Foolhardy Vintners

Jonathan Edelman and Dan Sogg of Foolhardy Vintners

When Jonathan Edelman and Dan Sogg met years ago as freshmen at Bowdoin College in Maine, they never imagined they would one day own a winery together.  Although they both grew up in wine drinking families, their path to owning their own winery was a long and twisted one.  Jonathan became a Michelin restaurant chef, and also spent twenty years in the technology world.  Dan worked at wineries in France, spent a decade writing for the Wine Spectator, and still works for a cooper in Burgundy.  The first vintage of their own Foolhardy Vintners brand was 2016, and they opened a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla in March 2025.  The tasting room is in the historic McDonald Seed and Stable building dating from 1905. 

Dan and Jonathan have spent their lives drinking mostly old-world wines, and this experience has influenced their palates and wine style.  Their goal is to make food-friendly wines that are crisp, fresh, and textured.  This means they minimize any oak flavoring and pay very careful attention to picking decisions.  They also choose vineyards very carefully, with a preference for ones with older vines.   Their vineyard of choice for white wines is Evergreen in the Ancient Lakes AVA.   When it comes to red wines, Dan and Jonathan focus on Bordeaux style wines, especially ones that are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.  Their first single-vineyard Cabernet came from Red Willow Vineyard in 2019.  Don’t miss the outstanding wines at Foolhardy Vintners on your next visit to Walla Walla.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #190 Foolhardy Vintners - Jonathan Edelman & Dan Sogg

Velen Winery

John and Rebecca Otis of Velen Winery

2025 Zillah Winery of the Year

When Rebecca went wine tasting with friends in Texas, she never expected to meet her future husband.  John Otis was the owner and winemaker at CrossRoads Winery, and he fell in love at first sight when he saw Rebecca.  The two married in 2011, and started building their dream home in a Texas suburb not far from the winery.  But a trip to the Pacific Northwest resulted in new dreams.  They fell in love with the Zillah area, and with the idea of making wine in Washington.  The property they purchased had a house in need of renovation and enough land for a vineyard.  They moved in 2015, and started planting 3 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon the following year.  A winery and tasting room came a couple years later, as did more grape varieties.  In 2019, Velen Winery opened its doors to the public. 

Velen Winery is located in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA area of the Yakima Valley.  The site offers beautiful views of the valley, and RV camping sites for visitors.  Velen’s Vineyard is small, with 3 acres of red grapes, and 1 ½ acres of white grape varieties.  The couple learned about netting vines the hard way, as they lost 50% of their crop one year because they neglected to net each row individually.  Velen offers a variety of wines that are both estate and sourced from other vineyards.  John is partial to their estate Tempranillo, perhaps because Tempranillo is also one of the main grapes in Texas.  The best seller at Velen is the FB Nineteen, a field blend of 5 grapes from the 2019 vintage. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #189 Velen Winery - John & Rebecca Otis 2025

Pondera Winery

Shane Howard of Pondera Winery

Shane Howard and his wife were on a trip to Italy, when a bottle of Barolo converted him from a spirits to a wine lover.  Upon returning to the Seattle area, they tasted wines in Woodinville and became hooked on wine.  Shane gave up his careers in picture framing and golf, and went to the nearest library to check out books on winemaking.  He also talked to local winemakers, who were very generous with their knowledge.  He made his first wine in 2003, received licensing for Pondera Winery in 2005, and started selling wine commercially in 2008.  He and four other family members own the winery, which now offers both a spacious tasting room and an impressive art gallery.  The Whimsical Animal Art by Will Bullas is particularly amusing, with titles such as “Crabernet”, “Shut the Duck Up”, and “Significant Otters”.  And, don’t miss the book of poetic verse about the winemaking process, illustrated by Shane’s uncle, also a winery owner. 

