Milbrandt Vineyards

Emily Haines of Milbrandt Vineyards

Not many 33 year olds oversee the making of a million cases of wine.  But that is Emily Haines’ new job, now that she has been promoted to Director of Winemaking at Millbrandt Vineyards.   Roughly 60,000 of the cases will be produced under the MilBrandt label, and the rest for the 30 clients of Milbrandt’s custom crush facility in Mattawa – the Wahluke Wine Company.  Emily has been well prepared for her new role.  After joining Milbandt Vineyards in 2009 as a lab technician, she was later promoted to lab manager, then enologist, assistant winemaker, and, just recently, Director of Winemaking. 

Butch and Jerry Milbrandt started growing grapes in 1997 and today farm several thousand acres of vineyards in the Wahluke Slope and Ancient Lakes AVAs.  Nearly 20 different varietals go into the many different Milbrandt wines, which are some of the finest and most affordable wines in the state.  Milbrandt wines can be found in all 50 states, and will soon be available internationally.  They pair nicely with many foods, as you can see from Butch’s “Pair This” cooking show on the Milbrandt website.  In this interview, Emily talks about Milbrandt’s unique wines, the benefits of blending, her passion for white wine making in particular, why being a millennial is an asset in the wine world, and much more

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Beresan Winery

Tom Waliser of Beresan Winery

If Tom Waliser’s grandparents had not run out of gas in Walla Walla during their flight from the Dust Bowl, he might never have become one of the region’s most well known vineyard managers.  A century before the 1930s Dust Bowl, the Waliser family left Germany to settle in the Beresan region of the Ukraine.  It’s those family roots in the Ukraine that provided a name for the winery Tom and his family opened to the public in 2003, complete with a tasting room in their renovated barn built originally in 1926.  Most of the fruit for the Beresan wines comes from the three estate vineyards that Tom manages.  Many single varietal and blended red wines are produced each year, along with one Rhone style white blend and a rose.

In 1990, Tom helped to develop Pepper Bridge Vineyard at a time when people in Washington didn’t know much about wine grapes.  He learned by doing and was soon growing grapes for some of the best wineries in the state.  Whether he’s growing grapes or helping to make wine, he’s always committed to having fun.  That’s why he and Beresan winemaker Tom Glaze created some fun viticultural theories known as “tomodynamics” and a red blend named “Tomfoolery.”  Check out this interview to learn more about these creations, key things Tom has learned in the vineyards, and what he regards as the most finicky grape varietal.

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Siren Song Winery

Kevin Brown of Siren Song Winery

With a father as a chef, Kevin Brown grew up in California around fine food and wine and has always been fascinated by pairing the two.  But for most of his career, he’s channeled his creativity to the software industry, starting up many companies focused on data analysis.  With inspiration drawn from wine experiences around the world, Kevin made his first wine in 2007.  He and his wife Holly fell in love with Lake Chelan and bought 7 acres of vineyards on the south shore in 2010.  Reaching back to 11th grade mythology lessons, they named their winery Siren Song and opened tasting room doors in 2015.  Wine, food and music come together at Siren Song, with 9 weeks of dinner concerts on a stunning site with a Mediterranean feel inspired by Provence.   

It’s very clear from his wines that Kevin believes wine can change your life.  Behind each wine is a story about a life changing moment in Madrid, Paris, Rio, and on and on. Kevin makes 10 to 12 wines each year, mostly from grapes grown in the vineyards he and Holly own in Lake Chelan, Walla Walla, and Mattawa.  The Mattawa vineyard will eventually be planted mainly to Zinfandel, the varietal Kevin thinks should be Washington’s signature one.  Kevin loves experimenting with blends, always with food pairings in mind as he selects varietals.  Learn about his experiments, stories and much more in this interview.

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Tsillan Cellars

Shane Collins of Tsillan Cellars

Shane Collins returned to his roots in the Lake Chelan area in 2007 to work for Tsillan Cellars where he became head winemaker in 2008.  Since that time the wines have been 100% estate, highlighting the Italian, German, Rhone and Bordeaux varietals grown on Tsillan’s 35 acre vineyard.  In addition to vines, the 135 acre site is home to a beautiful Tuscan style tasting room, Sorrento’s Italian Restaurant, and a glass pavilion for indoor/outdoor eating.  The restaurant has been named one of the most scenic in America, and is the perfect venue for Tsillan’s winemaker dinner series and other events.

