Meet Wine Veteran Ron Acierto

Before wine veteran Ron Acierto became the Wine and Beverage Director at ōkta and Tributary, he spent years turning his insatiable curiosity about wine and innate love of hospitality into a fulfilling career in the service industry. We’re sharing his journey from assistant server to Oregon wine expert.

A Love of Wine and Service

Not long after Ron Acierto moved with his adoptive family from the Philippines to Indiana, he landed his first job as an assistant to the server at a high-end retirement home at just 15. It was through serving wine to lunch guests that Ron was first exposed to wine and intrigued by its many flavor profiles. It’s also where he realized his love of serving and feeding people, a love that he attributes to the culture of hospitality he experienced in the Philippines. Ron shares, “When you visit somebody, the first thing they ask is “kumain ka na ba?” or “have you eaten?”

Over the years, Ron worked everywhere from McDonald’s to Red Lobster, supporting his way through nursing school with positions from host to server to bar back. In his final year of school, he realized his love of hospitality surpassed his love of nursing, instead taking a job at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There, his mentors at the club taught him about California and French wines and showed him how to speak the language of service and hospitality.

Breaking Into a Saturated Industry

Eager for the next step in his career, Ron set his sights on St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis, but was put on the waitlist for a bartender position. When no spots opened up, Ron was hired as a host at Peter’s, but faced yet another waitlist for a server position. Ron’s lucky break finally came when he secured a server position at Mikado, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. It was at Mikado that Ron met General Manager (GM) Joseph Lehner, who would influence his future career by teaching him about Oregon wine, burgundy wine, and champagne.

After a decade at Mikado, Ron moved over to Five Spice, a French-Asian restaurant owned by the same family, where he honed his knowledge of fine dining and modern cuisine. His mentor Ju Ping Chi taught him about the Michelin star and used it as a model for service. Ron reflects, “She taught me about [having] an eye for design... It's not just about the food and the wine and being hospitable. It's the entire room, the entire experience.”

Moving to Oregon

When Five Spice eventually closed its doors, Ron didn’t have a backup plan. But local regulars Mike and Jan Sweeney offered Ron a job selling wines in their new tasting room at Cherry Hill Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Ron accepted and fell in love with Cherry Hill where he developed their tasting menu and hospitality, learning on the job and eventually becoming their national salesperson. 

When Ron returned to the restaurant business, this time in Portland, he took jobs at Bluehour as an assistant manager, and later at Lucier as an assistant GM to the operations manager, but still had his sights set on becoming a beverage director. After Lucier closed, Ron secured a dream GM role that called for experience in wine, sake, and Asian cuisine at Departure at the Nines Hotel in what he calls his “master thesis in entertaining thousands of people.”

Later, Ron had the opportunity to open his passion project, Bar Muselet, a wine bar and shop ranked among the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best New Wine Restaurants in the country, but it was ultimately the wrong time and location for the restaurant.

Coming to ōkta

Ron was introduced to ōkta after a mutual friend gave GM Christine Langelier a Muselet pop-up card. 

Together with Chef Matt Lightner, Christine gave Ron the opportunity to write a dream wine list, offering him the role of Wine and Beverage Director. Because of ōkta’s focus on immersive hospitality and utilizing farm produce at its peak, Ron was all in. Ron’s persistence and patience had paid off and he finally had the service-forward Beverage Director position he had dreamed of. 

Ron’s approach to creating a wine list takes a holistic view of the restaurant’s audience and the items on the menu that need to be reflected in the wines. He notes that the sommelier acts as a storyteller who has the opportunity to share the stories of the producers and the wine itself. Ron also strongly believes in honoring the local history of Oregon wine and has built relationships with Oregon growers by being a concierge for Oregon Wine Country.

Meet the Concierge of Oregon Wine Yourself

If you’re planning a trip to McMinnville, Tributary Hotel is your ideal base. A luxury boutique inn in the heart of historic McMinnville, each reservation at Tributary includes a guaranteed dinner reservation at ōkta for the night of your stay. You can also visit ōkta’s Cellar Bar where Ron Acerto creates an immersive hospitality experience serving classically inspired cocktails and spirits every Wednesday through Sunday.

Book now to reserve your stay.