There is a wine for every palate at Pondera, but Bordeaux wine lovers will be particularly pleased, as Bordeaux style red wines have been Shane’s focus.  He admits, however, that Rhone style wines just might be his favorite to produce these days, so visitors will find plenty to choose from of both styles of wine.  Shane sources grapes from vineyards across several AVAs, with the bulk coming from Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA.  His best-selling wine most years is the single-varietal Cabernet Franc from Dineen Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA.  In addition to award-winning wines and amazing art, Pondera is also known for its fun, creative events.  For example, every Halloween the winery holds a Hallo-wine event revolving around a Jackalope.  Shane makes a special wine for the event, complete with artist label displaying a Mighty Jackalope, and many guests come dressed in Western garb. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #188 Pondera Winery - Shane Howard

Lagrioth Winery

Jeana and Chad Steiner of Lagrioth Winery at Chelan Valley Farms

North Carolina is not a US state famous for its wine.  But this is exactly where Jeana and Chad Steiner first became really enamored with wine.  Originally from Washington state, they moved for a time to NC, where they attended a Wine Folly event offering regional wines for tasting.  This event threw their palates back to their time as poor graduate students at Washington State University, when friends gave them premier WA wines to taste from places such as Leonetti, L’Ecole 41 and Woodward Canyon.  They took the quality of these wines for granted, until they tasted wines at the NC Wine Folly.  Why are the WA wines so different, they wondered.  That wonder hooked them on wine as a career, leading them eventually to study enology and viticulture, and to choose Washington state as the place where they would grow and produce wine.  They eventually purchased property on the north shore of Lake Chelan, that today is Chelan Valley Farms and Lagrioth Winery.

Chelan Valley Farms is a destination place for agritourism, including wine tasting.  In addition to grapevines, Chad and Jeana grow apples, pumpkins, various berries, and many flowers, all available for u-picking during the appropriate season.  There is a rental house on the property for those who wish to stay for a get-away.  The winery is called Lagrioth, a combination of three words: lake, agritourism, and growth.  The property overlooks Roses Lake with mountain views and no traffic sounds.  In the vineyard, Chad grows 3 clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.  This is an excellent place for tasting Chardonnay, as Jeana makes three different styles for comparison.  They also source grapes from other AVAs for their excellent Cabernet and Reserve Cabernet wines.   There is a wine for every palate, and activities for all ages at Chelan Valley Farms/Lagrioth Winery. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #187 Lagrioth Winery - Jeana & Chad Steiner

Dichotomy Vineyards

Rosie Signer & Jarred Jenner of Dichotomy Vineyards

Rosie Signer went to South Australia to work for a few months in a custom-crush facility, and ended up staying 12 years.  Jarred Jenner, who grew up in the Barossa Valley of South Australia, was managing the facility when Rosie arrived.  They eventually married and started their own Dichotomy label in 2021 with some Australian wines.  Since Rosie was originally from Washington state, the plan was to make wines in Washington as well, and bring them to Australia for selling along with their Australian wines.  The name Dichotomy was perfect for doing a study of wines from two very different hemispheres.  In the end, they did things in reverse, and brought their Australian wines to Washington where they now reside.  They purchased sight-unseen what was once Tefft Cellars in the Rattlesnake Hills area of the Yakima Valley.  The property came complete with a 10-acre vineyard planted in the late 80s and 90s, two houses, multiple large buildings for winemaking, and plenty of equipment.  Dichotomy Vineyards now sells estate wines from Washington as well as wines from South Australia.

Dichotomy Vineyards offers a fascinating study in terroir, especially when it comes to Shiraz and Syrah.  The bottle shapes are also interesting, as all Dichotomy WA wines are in very tall bottles, and Dichotomy Australian wines are in short, squat bottles.  Rosie and Jarred are also producing wines from not-often-seen grape varieties in Washington.  For example, they offer a delicious Chenin Blanc from their gnarly old vines.  They also have an estate Nebbiolo with silky tannins that make it equally good for sipping of pairing with food.  The plan is to make a Barolo style Nebbiolo as well, and to have Nebbiolo as the signature red grape at Dichotomy.  If you’re looking for some canned wine to take on a picnic or hike, Dichotomy offers some effervescent Marsanne in that format.  Sparkling wine is also in the works.  Don’t miss this unique tasting experience near Outlook, WA.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #186 Dichotomy Vineyards - Rosie Signer & Jarred Jenner

