Cotes de Ciel Wines

Richard Holmes and Paul Vandervort of Cotes de Ciel Wines and Ciel du Cheval Vineyard

To talk about Côtes de Ciel wines, we have to start with the coveted estate Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain.  In 1973, engineers Jim Holmes and John Williams purchased land there with the intention of growing wine grapes.  No other agricultural endeavor had succeeded in this sea of sagebrush, and there was no road, water, electricity, or building on the mountain.  People laughed at the idea of scientists planting anything, but Jim and John were determined.  In 1975 they planted to mostly white wine grapes what would become Kiona and Ciel du Cheval Vineyards, two of the finest vineyards in the state today.  Their efforts attracted others, and helped to turn what was perceived as an agricultural wasteland into one of the premier wine regions in North America.  In this interview, Jim’s son Richard, who manages the vineyard today, talks about what prompted his father to plant on Red Mountain and how people at the time reacted.

Today, Ciel du Cheval grapes are some of the most sought after in the state, and Richard sells to three dozen clients.  In 2012, he decided to use a small percentage of grapes to make estate wines that would highlight grape varieties in the vineyard.  Most of these Côtes de Ciel wines are single varietal, and some showcase grapes not much seen in Washington, such as Arneis and Nebbiolo.  Tasting room manager Paul Vandervort has designed a tasting experience based on his belief that wine tasting is a job interview for the wine.  And during a job interview, presentation is all important.  Thus each wine in a flight is presented in a glass with a different shape.  In this interview, he discusses the effect of glass shape on various wines.  If you are looking for a winetasting experience that is fun and educational, Côtes de Ciel in downtown Walla Walla is an ideal place for you.  And if you are interested in the grape growing side of things, you can tour the vineyard by contacting Red Mountain Trails. Future plans include building a winery and tasting room at the vineyard.    

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · # 157 Cotes de Ciel - Richard Holmes & Paul Vandervort

Yellowhawk Sparkling House

George-Anne Robertson of Yellowhawk Sparkling House

George-Anne Robertson engaged in a variety of pursuits before settling on sparkling wine, including restaurant and hotel management, Japanese language study, raising a family, body building and personal training, fitness videos, teaching yoga and spin classes, and more.  In 2014 she decided to become a sommelier, but soon discovered her interests weren’t in line with that course of study.  She was more interested in the science of wine, and so enrolled in the Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture Program.  It was there that she developed a passion for making sparkling wine that only grows more intense with each and every bubble. 

After graduating from the program during the height of the pandemic, George-Anne was on her way to Japan to take a job as a sparkling winemaker, confident that she had followed all the visa regulations.  She landed, only to find out that Japan had changed the visa rules.  She had to return to the US immediately.  It was January 2021, and she had no idea what she was going to do with her life, when she got a call about a job as sparkling winemaker at a new resort in Walla Walla.  She has been the winemaker at the Yellowhawk Resort and Sparkling House ever since.  Visitors to the resort will find food items to go with George-Anne’s wines that are made in both the forced carbonation and traditional method styles.  Whether you like white, rosé, or red bubbles, you will find a wine at Yellowhawk to appeal to your palate.  You can also engage in a hands-on experience with George-Anne to learn about the disgorgement and dosage processes involved in the traditional method of making sparkling wine. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #156 Yellowhawk Sparkling House - Georgeanne Robertson

Tipsy Canyon Winery

Mark and Lexi Garvin of Tipsy Canyon Winery

Mark and Tami Garvin spent 30+ years at Boeing, he doing many different jobs, especially Project Management.  They had a vacation home on Lake Chelan, and always dreamed of retiring to the area.  Tami converted Mark from a Rainier Beer drinker to a wine lover, mostly by taking him to wine regions, including Lake Chelan wineries.  Mark got really interested in wine, and imagined himself pouring wine for wineries once he retired.  But then he acquired 400 lbs of grapes and started making wine for friends in his vacation home garage.  After 6 years, the winemaking hobby had mushroomed out of control, to the point that the couple decided to start a winery.  In 2013, they purchased 8 acres of grass in the north shore area of Lake Chelan.  They planted a 2 ½ acre vineyard and built a beautiful tasting room in 2019, complete with outdoor stage for summer concerts.  It is a stunningly beautiful setting, overlooking Roses and Wapato Lakes, vineyards, foothills, and mountains.  

