Meet the Winemaker: Meg Rulli of Flipturn Cellars

The PDX Urban Winery Club box for September 2026 includes Flipturn Cellars’ 2024 Syrah. Hear from winemaker Meg Rulli about how she got into wine, and what makes this bottle so special.

How did you get into winemaking?

My love of wine started when I studied abroad in Barcelona in 2005. It was the first time I ever drank wine. I was drinking these delicious, affordable Spanish table wines with almost every meal, and I fell in love with how wine and food go together—and how deeply wine can be woven into a culture. Then, in 2012, I spent a year backpacking around the world with my husband and visited some incredible wine regions, which took that interest to another level.

By 2019, I had completed my WSET Level 2 and 3 certifications and was taking any job I could in the wine industry to figure out where I fit. That year, I volunteered at several local wineries during harvest and experienced the production side of winemaking for the first time. I was hooked.

In 2020, I took a pretty big leap and bought a ton of Syrah from Yakima Valley to make my first wine. That became Flipturn’s first vintage. From there, I just kept going—learning through experience, working alongside other winemakers, and continuing to fine-tune my craft with every harvest.

What’s distinctive about your style or approach?

Flipturn is driven by curiosity. I make very small-production, minimal-intervention wines—roughly 250 cases total each year, with most individual wines landing somewhere around 75 cases—and I source from vineyards throughout the Pacific Northwest that are thoughtful about sustainability and how they care for their land.

I also love exploring grapes that don't always get the spotlight in Oregon. I have never made a Pinot Noir. In fact, with the exception of my 2024 Syrah—which I made to celebrate my fifth harvest—I had never repeated a grape variety before. I’ve made everything from Viognier and Sangiovese to Cabernet Franc, and now Barbera and Saperavi during the 2026 harvest season.

Ultimately, I want to make wines that I personally get excited to drink—and then hopefully introduce other people to something they might not have reached for otherwise.

Tell us about the wine in this month’s club shipment.

This month’s wine is my 2024 Syrah, and it’s a particularly meaningful bottle for me because Syrah is where Flipturn started. My very first wine was a 2020 Syrah, so when I reached my fifth harvest in 2024, I wanted to return to the grape that kicked off this whole adventure.

This Syrah comes from the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge. At just under 13% alcohol, it’s a fresher, more food-friendly expression of Syrah rather than a bigger, heavier style. It has that combination I love in the variety: beautiful dark fruit alongside savory, peppery and herbal notes, with plenty of freshness.

What food would you pair with it?

I’m still happily testing all the pairing possibilities with this wine, but it would be a dream with grilled lamb, pork chops or sausages. I also love it with eggplant dishes, olive tapenade or even just a really good charcuterie board.

There’s a savory, herbal quality to the wine that makes it especially delicious alongside dishes with rosemary and thyme. Basically, anything coming off the grill with lots of herbs is probably going to make both the food and the wine very happy.

I recently brought it to an annual girls’ dinner with my best friends (who have supported me on this journey since day one) where we did a potluck-style meal, and it shined with literally every dish on the table. It’s such a versatile wine.

When you’re not drinking your own wine, what’s in your glass?

Everything! I drink all sorts of styles, regions and grape varieties. I have a particular soft spot for Italian wine—Nebbiolo is a longtime favorite—but I’m curious about pretty much anything someone is excited to put in front of me.

Outside of wine, I love a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned and anything mezcal-forward. I also just got back from Italy and became slightly obsessed with the Negroni Sbagliato while I was there.

During harvest, it’s a cold beer!