Argonne Cellars

Spencer Smith of Argonne Cellars

Spencer Smith grew up in Pennsylvania not too far from his grandfather, Charles Smith.  As a young boy, Spencer heard stories from his grandfather about his unit’s role in World War I.  It wasn’t until he was older that Spencer understood his grandfather was part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive that finally brought the war to an end.  The battle lasted from 26 September until 11 November 1918, and was one of the largest military operations in history.  Over a century later in 2020, Spencer launched Argonne Cellars to pay homage to his grandfather and the members of his unit who did not return home in 1918.  The phrase at the bottom of the winery’s logo says, “He took his first taste in 1918,” referring to the first wine that Charles Smith had ever drunk.  Although he survived the war, he was never able to taste wine after that first experience, because a mustard gas attack destroyed his sense of taste. 

This is not the only connection between wine and war in the Argonne Cellars story.   The Argonne Forest in Northeastern France was the main site of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  One of the oldest Champagne houses, Henri Giraud, has used Argonne Forest oak for its barrels for years.  The only other winemakers to use this oak for barrels is Argonne Cellars.  The main cooperage in the Argonne area does not use trees less than 120 years old, so the trees used for the barrels were standing during WWI.  Argonne Cellars has an online presence only, and focuses on handcrafted red wines from the Red Mountain AVA.  They also make some whites and rosé from other parts of the Yakima Valley.  In this interview we explore these award-winning wines, and the fascinating history behind Argonne Cellars.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #185 Argonne Cellars - Spencer Smith

Pomum Cellars & Vinateria Idilico

Javier Alfonso of Pomum Cellars & Vinateria Idilico

Javier Alfonso grew up in the Ribera del Duero wine region of Spain. But when he purchased the Konnowac Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills area of the Yakima Valley, he came full circle back to where he was born.  His mother was from the Yakima Valley and majored in Spanish at WSU. During her junior year, she went to Spain to improve her language skills, and fell in love with Javier’s father.  Although the couple has lived in Spain from the time they got married until today, she did come home to Yakima in the 70s to give birth to Javier.   They returned to Spain when he was 2 months old, and he lived there until 1995, when he came to the University of WA to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees in aeronautical engineering.  He met his wife Shylah at the university, and they fell in love with Washington state and WA wine.   What started as a winemaking hobby for friends, turned commercial in 2004 when they created their Pomum Cellars label.

In 2012, Javier became a full-time winemaker for both Pomum Cellars and a label they created in 2009, Vinateria Idilico.  Pomum wines are all made with French grape varieties, and Idilico is dedicated to wines made with Spanish grape varieties.   In 2019, Javier and Shylah purchased the Konnowac Vineyard, making him a winegrower in the European sense.  All Pomum wines are made with estate fruit from Konnowac vines, some of which date to 1987, and Idilico wines are sourced from Konnowac and other areas of the Yakima Valley.  Javier is the largest producer of Albarino in WA state, and perhaps the US.  He believes that Albarino should be WA state’s white wine grape.  Javier is also one of the few winemakers to make a single-varietal Graciano, something he admits he could never do in Spain.   In this interview, he explores fascinating stories behind his wine journey, comparisons between Spanish and Washington wines, amazing paella he makes for hundreds of club members, and much more.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #184 Pomum Cellars & Idilico Wines - Javier Alfonso

Latah Creek Wine Cellars

Mike Conway & Natalie Conway-Barnes

Mike Conway started his wine career in 1972 in California as a microbiologist for Gallo.   He learned winemaking via the apprentice method at Parducci Wine Cellars where he was hired in 1977.  In 1980, he and his wife Ellena decided to move to Washington state where Mike became winemaker for a startup winery in Spokane.   Two years later he and Mike Hogue entered a partnership in which Mike Hogue grew grapes, and Mike Conway made wine for Hogue Cellars and his own new Latah Creek Wine Cellars.  That year 1982 also saw the birth of Mike and Ellena’s daughter Natalie, so Ellena was doing the new winery’s paperwork from her hospital room.   In 1984, Hogue and Latah Creek went their separate ways, and Mike Conway has been focused on his own winery since then.  Growing up amidst tanks and barrels, Natalie imagined herself a winemaker at an early age.  She finally joined the family winery in 2004 as Assistant Winemaker, and today this father-daughter team continues to make award-winning wines.

