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

Andrew Januik Wines

Andrew Januik of Andrew Januik Wines, Southern Sojourn, and Novelty Hill-Januik Winery

Andrew Januik’s career in wine is more like the old wine world rather than the new.  Instead of starting in wine later in life after other careers, or pursuing a degree in enology and viticulture, Andrew grew up in the industry.  His father Mike Januik was head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in the 1990s, and then after 1999 winemaker for Novelty Hill-Januik Winery.  Andrew started working in the cellar at age 13, and so learned winemaking by working alongside his father and other winemakers.  In 2011 at the age of 24, he started his own label of Andrew Januik Wines to develop his own distinct style.  Andrew also worked harvests and helped to make wine for others in South America and South Africa.  He enjoyed living in South America so much that he started making his own wines in Argentina and Chile under the Southern Sojourn label.

In college, Andrew majored in Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Washington.  As part of his studies, he lived in Granada, Spain and fell in love with the Spanish language and culture.  This love sent him to South America for wine work, where the harvests conveniently occurred during winters in Washington.  In 2017 he started to make his own wines in Argentina and then a few years later in Chile.  Today he produces roughly 1000 cases under the Southern Sojourn label, and then imports them into the US for selling.  These wines are in addition to the 1600 cases he makes under his Andrew Januik Wines label, as well as the Novelty Hill-Januik wines he helps to produce.  Andrew is a busy guy, and in this interview he discusses his many projects, comparing terroir, wines and winemaking in Argentina, Chile and Washington.  The interview is full of great story and fascinating information.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #170 Andrew Januik Wines - Andrew Januik

Bayernmoor Cellars

Larry and Kim Harris of Bayernmoor Cellars

9 Platinum Awards in 2023!! Washington Winery of the Year in 2024!!

Larry and Kim Harris met in law school in the San Francisco Bay area, and fell in love with wine after many trips to Napa and Sonoma.  When they were ready to start a family, they moved back to Washington state to be closer to Kim’s family.  They eventually moved to the 100-acre family farm in Stanwood 50 miles north of Seattle where Kim grew up.  The land had been a dairy farm originally, but was now just waiting for someone to make it productive again.  Kim and Larry were eager to do just that, and so studied the terroir for two years to see what crop would flourish best in the cool climate.  They sought help from WSU, whose team informed them that the climate was similar to Burgundy’s, the home of Pinot Noir.  With this news and their love of wine, they decided to plant a vineyard in 2011.  Their estate vineyard today has 6 acres planted to two Pinot Noir clones—Précoce and 777—and their winery is Bayernmoor Cellars.  Stanwood is not an area known for wine grapes, but Kim and Larry have had remarkable success with their wines in the last several years.

In 2023, Bayernmoor Cellars received more Platinum Awards than any other winery, with a total of 9, six for Pinot Noir wines, including white Pinot Noir, two for Cabernet Sauvignon, and one for Chardonnay.  It is thus no surprise that Great Northwest Wine named Bayernmoor Cellars the 2024 Washington Winery of the Year.  Kim and Larry attribute their success to the amazing collaborative spirit of the WA wine industry, and to mentors such as Brian Carter.  The Bayernmoor tasting room is in the Woodin Creek Village located in Woodinville, and is not to be missed.  In addition to excellent wines, visitors can have food pairings with each wine, prepared by executive chef Tori Barr.  Don’t miss this miss this Woodinville winery that is giving a huge boost to Puget Sound AVA wines!!      

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #169 Bayernmoor Cellars - Kim & Larry Harris

DeLille Cellars

Jason Gorski of DeLille Cellars

2021 Metier Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) #66 on Wine Spectator’s list of Top 100 wines for 2023

Jason promoted to Vice-President of Winemaking at DeLille, August 2024

DeLille Cellars was founded in 1992 by Greg Lill, his father Charles, Jay Soloff, and winemaker Chris Upchurch.  From the beginning, DeLille was committed to producing high quality Bordeaux style blends, and those wines remain the core of the winery’s portfolio.  DeLille’s values are summed up with their tagline: Bordeaux inspired, distinctly Washington, uniquely DeLille.  The founders started with two wines, Chaleur Estate and D2, and imagined they might eventually produce 2000 total cases of wine.  Today DeLille produces roughly 40 different wines and 100,000 cases.  This dramatic growth is partly due to their huge new facility in the beautifully renovated Redhook Brewery building in Woodinville.  It also reflects DeLille’s increasing emphasis on national distribution, and on its role as an ambassador for Washington wine.