Mark and Tami’s daughter Lexi was very supportive of their winery vision, and three years ago moved to Lake Chelan full time to be assistant winemaker and events manager for their Tipsy Canyon Winery.  While working at the winery, she completed the WSU Enology Program.  Tipsy Canyon focuses on Bordeaux style red wines, and single varietal white wines that aren’t often seen in Washington.  For example, they produce an estate Pinot Blanc that is perfect for summer sipping, and an off-dry Moscato that is ideal for spicy foods.  They source grapes from their own vineyard, others in the Lake Chelan AVA, and Red Mountain, particularly the Quintessence Vineyard.  In May 2024, Tipsy Canyon is partnering with Tsillan Cellars to offer a cruise from Athens to Barcelona.  There will be stops in Greece, Turkey, Italy and Barcelona.  Both wineries’ wines will be on board for tastings and food pairings, and there will be wine excursions possible at each stop.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #155 Tipsy Canyon Winery - Mark & Lexi Garvin

Callan Cellars

Lisa Callan of Callan Cellars

In 2009, Lisa Callan had spent years as a court clerk, real estate agent and mother of three.  With the real estate market in steep decline, she was looking for a new career.  Her brother-in-law signed her up for WSU’s Enology Program without telling her, because he thought she had a great palate.  When she eventually got a call in 2010 letting her know she had a place in the program, she decided to take the plunge and accept.  She first started making her own wines at home, but by 2016 things had gotten too far out of control to continue in the garage.  A family meeting in the hot tub led to her opening her own winery and tasting room space, first in Woodinville in 2017 and then in Lake in Lake Chelan in 2022.  The Callan Cellars Woodinville facility is decorated warehouse space, while the Lake Chelan property is stunningly beautiful tasting space looking out on Lake Chelan with a garden and vineyard nearby.  The beautiful stone for the tasting room and vacation rental comes from the 1930s blasting for the Knapps Hill Tunnel on the Alt 97a Highway between Wenatchee and Lake Chelan.

Lisa’s wines won awards the first year she was licensed, and that helped her gain entrée into some of the finest vineyards in the Yakima Valley AVA.  Her wines have continued to garner impressive awards, including a handful of Double Platinums.  She is known for making outstanding Rhone and Bordeaux style red wines, and whites with grape varieties not often seen in Washington.  For example, her largest production wine is Grenache Blanc, her everyday drinking wine.  She also makes a Picpoul that is an ideal seafood wine and a favorite with club members.  The first Callan Cellars Lake Chelan AVA wine was released this year—a Rosé of Pinot Noir.  Lisa also makes a Rosé of Cinsaut and Grenache, both wines bone dry and delightfully refreshing.  Callan Cellars is definitely a winery to watch and to visit, as more stellar wines are sure to come!!

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #154 Callan Cellars with Lisa Callan

Upchurch Vineyard & Winery

Chris Upchurch of Upchurch Vineyard & Winery

Upchurch Vineyard’s 2020 Hero Twins Cabernet Sauvignon receives 100 points from the Wine Advocate (May 2023)

When most people in the US were drinking Lancers and Mateus, Chris Upchurch was sipping on Beaujolais and Bordeaux wines.  His father loved wine, and always brought bottles back for home consumption when he travelled abroad.  Chris’s global palate impressed bar managers in restaurants where he worked while in college, so he was often tasked with designing wine lists.  This experience turned out to be the foundation for a career in wine, first in retail, then wholesale and, finally, winemaking.  David Lake was his mentor, and helped him get started in 1992 as a co-owner and founding winemaker at DeLille Cellars in Woodinville.  Chris remained head winemaker at DeLille until 2019, making some of the most sought-after wines in the state.  DeLille has always sourced from Grand Cru vineyards mostly in the Yakima Valley, especially those on Red Mountain.

In 2007, Chris and his wife Thea purchased land on Red Mountain for what became their Upchurch Vineyard.  The 18 acres are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) and Merlot (10%).  They sell grapes to DeLille Cellars and keep the rest for their own Upchurch Vineyard (UV) and LtL wines.  The signature UV wine each year is a Cabernet Sauvignon, which typically has 9 to 12 % Merlot blended in.  In some vintages, Chris singles out a couple of barrels for a Hero Twins wine that is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The recently released 2020 Hero Twins wine received a 100-point score from the Wine Advocate.  In addition to stellar wines, visitors to Upchurch Vineyard will be treated to a cozy barn style structure that is both rustic and elegant, with plenty of space for tasting room, winemaking, and cellar.   The views of Red Mountain from the outdoor seating area complete with kitchen are hard to beat.  Similarly, the art on all the UV and LtL labels is some of the finest to be found on wine bottles anywhere.  Great wine, great art, stunning setting, friendly folks at Upchurch Vineyard!!