Latah Creek Wine Cellars is truly a family-run winery.  Mike and Natalie are the winemaking team, and Ellena oversees the amazing and extensive gift shop.  Ellena has also written a cookbook complete with wine pairing suggestions for Latah Creek wines with each recipe.  And there are many wines, especially white wines.  The most popular wine by far is the Huckleberry d’Latah, which is Riesling and Huckleberry juice.  There is also a very nice line of red wines that includes everyday drinking wines and also reserve reds meant to go with food.  The reserve wines include grape varieties we don’t always see in Washington, including Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, and Petite Sirah.  Listen to the interview to hear about Natalie’s new N collection label as well.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #183 Latah Creek Wine Cellars - Mike & Natalie Conway

W. T. Vintners

Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen of W. T. Vintners

Even before he was 21, Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen had tasted some of the finest wines in the world.  But it was a book on wine from his mother’s bookshelf that really captured his imagination, and left him wanting to know more.  He left his corporate job at Nordstrom, and pursued certifications from the Master Court of Sommeliers.  Jeff became one of Seattle’s most accomplished sommeliers working in the city’s finest restaurants, including RN74, Wild Ginger and Café Juanita.  He also travelled the world visiting wine regions, coaxing secrets out of some of his favorite winemakers.  The main lesson he learned is less is more, and he finally decided to put that knowledge into practice in 2007.  That is the year he and his wife, Cortney Mills, and two other couples founded W.T. Vintners dedicated to Rhone style wines, particularly single-vineyard Syrah.

Today, W.T. Vintners offers two tasting rooms in Woodinville – one in the Hollywood District for traditional tastings, and one in the Warehouse District for private tastings with a winemaker.  The winery also offers two very distinct labels.  W.T. Vintners focuses on fine Rhone style red wines made with few if any additives to highlight unmasked vineyard and grape variety characteristics.  The star here is single-vineyard Syrah, and there are often several you can taste side by side.  The second label is Gorgiste focused on more playful wines from a single vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA.  The Rainmaker Vineyard above the town of White Salmon is home to cool climate grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, and Trousseau.  With these grapes, Jeff crafts delicious, very affordable white, rosé, sparkling, and red wines that don’t need cellaring.  In this interview, Jeff discusses why he singles out Syrah to make in multiple versions, why Gruner Veltliner is the darling dinner table wine for Somms, how his global travels and Somm background have influenced him as a winemaker, and much more.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #182 W.T. Vintners & Gorgiste - Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen

Quiddity Wines

Greg Peiker of Quiddity Wines

If he had thought hard about it, Greg Peiker might never have started a winery.  His degrees were in civil engineering and business, and he worked for years, first in the mining industry, and then as a project manager at Microsoft.  While at Microsoft, he started taking evening classes that eventually led to certification in winemaking.  He was required to do an internship, which he did at a friend’s winery by purchasing grapes and making his own wines.  It was almost as if momentum rather than a decision led from the wines to his own winery in Woodinville’s warehouse district.  Greg struggled with just the right name for his winery, until a fortuitous encounter with the word “Quiddity” solved the problem.  Quiddity means the essential quality of a thing, which seemed perfect for a winemaker seeking to explore the essential nature of Washington wine. 

In a Woodinville Wine Country article, Quiddity Wines was #1 for a winery at which you are likely to have the winemaker pouring your wine.  The winery is also getting acclaim for its wines, having just recently received 3 Platinum Awards.  Greg focuses on Rhone style wines, but also makes one new wine type each year such as Carmenere, Riesling, or Port.  His love of interesting words is evident not only in his winery name, but also in the individual wine names.  They reflect what he values in life, such as love, laughter, hard work, adventure, compassion, and so forth.  From his notebook of words, he has selected quotidian, risibility, ubuntu, audentes, and more as names for appropriate wines.  If you are a wine and word lover, Quiddity Wines is the place for you!!