With its north facing slopes, Tsillan vineyard is unusual for Washington state, and Shane highlights in this interview the advantages of these particular slopes.  He also emphasizes the diversity of terroir in these 35 acres that makes it possible to grow many different varietals so successfully.   Even a single varietal exhibits significantly different characteristics depending on its location in the vineyard, and thus Shane often makes two or three different wines using the same varietal.   Although he thinks syrah is the varietal that does best in the Lake Chelan area, he is very excited by the quality of the malbec that has recently been produced at Tsillan Cellars.  With plans to increase total production to 8,500 cases each year, Tsillan will be opening a new tasting room in Woodinville soon.   Learn more from this interview.

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Columbia Crest Winery

Doug and Joe Gore of Columbia Crest and Seven Falls Wineries

When Doug Gore moved to Prosser in 1982, he had worked 9 harvests in California vineyards and wineries.  A state-of-the-art winery and warehouse known as Columbia Crest had just been built in Paterson, Washington, and Doug had come to be its founding winemaker.   The demand then was mostly for white wines so he started with a white blend and a blush wine, but soon progressed to varietal whites and reds that were affordable, of high quality, and for national distribution.  Today Columbia Crest is one of the largest wineries in the country and produces outstanding wines of great value in three collections:  Grand Estates, H3, and Reserve. 

Doug’s son Joe grew up around vineyards and labs, always thinking he’d end up working in athletics.  But a business degree led to a distributor position, and since 2008 Joe has worked in sales and marketing for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE) – an umbrella organization that provides marketing expertise for many outstanding wineries, including Columbia Crest and Seven Falls.  Today Doug is Executive Vice President for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and winemaker for Seven Falls Cellars, which produces 50,000 cases annually for dozens of restaurants nationwide.   The SMWE goal is always to provide great wine experiences at world class wineries.   Listen to this interview to learn about key changes in our wine industry since the 80s, challenges in selling wine, and how a winery built in the middle of nowhere in the early 80s became one of the most productive and successful wineries in the world.  

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MVP Vintners

Pete Mathews of MVP Vintners

MVP Vintners is likely the newest tasting room on Lake Chelan, having opened in June just in time for the summer season.  A tasting room and patio overlook the lake from the north shore in the charming town of Manson.   You can bring your own picnic or indulge in tasting room plates to pair with wine or beer.  Several wines from around the world are always available in the tasting room to compare with the MVP wines.  Artisan pastas and sauces can be purchased for those who prefer to sip and eat at home. 

MVP is the creation of three key partners:  Pete Mathews, Ron Ventimiglia, and Jon Picard.  Their flame logo reflects the role that recent Chelan fires played in the birth of MVP.  Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, MVP has emerged with amazing creativity, energy, and commitment.  They offer a lineup of memorable wines, some unique for the area such as a Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay blend and a Kokomo Viognier that's the tropics in a glass.  In this interview, former actor and professional golfer Pete Mathews discusses the challenges of opening a new tasting room, the role fire played in the partnership, the significance of “the next best thing”, the best cheese to pair with Tempranillo, and much more.

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Red Willow Vineyard

Mike Sauer of Red Willow Vineyards

Mike Sauer never expected to be involved at all with Washington’s wine industry, let alone to be one of its pillars.  But an unusual irrigation system on part of the family farm led him in the early 1970s to plant Concord table grapes and a few rows of French sounding wine grapes.   He learned from this experience that wine grapes would do best on slopes, and so in 1973 he planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines that are still thriving on Red Willow Vineyard slopes today.  Walter Clore encouraged Mike to plant other varietals and by the early 80s he was growing grapes for David Lake of Columbia Winery.

David made the first Red Willow Vineyard designated wine in 1981, which was one of the first vineyard designated wines in the state.  Vineyard designation on a label was a new concept at the time, and one of many innovations that Mike and David worked on together during their 30-year collaboration.  Mike was the first to plant in Washington many varietals that now cover vineyard slopes in the state.  Today Mike sells grapes to nearly two dozen of Washington’s finest wineries.  In this interview he talks about the many firsts at Red Willow Vineyard, key changes in the vineyards since the 1970s, challenges for grape growers, Washington’s ideal varietal, and much more.  

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Spring Valley Winery

Dean Derby and Serge LaVille of Spring Valley Vineyard and Winery

The story of Spring Valley Vineyard began in 1865 when the Corkum family arrived in Walla Walla from Illinois.  Current vineyard owner Shari Corkum Derby’s grandfather Uriah eventually purchased a wheat farm that Dean and Shari still farm today.  They planted grapes in 1992 and at first sold them all to other wineries.  In the late 1990s son Devin and his wife Mary gave up painting movie sets in Chicago and headed to Walla Walla to turn the Spring Valley storage shed into a winery.  A merlot-based red blend called Uriah--still Spring Valley’s flagship wine--was the first wine made in 1999.  From the beginning, Spring Valley wines have embodied quality, family history, and a unique, high-elevation terroir.

