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.
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