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #181 Quiddity Wines - Greg Peiker

Damsel Cellars

Mari Womack of Damsel Cellars

When Mari Womack was pursuing a psychology degree in college, she never imagined herself as a winemaker.  She worked in restaurants during and after college, and eventually had a landscaping and a real estate business.  When the bottom fell out of the real estate market in 2009, she moved to Woodinville and started volunteering at wineries.  The production side of winemaking seemed so appealing that she wanted a winery of her own.  In 2011, winemaker Darby English hired her to run his tasting room, but she was soon helping out in the cellar.  For 4 years she was Darby’s Assistant Winemaker, learning winemaking via the apprentice method.  In 2012, she started making her own wines, and three years later Darby encouraged her to move out on her own.  By 2015 Mari had her own space and Damsel Cellars label, with plenty of fans ready to become wine club members. 

Today, Damsel Cellars has two tasting rooms in Woodinville – one in the Artisan Hill area and one in the Hollywood District.  The latter facility is more casual and touristy, and the former one, which is also the production facility, attracts more serious tasters and club members.  You are most likely to see Mari at the Artisan Hill tasting room, where she often mingles with tasters and shares stories about her wines.  Although she is partial to Rhone style wines, particularly Syrah, Mari also produces impressive Bordeaux style wines.  Her mythology series is fun, as each wine has a mythological name that reflects the winemaking techniques or style of the wine.  In this fascinating interview, Mari discusses advice for food and wine pairing, what has surprised her about a winemaking career, the interesting reasoning behind the name Damsel Cellars, and much more.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #180 Damsel Cellars - Mari Womack

Adrice Wines

Pam Adkins of Adrice Wines

At Adrice Wines, the much beloved lady in a wine glass logo greets you at the door and on every bottle.  The logo is feminine and sensuous, and tells you right away that women are in charge.  Co-owner and winemaker Pam Adkins even personifies her winery equipment items as various types of women, and gives them appropriate women’s names.  And wines are always referred to using the pronoun she.  Thus it’s no surprise that Pam has clear ideas about what it means to be a woman winemaker, as you will see in this interview.   We also discuss more fundamental questions regarding gender and wine.  Pam is a real Renaissance woman with many degrees and job experiences, including being an award-winning landscaper at Chateau Ste. Michelle.  She was eventually asked to work inside the chateau, and has been involved in wine work ever since.

Adrice Wines began in Napa in 2012, and moved to Washington in 2016.  The winery has had several homes in Woodinville since then, but now offers a warm and welcoming tasting room in the Warehouse District with generous bar and table seating.  This is a great place to visit, if you like fine wine, memorable stories, and eye-catching labels.  Pam is partial to Syrah, so you will find three to choose from, including one aged in a whisky barrel.  She also produces three Rosé wines, each with a different grape variety, including one with Nebbiolo.  Don’t miss the stories and labels behind Leadfoot Louie, Sofaking Tragic Malbec Bend, and Notorious, all discussed in this very informative and entertaining interview.  And, be sure to ask about the unique Carpe Diem experience, also explained here.

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #179 Adrice Wines - Pam Adkins

Patterson Cellars

John Patterson of Patterson Cellars

John Patterson’s earliest experiences in the wine industry happened at Quilceda Creek Winery, where he had a part-time job during high school.  Quilceda’s founder Alex Golitzin knew John’s father, who also worked at the winery.  In 2000, the father and son team decided to start their own Patterson Cellars in Monroe, WA about 30 miles northeast of Seattle.  The area was not a wine-tasting destination, but the Pattersons owned property there that could be turned into a winery.  In 2007, they moved their production and tasting room to the Woodinville Warehouse District, which was just beginning to take off as a winetasting destination.  John soon became a leader in the Woodinville area, providing not only excellent wines, but also mini crush, pressing and bottling equipment for many other wineries.  Eventually, he became a leader of the Woodinville Wine Country Association.