In 2000, Serge Laville left his home in the South of France to come assist Devin at the winery.  After Devin’s tragic death in 2004, Serge became head winemaker at Spring Valley.  He knew something about making wine when he arrived, but he learned to make Washington wine from Devin.  In this interview, he talks about the challenges of making wine in Washington, the changing tastes of consumers since 2000, the uniqueness of the wheat-surrounded Spring Valley Vineyard, and much more.

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Cadaretta Winery

Kendall Mix of Cadaretta and Buried Cane Wineries

The foundation of Cadaretta Winery and the beautiful tasting room in Walla Walla is the timber industry.  Beginning in the 1920s and 30s, the Middleton family shipped lumber around the West Coast in a family schooner named “Cadaretta”.  Spotted Owl preservation initiatives and declining timber harvests led the family to diversify into grapes in the 1980s and 90s, first table grapes in California and then wine grapes in both California and Washington.  Today the family owns two wineres in Washington –Cadaretta and Buried Cane – and two in the Paso Robles area of California.  The Southwind estate vineyard planted in 2008 is near Milton Freewater in the Oregon part of the Walla Walla AVA.

Originally from Alberta, Canada, Kendall Mix found his way to the University of CA Davis to study viticulture and enology, before coming to Washington in 1993.  For the past two years, he has worked closely with growers at Southwind and other vineyards to produce mostly blended wines for both the Cadaretta and Buried Cane labels.  Listen to this interview to find out about the virtues of blending, burying canes, using upright oak fermenters, and combining science and soul in every bottle.   

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Maison Bleue Winery

Jon Meuret

Voted Best Emerging Winery in 2011 by Seattle Magazine, Maison Bleue is now a don’t-miss venue on any Walla Walla tasting trip.  Winemaker Jon Meuret left dentistry behind when he moved from Kansas City to Walla Walla in 2006 to pursue his passion for winemaking.  With his French family roots, excellent palate and years of education in the sciences, he opened Maison Bleue in 2007 with the goal of making WA Rhone wines in an old world style.   He strives to express terroir with his wines, and so produces mostly vineyard designated wines, especially with syrah and grenache varietals. 

One of Jon’s favorite wines is white Burgundy, and he was first attracted to Northwest wines because of Oregon Pinot Noir.  So his latest winemaking venture -- Domaine J. Meuret -- focuses on Burgundian style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Released for the first time this year, the Domaine J. Meuret label offers two vineyard designated Chardonnay wines and one Pinot Noir, all from the Columbia Gorge AVA.  Most recently, Jon became a consultant for Willamette Valley Vineyards’ Pambrun Vineyard, a position that will enable him to oversee the making of high-end Bordeaux style wines.   Listen to this interview to learn how a WA winemaker employs an old world winemaking style to produce award-winning wines.

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Mansion Creek Cellars

Julia Russell of Mansion Creek Cellars

Mansion Creek Cellars has been voted one of the most entertaining tasting rooms in Walla Walla, especially when owner Julia Russell is pouring.  She is known affectionately as “Mama Julia,” and can be counted on to dance flamenco for visitors when the music is right.  Mama Julia is originally from the Galicia region of Spain, and grew up around a cellar full of fine wines from Spain, France and Germany.  She came to the U.S. in the 1970s to do an internship in nursing, and opened Mansion Creek Cellars in 2007.

Julia and her husband Roger live in the beautiful Waldheim Mansion from which the winery takes its name, but the tasting room is in the Marcus Whitman Hotel in downtown Walla Walla.  Mansion Creek specializes in Spanish and Portuguese style wines, as well as unique blends designed by Julia to be soft and full of flavor.  Mama Julia is known for her outstanding palate and blending abilities, as well as her knack for pairing wines with food.  She does the cooking for her wine club’s legendary parties in the mansion, and talks of wine and food pairings in this interview guaranteed to make your mouth water.