Listen to the Interview:  

Lines on Wines · #153 Upchurch Vineyard with Chris Upchurch

Owen Roe Winery

David O’Reilly of Owen Roe Winery

The O’Reilly family settled in a remote part of British Columbia during the 1970s.  The area was a quiet, peaceful contrast to the violent Time of Troubles in Belfast that prompted the family to pull up roots there and head for North America.  David was 13 when they emigrated, and he likened the family’s new Canadian home to his grandparents’ rural lands in County Cavan, Ireland that he loved to visit.  This love of bucolic settings stayed with him, playing a large part in his pursuing a career in viticulture and enology after graduating from Thomas Aquinas College in California.  After working in several wineries in California and Oregon, David and his wife Angelica started Owen Roe Winery in 1999 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  Given David’s Irish roots, it’s no wonder that he named the winery after a 17th-century Irish patriot from whom he is descended.  Irish ruins, history and lore are evident on many Owen Roe wine labels.

Owen Roe was a man of high principles, and there are several principles embodied by Owen Roe Winery.  One is that wine is about place, in this case two places:  the Willamette and Yakima Valley AVAs.  All grapes for Owen Roe wines come from these two AVAs, and there has never been a tasting room outside the two valleys.  A second principle is loyalty to and respect for growers, to the point that the winery created a special label called Grower’s Guild.  Owen Roe Winery is also committed to the idea that wine is about story, and there are riveting stories behind many of the wines and labels.  Finally, Owen Roe has always exhibited meticulous attention to detail, whether in grape growing, wine making or label design.  The result is that the winery offers visitors authentic wine experiences, many entertaining stories, and a diverse array of excellent premium and everyday-drinking wines.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #152 Owen Roe Winery - David O'Reilly

Irrigation in the Yakima River Basin

Irrigation in the Yakima River Basin

Lori Brady of the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District

Urban Eberhart of the Kittitas Reclamation District

For much of history, people fought and died in the cause of religious belief.  Today, people predict a future of deadly battles over water.  Experts forecast shrinking aquifers, snowpacks, and reservoirs, as climate change brings warming temperatures, and real estate development puts ever increasing demands on water supplies.  As early as the 1970s, the Yakima River Basin area in south central Washington state experienced drought serious enough to make locals realize, for the first time, that a clean an ample water supply could not be taken for granted.  Water rights were hotly contested in fierce disputes and endless litigation.  A similar story has played out in many other parts of the world.  But it’s only in the Yakima River Basin that all stakeholders decided to abandon fighting and litigating in favor of cooperating.  The result has been a redefining of irrigation, a plan to ensure an ample water supply for this century and beyond, and a model of water management for the rest of the world.

The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan was developed between 2009-2011, and adopted by the state in 2013.  It is a 30-year plan designed to be implemented in three 10-year phases.  The plan consists of seven elements:  fish passage, fish habitat enhancement, modernizing of irrigation infrastructure, surface storage, water banks, groundwater storage, and enhanced water conservation.  No element is more important than another, so all stakeholders’ needs are tended to equally with this plan.  There are seven major irrigation districts, or divisions, in the Yakima Basin, including one for storage, and two districts participate in this interview.  Manager Lori Brady of the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District and Secretary Manager Urban Eberhart of the Kittitas Reclamation District discuss some basics about irrigation, what their districts are doing to implement the plan, and how the plan has redefined irrigation and become a model for others across the globe. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #151 Irrigation in the Yakima River Basin

Lori Brady - Lori graduated from Washington State University with a degree in civil engineering. She began with Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District in 1989 and spent 16 years in the engineering department before being promoted as the Assistant Manager of Administration. In 2016, Lori was promoted to the position of Manager of  the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District.

Urban Eberhart - Urban grew up on a farm in the Kittitas Valley and at an early age became a leader in the agriculture community. He was first elected to the Board of Directors of the Kittitas Reclamation District (KRD) in 1986 at the age of 25 and remained an active board member until being appointed as the KRD Secretary Manager in 2015. Urban attended his first Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) meeting in 1979 and continues to work on finding solutions to Yakima and Columbia River issues.