Today, Patterson Cellars has 5 tasting rooms, with two in Woodinville, one is SODO in South Seattle, one in the touristy town of Leavenworth, and one in the Southside District of Walla Walla.  John purchased the latter one in 2022, which includes a spacious winery, tasting room and estate vineyard.  All production for Patterson Cellars is now in Walla Walla, and John is making his first estate wines.  Visitors to all 5 tasting rooms will find a diverse array of excellent white, rosé, red, sparkling and dessert wines.  Don’t miss the late harvest Roussane wine, which is a delicious dessert in a glass.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #178 Patterson Cellars - John Patterson

Rattlesnake Hills AVA

Marissa Dineen, Carly Faulk, and Joe Hattrup - Intentional Marketing of the Hills AVA

This podcast features 3 growers of wine grapes in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA:  Marissa Dineen, Joe Hattrup, and Carly Faulk.   Marissa is owner of Dineen Vineyards and Winery, Joe owns Elephant Mountain and Sugarloaf Vineyards, and Carly is a vineyard manager for Four Feathers Wine Services.  Although grapevines were first planted in the Rattlesnake Hills in 1968 and the AVA originated in 2006, there is new energy and organization happening in this WA wine region.  Established wineries are being reimagined, new wineries are popping up, and there is a new Hills Winegrowing Association dedicated to more intentional marketing of this often underappreciated wine region.  Marissa and Carly are on the board of this association, whose goals and plans will be one topic of this podcast.  We will also discuss what makes the Rattlesnake Hills such a distinct and special place to grow grapes and make wine.

The Yakima Valley is a sub-AVA of the much larger Columbia Valley, and it has 5 sub AVAs, one of which is the Rattlesnake Hills established in 2006.  The Hills AVA contains roughly 68,000 acres located between the towns of Yakima and Kennewick, with nearly 2000 acres planted to grapevines. The area is generally higher in elevation than the rest of the Yakima Valley.  In fact, when Joe planted Elephant Mountain Vineyard in 1998, it was the highest commercial vineyard in the state.   In this podcast, we discuss the many benefits of the Rattlesnake Hills for grapevines, including such things as high elevation sites, climate, soils and more.  

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #177 Rattlesnake Hills AVA

Whitman Hill Winery

Scott and Denise Whitman of Whitman Hill Winery

After trekking grapes from East of the mountains to their Bellingham winery for nearly 10 years, Scott and Denise Whitman decided to move winemaking operations to Zillah in the Rattlesnake Hills area of the Yakima Valley.  They started their new Whitman Hill Winery in 2020, but weren’t too affected by the Covid pandemic.  The couple were too busy purchasing land piecemeal, first two acres, then 25 with 8 planted to vines, and then another 6 containing a tasting room that needed some renovation.  Today Whitman Hill consists of 75 acres with 30 planted to vines, beautifully manicured grounds, and a completely renovated tasting room.  It’s a real destination winery, with lots of pathways, a pond with fountain and dock, cabanas, water features, concert area, and beautiful mountain views.  In the cooler weather there are outdoor heaters and an indoor fireplace. 

Scott and Denise enjoy educating people about their vineyard and winemaking process.  Visitors can experience a Between the Vines Tour and Tasting that is especially nice to do during harvest season.  Scott is the winemaker, and he produces wine under two labels.  Whitman Hill is the flagship label offering the bolder, more complex wines.  The Garage label is more value oriented and for everyday drinking.  But both labels are very affordable and approachable, with most bottles costing $27 or less.  One year the Whitman Hill Cabernet Franc was declared the best value wine among Platinum Award winners. In case you have beer lovers in your tasting group, Whitman Hill offers locally made beers, in addition to their excellent wines. 

