St. Innocent began as an idea conceived in a moment of passion and inspiration in 1983. Mark Vlossak spent the next five years studying, taking classes, and apprenticing with Oregon wine pioneer, Fred Arterberry. In 1988, St. Innocent Winery was founded. The goal is to produce wines that respect the quality and tradition of the Old World in one of the newest and most exciting wine growing regions on the planet: Oregon's Willamette Valley.  

Mark Vlossak is founder, president, and winemaker of St. Innocent Winery in Salem, Oregon. Mark's exposure to wine began at the age of seven when he began tasting wines daily with his father, a wine importer.  During his university training, he developed a love for Champagne. After reading an article in 1983 on American sparkling wine in Bon Appetit magazine, he was inspired to become a winemaker. Andre Tshelishev was quoted: "the greatest sparkling wine in America will be made in Oregon, not California, because it is the right place to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the grapes of Champagne." During his training, he apprenticed with Fred Arterberry, Jr., the first Oregonian to make sparkling wine. Fred also produced the first vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs in Oregon, something Mark would soon become famous for producing.

Mark has always made the wines, oversees the vineyards, and represents St. Innocent in the national marketplace. St. Innocent has grown from 600 cases in the first year to the current production of 10,000 cases, yet each wine is still handcrafted.