Dennis Murphy of Caprio Cellars
Dennis Murphy grew up not far from Napa, believing that the local wines were the best that the US could produce. That is, until he had to drive through Walla Walla for his home construction job. At first he felt sorry for the wineries he thought must be struggling to make wine out in the middle of nowhere in old buildings on highway 12. Then he tasted a bottle from L’Ecole 41, and his “mind was blown.” Not long after in 1999, he moved to Walla Walla and purchased his first vineyard property in 2003. Today, he has three vineyard sites spread over 30 acres in the Walla Walla Valley, and a very spacious and welcoming Caprio Cellars tasting room that he calls a hospitality center in the area south of Walla Walla. Visitors to Caprio Cellars don’t book a tasting—they book an experience that includes stellar wines, gourmet food pairings, and stunning views of the valley and surrounding mountains.
Dennis is the winemaker at Caprio Cellars, and executive chef Ian Williams uses locally sourced ingredients to craft dishes to pair with the wines. Wines are made in the Bordeuax style, and the food pairings change every couple of weeks. Some past pairings include the Estate White Wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon with Poached Prawn Niçoise, and the Red Label Cabernet with Roasted Beet Agrodolce. The generosity of spirit evident in these offerings infuses the Caprio team and everything about the winery. Caprio is founded on Dennis’s “Give as You Go” model of philanthropy, meaning the winery regularly supports specific groups, as well as the Walla Walla community as a whole. It is in part because of this giving model that Wine Industry Network named Dennis a 2021 Most Inspiring Person. The model is a huge success, as people rave about their Caprio experience, and leave feeling like family.
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