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #176 Whitman Hill Winery - Scott & Denise Whitman

Cooper Wine Company--Red Mountain

Neil Cooper of Cooper Wine and Gatekeeper - Red Mountain

Neil Cooper is first and foremost a farmer, 3rd generation.  He grew up on a family farm that grew just about everything but wine grapes.  After nearly two decades of being a grass seed farmer, the thought of farming something he could control from plant to final product seemed more and more appealing.  He had grown up around wine because his mother had a nightly glass of Franzia, but it was the Red Mountain wine region that finally lured him in.  He purchased vineyard property on the corner of Sunset Road in 2009, and has been a gatekeeper of the prestigious wine region ever since.   The vineyard has grown from 8 to 46 acres, the grape varieties have greatly diversified, and the business model for Cooper Wine Company has evolved into something quite special.  What has not changed is a level of intentionality about everything Cooper that is truly remarkable, as you will see in this interview.

The original vineyard is dedicated to Bordeaux varieties, as is the Cooper wine label.  And all 6 Bordeaux varieties, because Carménère is a key variety at Cooper, whether in a single varietal wine or a blend.  Either way, it is divine at Cooper Wine. Some people believe that Red Mountain is the best place in the world to grow Carménère.  With the purchase of an older vineyard in 2014, Cooper winery had many new varieties to work with, including Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and Syrah.  They eventually created a new label, Gatekeeper, to highlight these varieties, mostly in unique blends grounded in story.   Speaking of story, Neil’s is a unique and fascinating one, 14 years in the making, and told here in this interview.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #175 Cooper Wine and Gatekeeper - Red Mountain with Neil Cooper

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars

Mark & Sarah Lathrop of Liberty Lake Wine Cellars

One of the Fabulous Four WA Wineries of the Year 2023

Mark and Sarah Lathrop met in business school at Eastern Washington University.  They both had jobs in finance, but dreamed of having a business together.  So maybe it’s no surprise that in January 2016, they suddenly found themselves the owners of Liberty Lake Wine Cellars.  It all happened surprisingly fast, but they had no idea how to make wine.  Fortunately, the original owners, Doug and Shelly Smith, agreed to stay on for a year to teach them the art of winemaking.  With their mentoring and Doug’s textbooks, Mark learned quickly.  His 2016 Reserve Syrah received a 92 from the Wine Spectator.  When Mark and Sarah were invited to submit 7 of their 2018 wines to the annual Platinum Invitational Competition, all 7 won Platinum or Double Platinum Awards.  When I asked Mark how he explained their quick and remarkable success, he said it starts and ends with good fruit. 

Carrying on the Smith’s tradition, Mark and Sarah source all fruit for their Liberty Lake wines from Red Mountain vineyards.  They put at least 6,000 miles on their vehicle each year checking on the grapes, and then hauling them back during harvest.  With the exception of a Gewurztraminer wine from 78 year old vines, Mark makes all red wines with no filtering, minimal intervention, and little to no additives.   If the wine needs more acid, he uses a natural process known as bioacidification, explained in this interview.   Visitors will find Bordeaux style wines, Tempranillo and Sangiovese, but also wines not often seen in Washington such as Carménère and a dry Touriga Nacional.  Liberty Lake Wine Cellars is part of the Spokane Wine Association that includes roughly 20 wineries in the city and nearby Spokane Valley.  The area is a great weekend wine tasting destination.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #174 Liberty Lake Wine Cellars - Mark & Sarah Lathrop

Maryhill Winery

Craig Leuthold and Richard Batchelor of Maryhill Winery

Today the beautiful Columbia Gorge is home to dozens of tasting rooms, as well as the Columbia Gorge AVA.  But in 1999 when Craig and Vicki Leuthold decided to build a destination winery in the gorge just outside of Goldendale, there were hardly a handful of tasting rooms in the area.  And no one at the time was building destination wineries, complete with food, music venues, stunning views, etc.  The Leuthold’s Maryhill Winery now has destination tasting rooms in all four corners of Washington, and is one of the largest wineries in the state.  The Columbia Gorge facility is the couple’s estate winery and tasting room, and they have satellite tasting rooms in Spokane, Woodinville, and Vancouver, WA.  Each venue offers either stunning river views or a historic building, a full bistro style restaurant, live music and other events, a premium tasting room for club members, and over 50 different award-winning wines.  Maryhill has won over 3,000 awards for its wines, and has received more Platinum Awards than any other winery.