Founding winemaker Chris Upchurch hired Jason Gorski as a member of the winemaking team in 2011 when DeLille was making 8 wines and 8000 cases a year.  In 2019 when Chris retired from DeLille, Jason became Director of Winemaking and Viticulture.  Despite DeLille’s dramatic growth in recent years, a commitment to quality and improvement remains, as their numerous awards and listings in Top 100 wines of the world suggest.   Most recently, DeLille’s 2021 Métier Cabernet Sauvignon at $30 was #66 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines for 2023.  Métier is DeLille’s new sister label launched in 2020 and dedicated to producing quality wines that are affordable and accessible.  Métier is a French word meaning craft or trade, and the brand honors the many hands that work in the vineyard and cellar.  Seattle artist Becca Fuhrman has crafted beautiful Métier labels to celebrate hands that are key in printmaking and winemaking.   In this interview, Jason discusses DeLille’s history and foundational wines, its new facility, plans for the future and much more. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #168 DeLille Cellars - Jason Gorski

Sparkman Cellars

Chris Sparkman of Sparkman Cellars

Sparkman Cellars co-owners Chris and Kelly Sparkman founded the winery in 2004 to focus on their family.  Their tagline is “Family. Good Livin’. Real Fine Wine.”  Long before the winery, Chris got a Master’s degree in International Environmental Policy, and spent time travelling the world for the International Whaling Commission and working as an Agroforester for the Peace Corps.  He also spent several decades managing service teams at high end restaurants in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Washington D. C., and Seattle.  At one of these restaurants, he was regularly tasting the finest Bordeaux and Burgundy wines before he was 30.  The experience no doubt contributed to his being named Sommelier of the Year in 2010 by Seattle Magazine.  As Chris reflects on his varied experiences, the piece of advice that stands out came from legendary restaurateur Ella Brennan.  He worked for her at Commander’s Palace in the 1980s, and she would tell her staff, “Greatness is cold salad plates.”  This emphasis on attention to detail has stayed with him, and it infuses everything he does today in the winery.

“Real fine wine” is exactly what Sparkman Cellars has come to be known for.  Wine Spectator has named the winery a rising star, and their 2013 Holler Cabernet Sauvignon was #21 on WS’s list of Top 100 wines for 2016.  They also have one of the finest tasting and event spaces in Woodinville, since moving into the newly renovated Redhook Brewery building in 2020.  The Great Hall is spacious and beautiful, and offers views of the barrel room and crush pad.   In this interview with Chris, we discuss the story behind Sparkman Cellars, but also his fascinating thinking behind the wines.  It’s clear that there’s a larger context for wine at Sparkman that includes history, film, food, music, art and more.  

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #167 Sparkman Cellars - Chris Sparkman

Brian Carter Cellars

Brian Carter of Brian Carter Cellars

A childhood gift sparked Brian Carter’s interest in wine.  At the age of 12, his parents gave him a microscope that several years later had him yearning to explore yeasts.  While on a blackberry picking expedition with his mother, he asked if he could have some berries to make wine.  He has been hooked on yeast and winemaking ever since.  Brian majored in microbiology in college, and eventually studied winemaking at the University of California at Davis.  In 1980, Paul Thomas lured him away from CA wineries to work in his Bellevue, WA cellar, much to the surprise of Brian’s CA friends.  They wondered if people even made wine in Washington, and warned him about all the dangerous volcanos in that wintry state.  The Paul Thomas Winery was making grape wine, but also various fruit wines that Brian found fascinating.  Brian’s friends must have been surprised when, in 1983, his Paul Thomas Cabernet Sauvignon bested ones by Quilceda Creek and Château Lafite Rothschild in a New York competition.