Ducleaux Cellars

Toby Turlay and Chris Dukelow of Ducleaux Cellars

Toby Turlay and Chris Dukelow met on Match.com at a time when nobody admitted such a thing.  He had 3 sons and a daughter, and she had two daughters, and the new blended family called for lots of blended red wine.  They started making wine in their Issaquah garage, and still refer to their winery as a garagiste, though it has a new home.  In 2018, they purchased 10 acres in the Rocks District of Milton Freewater that came with a 1920s craftsman-style house requiring lots of vision.  They went to work on the house, the Belle Roche estate vineyard, and a winery facility that are now Ducleaux Cellars.  The name is a play on Chris’ last name Dukelow, and a reflection of Toby’s and Chris’ French roots.  They even have a bilingual English/French website and a Huguenot cross on their labels.

The couple decided early on that separate roles at the winery were essential, so Toby is the chief winemaker and Chris assists with tasks at the winery, while spending lots of time with visitors in the tasting room.  They have a passion for sparkling and Rhone wines, and so most of their wines are made in these two styles.  The sparkling wines are pet-nats made with diverse grape varieties, including Grenache, Roussane, Cinsaut, and Dolcetto.  The Dolcetto pet-nat was made secretly by Chris and appropriately named “I’m Already Sorry.”  This Ducleaux wine name and many others such as Anarchy, Raucous, One Night Stand, and Love and Chaos reflect the humor and back story that underlie everything about Ducleaux Cellars.  As they say on their website, we make “Serious wine…handcrafted by not so serious people.”  Listen to the interview to learn about the serious wines, fascinating back stories, and much more.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #150 Ducleaux Cellars - Toby Turlay & Chris Dukelow

Elephant Seven Winery

Joshua West of Elephant Seven Winery

Elephants and wine don’t normally go together, unless you are in Walla Walla visiting the downtown Elephant Seven Winery.  It’s in a beautifully renovated historic building that once held feed and horses rather than elephants.  Winery owners Joshua and Cheryl West both love music, and a music collective they admire explains the elephant connection.  Their winery logo is a small elephant with seven red balloons streaming from its trunk, as if they are carrying the animal along in flight.  The logo embodies simplicity, as does the Elephant Seven website that has no photos and very minimal print that looks like it was hammered out with an old manual Underwood typewriter.  Both the logo and the website are beautifully minimalist—the essence of simplicity—which is at the heart of Joshua’s winemaking philosophy. 

In addition to the logo, the Elephant Seven homepage contains 7 words:  Rhone Varietals, Walla Walla, Sense of Place.  The words capture perfectly Joshua’s passion and purpose as a winemaker.  He uses premier fruit from the Walla Walla Valley AVA to make both white and red Rhone style wines that reflect their vineyard characteristics.  This means he adds as few things as possible to the wines so the vineyard voice and excellent fruit dominate on the palate.  He uses familiar Rhone grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, and Roussane, but also less familiar ones, including Marsanne, Picpoul, Grenache Blanc and Clairette Blanche.  Joshua is producing some of the finest Rhone style wines in Washington state,  and at very affordable prices. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #149 Elephant Seven Winery with Joshua West

Avennia & Liminal Wines

Marty Taucher & Chris Peterson of Avennia Winery and Liminal Wines

Given Marty Taucher’s business and marketing experience and Chris Peterson’s winemaking expertise, the two turned out to be the perfect team for starting a winery.  They met in 2009 at DeLille Cellars where Chris was winemaker, and Marty was a crush intern who had created a winery business plan for one of his classes.  After months of working together and sharing lots of wine, the plan turned into their Avennia Winery that bottled its first wines in 2010.  Inspired by old world wines, Chris uses traditional winemaking techniques and sources from premier Washington vineyards, especially those with old vines.  In 2021, Marty and Chris purchased their own old vines that were formerly Tapteil Vineyard on Red Mountain.  They now have the original tasting room in Woodinville and an estate tasting room, complete with guest house, on Red Mountain where visitors can taste Avennia Bordeaux and Rhone style wines. 