Richard Batchelor is a native of New Zealand, where he studied horticulture, viticulture and enology.  He came to California in 2000 as an intern, and has been in the US ever since.  In 2009, he accepted the job of winemaker at Maryhill Winery, and has garnered many awards in that position.  He puts a lot of miles on his car each year visiting the nearly two-dozen vineyards from which the winery sources its 30+ different grape varieties.  Richard produces over 50 wines in several different categories, including classic, proprietor’s reserve, and vineyard series.  In the latter category, Maryhill offers 8 single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines from eight different vineyards.  The winery also offers wines with grape varieties we don’t often see in WA, such as Zinfandel, Barbera, Gruner Veltliner, and Muscat Canelli. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #173 Maryhill Winery - Craig Leuthold & Richard Batchelor

TruthTeller Winery

Craig Loeliger & Keith Whisenhunt of TruthTeller Winery

Chris Loeliger took a rather circuitous route to winemaking in Woodinville.  After growing up in Japan, he then studied aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado, spent time in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, and eventually followed his wife Dawn to Seattle.  There he pursued many jobs, including electronics manufacturing, managing a brokerage office, real estate, and more.  But he also began volunteering at various Woodinville wineries, and became hooked on the winemaking process.  His engineering background gave him a love of creating things, and soon his passion became creating wine. He and Dawn had always loved drinking wine, and so they decided to start making their own wine and open a winery.  Finding a name was a struggle, until they realized that the Swiss name Loeliger meant a village idiot, or truthteller, who could tell people anything, even the truth.  They liked the story behind the name, and the idea that there is truth between each individual and wine in terms of what one tastes.  They made their first vintage in 2014 and opened tasting room doors for TruthTeller Winery in 2016.

Keith grew up with Dawn and Chris, and is thrilled that he gets to make wine with his family.  He became fascinated with fermenting things after seeing a documentary on beer making. He purchased a brewing kit the next day, and couldn’t believe he could make beer in his home.  Chris and Keith both grew up around punsters, and you can see their fascination with all forms of humor in the tasting room, on the website and on the wine labels with names such as Quip, Repartee, and GobSMack’d.  The wines are produced under two different brands: TruthTeller and TMP, or The Miscreant Project.  The TMP wines are all $24 or less, and are some of the best wines you will find at that price.  Hear about these brands and much more in this interview.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #172 TruthTeller Winery - Chris Loeliger & Keith Whisenhunt

Darby Winery

Darby English of Darby Winery

Darby English mainly studied golf and girls at Arizona State University, while also completing a marketing degree.  His goal was to be a professional golfer.  But when he returned to Seattle in 2001, the fledgling Woodinville wine scene drew him in.  He started making wine in his garage while working in pharmaceutical sales as a day job.  In 2005, Darby started producing wine commercially, and two years later received significant recognition from Wine Spectator.  He remembers those early days in Woodinville fondly, highlighting the strong sense of community, mutual support, and infectious excitement.  Today there are well over 100 tasting rooms in Woodinville, and everyone is striving to provide a unique tasting environment and experience.  In addition to a tasting room in West Seattle, Darby Winery recently opened a new, must-visit tasting room in Woodinville.  It offers spacious bar seating, edgy art, a library, antique fixtures, and a secret, intimate tasting room complete with vintage wallpaper, record player, and plenty of vinyl.  It’s appropriately named the Needledrop Lounge.

Darby has always been partial to Rhone style wines, and you will find plenty of those in the tasting rooms.  But he also makes Bordeaux style wines, especially from Red Mountain.  Perhaps his most well-known wine is Purple Haze, first produced in 2007.  It is without a doubt one of the finest wines you will have for $20 a bottle.  The blend changes each year, but the outstanding quality is consistent from one year to the next.  Darby enjoys the blending process, but also likes to make single-varietal wines.  What he makes often depends on grape yields, which can fluctuate wildly from year to year.  Darby cites this fluctuation as just one of the many things that make winemaking very chaotic, and he even has a wine called Chaos to reflect this aspect of winemaking. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #171 Darby Winery - Darby English