Brian quickly became a highly sought after wine consultant, a role he has maintained in WA for over 40 years.  In the late 90s he began thinking about his own label, and by 2006 he was producing a line of Brian Carter Cellars wines.  They were blends, and Brian still remains dedicated to making the highest quality blends in the style of Bordeaux, the Rhone, Italy, Spain and Portugal.  He has won numerous awards, and his wines have been served at White House dinners and lunches hosted by the Secretary of State.  Brian is also passionate about cooking and good food, and thus has chefs at his tasting rooms in Woodinville and Vancouver, WA.  Visitors are treated to memorable food and wine pairing experiences.  Don’t miss this interview with one of the pillars of the Washington wine industry.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #166 Brian Carter Cellars - Brian Carter

Orr Wines & Wine Lab

Erica Orr of Orr Wines and Wine Lab

Orr Wines

Orr Wine Lab

Photo #4: Linoleum Printmaker Christie Tirado from a photo by Erica Orr

Photo #6 Credits: Victoria Wright, Ramin Rahimian, Kyu Han, Katelyn Peil

Erica Orr was on track to have a career as a scientist, likely working in a lab.  She received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and worked in the lab of Nobel prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn at UC—San Francisco.  But in 1998 when she was still working in the lab, she had a chance encounter in a Napa bar with winemaker Aaron Pott that changed the course of her career.  He made the job of winemaker sound so enticing, that Erica took leave from the lab to work a harvest and to enroll in the Master’s Program in Food Science with a specialty in wine chemistry at UC Davis.  Before completing the program in 2003, Erica spent time working with winemakers in Napa, Burgundy, and Australia, and eventually took an Assistant Winemaker position in Washington state in 2005. 

As Assistant Winemaker she did lab analysis for the winery, and soon started doing analysis and consulting for other wineries.  Friends and colleagues encouraged her to start her own wine lab, which she did in 2006.  At the time there was no lab for wine analysis in Woodinville, and Erica’s wine lab is currently the only one in Woodinville.   She has over 100 clients that seek her assistance for lab analysis and/or consulting at various stages of the winemaking process.  In 2007, Erica became consulting winemaker for Baer Winery, and six years later started her own Orr Wines label with an outstanding old vines Chenin Blanc.  In 2020 she started making a red wine to honor and support vineyard workers.  Grapes are donated by Stillwater Creek Vineyard and all proceeds from the wine help to support medical and dental assistance for vineyard workers.  This interview explores the role of the lab in the winemaking process, as well as Erica’s excellent Orr Wines.

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #165 Orr Wines & Wine Lab - Erica Orr

Vibe Cellars

Erik Cooper of Vibe Cellars

Vibe Cellars is very much a family endeavor with Erik Cooper, his twin brother Michael, and father George all involved.  But the family winemaking roots go way back in time and place to the Piedmont region of Italy.  These roots are reflected in the wines, which are mostly made in the Italian and Bordeaux styles.  Erik is the winemaker, and he sources grapes from outstanding vineyards across several different Washington AVAs.  The first Vibe wines were ready for sale in March 2020, a challenging time to start a new winery, to say the least.  Another challenge was the lack of a tasting room, which was rectified by Fall 2021.  In October 2021, Vibe Cellars opened in Manson on a corner site with a stunning patio view of Lake Chelan and surrounding mountains.

The winery name and tasting room reflect the Cooper philosophy when it comes to wine.  For Erik and his family, good wine is about fun, accessibility, and positive feelings, or good “vibes”.  The tasting room is designed with these values in mind.  For example, there is a wall of vinyl records to play to create a desired feeling.  The patio is comfortable and welcoming, with amazing views of the lake.  There are many diverse events at the tasting room, including live music, yoga, sports on the big screen, and more.  The music theme has even influenced one of the wine labels, as its design was inspired by the classic Stratocaster Seafoam Green Fender guitar.  Vibe Cellars is a friendly and fun addition to the charming community of tasting rooms in Manson, WA.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #164 Vibe Cellars - Erik Cooper

Apple Valley Emporium (AVE)

Jessica DellaTorre & John Erickson of Apple Valley Emporium (AVE), Central WA’s only board and bottle shop!!

Jessica DellaTorre and John Erickson came to California from different sides of the US, she from Florida, he from Washington.  John grew up skateboarding, and all his jobs have involved the skateboard industry.  Jessica had a variety of jobs in CA, including at a spa, winery and other venues as a hospitality manager.  She and her family opened a bar and restaurant in Los Angeles, and that’s where she and John met.  During the pandemic, they moved to Yakima, and opened the Apple Valley Emporium (AVE Yakima) in 2021 just on the outskirts of the downtown area.  The name is a nod to the Yakima Valley’s fame as an apple growing region, and to the shop’s variety of goods.  While the AVE specializes in skateboards and natural and organic wines from around the world, it also offers clothing, shoes, accessories and pantry items.  One of their slogans is “Look Better! Feel Better!” by visiting the AVE.