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Two Mountain Winery

Matt & Patrick Rawn 

Two mountains – Rainier and Adams – and two brothers – Matt and Patrick Rawn – come together at Two Mountain Winery in Zillah, and the result is memorable estate wines.  The family started farming in the Yakima Valley in the early 20th century, but the vineyard wasn’t planted until 2000.  Matt and Patrick grew up in Wenatchee, but spent summers on the family farm in Zillah and developed a love for working the dirt.  They bought the family winery and Copeland Vineyard in 2006 and now manage the Copeland estate vineyard and many other vineyards in the area.  In addition to making 7 to 8,000 cases of their own Two Mountain and Brothers wines, they also provide custom crush services for other winemakers.

The Two Mountain label and packaging suggest great care and attention to detail, and the same qualities go into the vines and wines.   Copeland Vineyard produces many different varietals, including some that aren’t often seen in Washington.  For example, Matt and Patrick grow Lemberger and Touriga Nacional, and have recently planted Durif and Tinta Cao.  Find out more about these varietals, the story behind the hidden horse associated with a Two Mountain Red Blend, some strategies for wine labeling, and much more in this fascinating interview.  

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Antolin Cellars

Tony & Linda Haralson

At Antolin Cellars, you’ll meet a nurse and a pharmacist turned grape grower/winemaker, and you’ll experience affordable, expressive wines.   Tony and Linda (Anthony + Linda = Antolin) strive to make wines that really express varietal character, and thus most of their wines are single varietal.  But they are currently making a wonderful Bordeaux blend with cabernet sauvignon, malbec and carmenere.  Their carmenere as a single varietal is a treat as well, especially with BBQ in summer.  This former Bordeaux varietal now popular in Chile is one of four grape varietals that Tony and Linda grow in their Glacier estate vineyard in Zillah.

Tony and Linda are amazingly creative not only in grape growing and winemaking, but in music and cooking as well.  When he has time, Tony does vocals and guitar playing with one of the bands that plays regularly at Antolin.  The Antolin hosts also inspire creativity in others with “cellarbrations” such as Paint Nites that are sold out two months in advance.  Their tasting room is full of art and housed in a charming old train station in downtown Yakima.   The Caboose Event Room is the site of weddings, retirement parties, and soon-to-be winemaker dinners.    

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Airfield Estates Winery

Marcus Miller

Beets, planes and over 900 acres of vineyards come together in the story of Airfield Estates Winery.  During World War II, part of the Sunnyside Miller family farm of beets, spinach, alfalfa, asparagus, cattle and hogs became an airfield used to train 1200 military pilots.  In the mid 1970s, many sugar factories closed in Washington, and so the Millers were looking for a new crop to replace beets, just as Chateau Ste. Michelle was looking for grapes.  Airfield Ranches eventually planted 900 acres of vineyards and has sold grapes to many wineries in the state.

In 2005 the family opened Airfield Estates Winery in Prosser to make estate wines from the 25 varietals grown on the family farm.  They produce all the main Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian varietals, and more.  Airfield produces outstanding single varietal wines as well as blends, including some non-traditional blends such as Flygirl White and Bombshell Red.  The wines are known for quality and affordability, with no wine over $30 and Lone Birch wines at $10 to $12 per bottle.  Today Airfield makes 40,000 cases under both the Airfield and Lone Birch labels.  

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Cultura Winery

Sarah and Tad Fewel

If you don’t have time or money to travel to Bordeaux, come to Zillah, WA instead, just 20 miles south of Yakima.  That’s where you’ll find Cultura Winery where Sarah and Tad Fewel produce some memorable Bordeaux style red wines, both left and right bank styles.  The Fewels have family farming roots in Zillah and planted their own small vineyard in 2007 from which they source cabernet franc and zinfandel.  They also source increasingly from Sun Ridge Vineyard about 6 miles from Cultura’s tasting room.

Given the recent hot temperatures here in eastern WA, you’ll be happy to know that Cultura now produces a rose that is cinsault based.  Nearly all Cultura wine is sold out of the tasting room so make a trip to Zillah soon.  You can stay at the nearby Cherry Wood Bed and Breakfast offering posh teepee lodging and horseback riding in the vines.  Learn about all this and much more, including how Greek mythology and wine are connected at Cultura.

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Winegirl Wines

Angela Jacobs

After a transformative sip of pinot noir, Angela Jacobs was hooked on wine and made her first bottle before she was 21.  She completed several undergraduate and graduate degrees and traveled the world working in wine regions before opening her Winegirl Wines tasting room in Manson in 2010.  It’s clear that she was attracted to Greece, as two of her labels--Fira and Kamari-- are Greek words.  A third label is My Derby Wife, which links to Angela’s roller derby days in Seattle with the Rat City Roller Girls. 