In 2018, a drive around the Red Mountain area led to a new partnership and brand that is helping to chart the future of Washington winegrowing.  A former colleague of Marty’s at Microsoft, Cameron Myhrvold, had purchased land for a vineyard on the top and north face of Red Mountain.  He hired expert viticulturalist Ryan Johnson to create the vineyard that was just starting to bear fruit at the time Marty and Chris were driving around.  The uniqueness of this Weather Eye Vineyard impressed them so much, that they eventually talked with Cam and Ryan about partnering on a new brand devoted exclusively to the finest blocks at Weather Eye Vineyard.  Liminal Wine was born.  The 2018 inaugural Liminal wines were so stellar, that Sean Sullivan named Liminal Wine his 2020 Washington Winery of the Year.  With the Avennia and Liminal brands, Marty and Chris are helping to chart the future of Washington wine, as we discuss in this interview.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #148 Avennia Winery & Liminal Wine - Marty Taucher & Chris Peterson

Moonbase Cellars

Drew Pauk of Moonbase Cellars

Drew and Laine Pauk met while working at a Missouri grocery store chain, he as a buyer and she as a pharmacist.  They intended to make their home in Missouri, until they caught the wine bug during a stay in Washington state.  Drew pursued wine education and sommelier certificates while at the grocery store, and in 2017 they left Missouri and headed for Walla Walla.  Drew enrolled in the Enology and Viticulture Program at the Community College, and in 2019 they bottled their first Moonbase Cellars wines.  Those wines were released in 2021 when they also opened their downtown tasting room.  Drew credits his and Laine’s backgrounds in business and science, the excellent community college program, and some very helpful mentors for the speed with which Moonbase Cellars became a reality.

The winery name reflects Drew’s interest in space, and he admits to fantasizing about a second tasting room on the moon, though the glasses would need to be big enough to contain the swirls.  Many of the wine names have references to space, including Moonlapse, LGM GSM, and Max Q which is a series of wines made with grapes from the Rocks District AVA.  A favorite wine is the LGM GSM blend, with its little green man (LGM) in a space suit on the label.  The stories behind the names are on the back labels and also explained in this interview.  Drew also discusses some very interesting winemaking techniques he uses such as yeast blends in his excellent Viognier and no racking for his Rhone style wines.  A perk of joining the Moonbase wine club is access to the many wine education videos Drew has produced, which also contain at the end a fascinating moon fact.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #147 Moonbase Cellars - Drew Pauk

Golden Ridge Cellars

Michael Rasch of Golden Ridge Cellars

Michael Rasch first caught the wine bug in the 1970s while managing a liquor store in Colorado.  While many of us in the 70s were drinking Lancers, Mateus and Blue Nun, Michael’s job had him sampling first growths from Bordeaux.  He later explored wine regions in California, and eventually settled in Seattle working as a lawyer.  People told him about the wines of Walla Walla, many of which he could purchase from his local wine shops.  He was amazed by the quality, and the good value compared to wines from California.  He and his wife Cindy began taking trips to Walla Walla, and dreaming about living there.  That dream came true in 2007 when Cindy got a job in Walla Walla.  The house they purchased came with a vineyard planted in 1998 that was designed by Paul Champoux.  That was the beginning of a new career for Michael as a vigneron, growing his own grapes and making wines.

Michael made his early wines in his home, moving to the incubator facility in 2018.  Golden Ridge Cellars takes its name from the ridge on which the couple lives, the golden wheat fields that still dominate the surrounding area, and the Golden Retriever greeters at the tasting room.  It’s thus no surprise that the winery logo is a Golden Retriever head framed by wheat stems.  Michael is known for his Bordeaux style red wines, especially his estate red.  It’s typically a right bank Bordeaux style wine, meaning one dominated by Merlot.  This style is a reflection of his vineyard, which is planted primarily to Merlot.  He also grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, and plans to plant some Touriga Nacional which is now allowed for limited use in Bordeaux wines.    

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #146 Golden Ridge Cellars - Michael Rasch

Hoquetus Wine Company

Robert Gomez of Hoquetus Wine Company

At Hoquetus Wine Company in the airport area of Walla Walla, music, visual arts and winemaking come together for a truly memorable tasting experience.  Owner and winemaker Robert Gomez is a musician, turned bartender, turned sommelier, turned winemaker.  His music roots are apparent in the winery name Hoquetus (rhymes with lettuce, don’t forget us), which is a song device dating back to medieval times in which two distinct parts alternate to produce a melodious whole.  For Robert, this device reflects the special dynamic between fermentation and winemaker that results in a beautiful wine.  Some of the bottles display artist labels by Cameron Cox that embody visually the elegance of Hoquetus wines.

