on her family's legacy while putting her own creative spin on it.

The details

Mia Ponzi grew up on her family's vineyard and winery, which her grandparents planted in the 1970s as some of the first in the area to envision an 'Oregon wine industry.' After studying sculpture at Parsons and then working in restaurants in New York City, Ponzi returned to Oregon, inspired by the casual bed-and-breakfasts she saw in Iceland. She and her brother Nico opened Sosta House, a B&B in their family's former home next to the winery. Ponzi also launched a new wine label, Lerzi, with her mother Luisa, experimenting with chardonnay and pinot noir in a more playful style than Luisa's traditional winemaking.

  • Mia Ponzi's grandparents planted their vineyards and founded their winery business in the 1970s.
  • Ponzi spent five years cooking in restaurants in New York City before returning to Oregon in 2022.
  • Ponzi and her brother Nico started dreaming up plans for Sosta House after a trip to Iceland in the summer of 2022.
  • Sosta House opened for its first booking on July 5, 2023, after just two months of renovation work.
  • Ponzi launched her new wine label, Lerzi, with her mother Luisa about a year after leaving the larger-scale winemaking operation.

The players

Mia Ponzi

The daughter of a pioneering Willamette Valley winemaking family, Ponzi has opened a bed-and-breakfast called Sosta House and launched a new wine label, Lerzi, with her mother.

Luisa Ponzi

Mia Ponzi's mother, a serious and traditional winemaker who has now started her own small-scale label, Lerzi, in collaboration with her daughter.

Nico Ponzi

Mia Ponzi's brother, who worked with her to open the Sosta House bed-and-breakfast after returning to Oregon from New York City.

Guiseppina Lerzi

Mia Ponzi's nonna, or grandmother, whose name inspired the Lerzi wine label that Ponzi launched with her mother.

Zab Shavrick

Mia Ponzi's best friend, an artist and graphic designer who helped bring the Sosta House concept to life through the website and branding.

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What they’re saying

“Like any kid, our life was all I knew. The entire concept of work, the way I learned it, was grounded in community and joy.”

— Mia Ponzi

“We went to visit family in Iceland in the summer of 2022 and saw these tiny, perfectly casual B&Bs run out of family homes on the North Coast. It was revelatory.”

— Mia Ponzi

“Lerzi is our meeting place where we get to play around together. I push her to make things she would never make on her own; she pushes me to look at it all through another lens. It's all very experimental.”

— Mia Ponzi

What’s next

Ponzi plans to continue expanding the Sosta House bed-and-breakfast and growing the Lerzi wine label with her mother, further building on her family's winemaking legacy in the Willamette Valley.

The takeaway

Mia Ponzi is honoring her family's pioneering work in Oregon's wine industry by opening new hospitality-focused businesses that put her own creative spin on their legacy. From the casual Sosta House B&B to the experimental Lerzi wine label, Ponzi is finding ways to share her family's story and passion for the land with a new generation of visitors and wine lovers.