What do skateboards and organic wines have in common?  That is one of the things we discuss in this interview.  We also explore the history of skateboarding, and the meaning of natural and organic wine.  It turns out that skateboards and I emerged together in CA in the 1950s, and I got my one and only board in the 1960s when they became popular across the US.  My natural wood board with small metal wheels bears no relation to the skateboards in the AVE.  The wall of boards, or decks, at the AVE is as colorful as the walls of wine bottles with their labels, as skateboards are now illustrated.  There is a popular genre of skateboard art that is now found in museums and galleries.  The shop is a place to go not only to look and feel better, but also to have fun.  They recently observed Skate Shop Day, which is a global event attracting people of all ages and backgrounds.  They also have a fun wine club. Don’t miss this unique shop the next time you are in Yakima, or explore their goods online!!

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #163 Apple Valley Emporium (AVE) - Jessica and John

Sage Rat Wine

Dusty Jenkins of Sage Rat Wine

Dusty Jenkins grew up in the Yakima Valley, never imagining he would one day settle there to make wine.  He studied film in college, and spent lots of time in dark rooms in New York and elsewhere.  He had friends making wine in WA, and their more physical, outdoor life grew increasingly attractive to him with every hour he spent in the dark room.  In 2015, Dusty left the film world to enroll in Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture Program.  Two years later he was Assistant Winemaker at Gilbert Cellars in Yakima, and in 2022 became their head winemaker.  While at Gilbert Cellars, he started his own Sage Rat Wine label, the subject of this interview.  His goal with this label is to make wines with the “flavor of irreverence and experimentation.”  I think you will see from this interview, and even more from tasting his wines, that he has achieved his goal.

Whether white, orange, rosé, sparkling or red, Sage Rat wines are not only irreverent, but also very approachable, food friendly, and affordable.  The bottles range in price from $20 to $26, available on the website or in restaurants and shops around Washington state.  All Sage Rat wines are made with minimal intervention and little to no additives.  Dusty is partial to Italian grape varieties, and makes one of the finest Barbera wines in WA.  He also produces unique pét-nat wines, one with Nebbiolo and the other with Barbera.  His Rosé is equally unique, showcasing the Spanish variety Graciano.  His wine that is most typical of Washington is Scrublands, a twist on the Super Tuscan style, made with 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Sangiovese.  These wines are outstanding quality for the money, and meant to be playful, drunk young, and ideal complements to food.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #162 Sage Rat Wine - Dusty Jenkins

Flavors of Burgundy River Cruise

Sebastien Leroy, Product Manager with AmaWaterways

Photos courtesy of AmaWaterways, used with permission.

Sebastien Leroy grew up in Normandy, France where he spent many weekends during his first 10 years on his dad’s boat.  He joined AmaWaterways as a cruise manager in 2012, and ten years later became the company’s Product Manager for France, Iberia and the golf program.  Sebastien was instrumental in creating the itinerary for AMA’s Flavors of Burgundy wine river cruise, which is the focus of this interview.  In June 2025, Ellensburg Travel and I will be helping to host this cruise, and are recruiting now for this exciting opportunity.  The flavors of Burgundy are renown, including France’s finest beef (Charolais), finest chicken (Bresse), gooiest cheese (Époisses) and most sought-after wines.  The cruise begins in France’s food capital, Lyon, and travels the Saone River for 7 days to Dijon, capital city of Burgundy.  With the exception of Chablis, it stops in all of Burgundy’s wine regions:  Beaujolais, Mâconnais, Côte Chalonnaise, and Côte d’Or.

“Oceans take you to countries, Rivers take you through them,” and AmaWaterways specializes in luxury river cruises all over the world.  They set the standard for river cruising, offering all-inclusive packages (excluding bargain air fare and insurance) for a wide variety of interests.  In addition, there are perks for booking with Ellensburg Travel.  Included in your fare will be Burgundy wine tastings/talks by group leader Marji Morgan before the cruise even begins, as well as brief presentations on ship for those interested.  Marji will also provide a printed guide focusing on excursion destinations.  Here are just a few words wine experts have used to describe Burgundy wines:  spiritual, complex, endlessly layered, spellbinding, and deliriously delicious.  Let’s explore together in this interview and on the cruise!

Cruise Flyer Here

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #161 Flavors of Burgundy River Cruise - Sebastien Leroy