Although the labels are fun, the tasting rooms in both Manson and now Leavenworth offer “serious wines with friendly attitude.”  You will encounter a nice combination of single varietal wines and blends sourced from grapes around the lake and beyond.  Although the wines are serious, the Manson tasting room is the site of many fun events, including regular live music, costume parties, barrel burnings, bocce ball, and much more.  Looking ahead for Winegirl Wines, there may be an estate vineyard and some sparkling wine to taste – perhaps "Chelagne", as Angela suggested.  

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Cairdeas Winery

Charlie Lybecker

After spending a weekend in Lake Chelan, there was no doubt in Charlie and Lacey Lybecker’s minds that they had found a home for their new winery.  Cairdeas Winery opened doors in 2014 on the north shore of the lake not far from the charming town of Manson.  It was perplexities regarding New Zealand sauvignon blancs that got Charlie interested in wine in the first place.  But his passion is for Rhone style wines, and that’s what Cairdeas offers to eager tasters.  Be sure to put Cairdeas on your tasting itinerary next time you’re in Lake Chelan if you want a friendly, first-rate tasting experience.

It’s very common to encounter syrah wines that have been co-fermented with a small percentage of viognier to enhance color and aroma.  In this interview you’ll learn the benefits of co-fermenting Rhone red varietals with a little roussanne.  You’ll also hear about the benefits of whole grape cluster fermentation for red Rhone style wines.   Cairdeas offers memorable wines and a great family endeavor in which even 4-year old Eugene and 2-year old Francis help out with amazing art for the artist series wines.  

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Tertulia Cellars

Ryan Raber of Tertulia Cellars

Ryan Raber grew up around chefs and exudes a love of cooking and of pairing food and wine.   In his teens he helped his mother make wine with their home-grown American hybrid grapes.  So it’s no surprise that Tertulia Cellars hired him as winemaker in 2005 right after he graduated from Walla Walla Community College’s Viticulture and Enology Program.  His passion for making terroir driven wines is evident in the many Tertulia wines from three estate vineyards:  Whistling Hill, Riviere Galets and Elevation.  Elevation is the newest and most unique vineyard, with the first grapes harvested this year.  Lessons from Stag’s Leap helped Ryan and others to take the leap of investing in this most unique and challenging vineyard site, as you’ll see in this interview. 

I love it when history and wine come together, and they do quite naturally for Ryan.  Find out here how Ryan cleverly used the Papal Schism of the 14th century as a key in his GSM blend.  He also helped to revive a once popular Bordeaux varietal, Carmenere, to make it the leading seller in the Tertulia tasting room.  Family history is also evident in every bottle with the name "Tertulia" and the second label name" Redd Brand".  

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Kevin Pogue

Kevin Pogue of Whitman College and VinTerra Consulting

Terrorist acts turned geologist Kevin Pogue into a terroirist, and a new career was born.  Since 9/11, Kevin has been studying the geological influences on vineyard lands in WA, and he is now a leading expert on Washington terroir.  He defines terroir as the cultural, biological and physical aspects of an environment that influence the sensory characteristics of wine.  According to Pogue, the Cascade Mountain range, Yakima Fold Belt, and Missoula Floods are the key geological influences on Washington terroir. 

Have you ever wondered which grape varietals are most affected by terroir?  I’ve always heard it’s Pinot Noir and Riesling, but Kevin believes another varietal  is even more affected than these two.  He also explains why stressed grapes (vines) are the best grapes, and discusses some of the things we don’t yet know about terroir and wine.  Listen here for a fascinating interview that spans the time period from 15 million years ago to the present.  

Stemilt Creek Winery

Kyle Mathison of Stemilt Creek Winery

Today Stemilt Growers is one of the largest fruit grower-packer-shippers in the country.  The company’s history goes back to 1893 when the Mathison family first settled the Stemilt Hill area south of Wenatchee.  Beginning in the mid-1960s Tom Mathison packed and shipped fruit for many growers in the Wenatchee area and turned a struggling family fruit farm into a fruit empire.  His son Kyle planted 18 acres of vines on Stemilt Hill in 1999, and he and his wife Jan made their first Stemilt Creek wines in 2003.

With high elevation and cool temps characterizing their Stemilt vineyard, the Mathisons turned to Canadian viticulturalists and winemakers as mentors.  But they also turned to family members whose personality traits such as sweet, spicy, caring and bossy infuse each Stemilt wine.   Enjoy a Caring Passion Merlot or Boss Lady Syrah as you listen to the interview. 

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