There is a purity, lightness and complexity about Robert’s wines that is really refreshing.  He is blazing his own path with wines that are unique in a number of ways.  For example, he uses native yeasts in fermentation and lots of foot stomping of grapes, oak with wines such as Riesling and Rosé that are normally done in stainless, clay amphora with Syrah and Cabernet Franc, and carbonic fermentation with one of his three syrahs.  The syrahs are so very different that it is a tasting delight to compare them.  One of his most unique wines is the Eulalia fortified wine inspired by Amari and Barolo Chinato.  It can be drunk on its own after dinner or as part of a cocktail.  Cabernet Franc is fortified with brandy and macerated with a blend of botanicals and spices reminiscent of Vermouth.  Learn about this unique wine and much more in this interview.

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #145 Hoquetus Wine Company - Robert Gomez

Tirriddis Sparkling Wine

Andrew Gerow, Gabriel Crowell and Matthew Doutney of Tirriddis Sparkling Wine

13 March 2023

Thanks to our sponsor: Best West Plus, Inn of Horse Heaven in Prosser

Andrew Gerow, Gabriel Crowell and Matthew Doutney came to Washington State University from Michigan, Cyprus and New York to enroll in the Viticulture and Enology Program.  During the course of their studies, they enjoyed many sparkling wines together, especially with simple foods such as fried chicken and potato chips.  Their friendship and love of bubbly grew to the point that they decided to partner in a sparkling wine venture that would help to develop Washington state as a world-class region for this type of wine.    Because they graduated during the height of the pandemic when opening a tasting room was difficult, they first opened NV Wines in Richland, WA—a wine shop offering international wines at reasonable prices.  In fall 2022, their sparkling project came to fruition with the opening in Prosser, WA of a tasting room for Tirriddis Sparkling Wine.

Tirriddis is not derived from a combination of their names, but rather from the three key stages of the traditional, or champagne, method of making sparkling wine:  tirage, riddle, disgorge.  The three winemakers are dedicated to this challenging process, which involves a natural second fermentation in the bottle that produces bubbles and unites their different wines.  They make both non vintage and vintage sparkling wines mostly with grapes sourced from the Rattlesnake Hills AVA.  It’s pretty much a blank slate, they say, regarding which Washington grape varieties and vineyards are best for sparkling wine.  They see Tirriddis as an experimental project designed to discover the ideal elements for making WA sparkling wine.  If you want excellent dry sparkling wines at reasonable prices, Tirriddis is the place for you!!

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #144 Tirriddis Sparkling Wine with Andrew, Gabriel and Matthew

Upsidedown Wine

Seth and Audrey Kitzke

March 2023

Although Seth and Audrey Kitzke both come from farming roots in the Pacific NW, they never imagined a career in viticulture and wine while growing up.  Even working in the family vineyard every day in summer during his teenage years didn’t dampen Seth’s desire to become a professional snowboarder.  It wasn’t until after they got married that Seth decided to pursue wine studies at the Northwest Wine Academy, and to return to Eastern WA to help with his parents’ Kitzke Cellars and vineyards.  The couple’s Upsidedown Wine label grew out of Kitzke Cellars, with a first vintage in 2013 and an original tasting room in Hood River, OR.  The label is dedicated to Rhone style wines, as well as to a handful of charities that each bottle sold supports.

In fall 2022 Seth and Audrey opened a second Upsidedown Wine tasting room in Cle Elum, WA, and are having a grand opening in March 2023.  The couple is dedicated to making wines with as few additives as possible, giving back to help others, being transparent about their winemaking processes, and educating people about their wines.   Grenache is king as Upsidedown Wine, and Seth believes it is “the grape of the future for WA.”  He makes multiple Grenache and Mourvedre wines in a variety of styles, as well as blended wines that are typically co-fermented.  Although Rhone grape varieties dominate at Upsidedown Wine, the Rescue Rosé is made with Nebbiolo and is a best seller.  One of the couple’s most exciting Rhone style projects is their Devil is a Liar brand with fruit sourced from the amazingly innovative Weather Eye Vineyard atop Red Mountain.  Learn about this brand and so much more in this interview.

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #143 Seth & Audrey Kitzke of Upsidedown Wine

Syncline Winery

James and Poppie Mantone of Syncline Winery

In 1997, James and Poppie Mantone met in the Willamette Valley while exploring careers in the wine industry.  They fell in love with each other and with winegrowing, married, and kept an eye out for just the right vineyard land on which to settle.  They chose a site on the WA side of the Columbia Gorge right next to the spectacular Coyote Wall Syncline from which the winery takes its name.  It was ideal for the type of intimate vineyard sites they wanted to develop, as well as the diversity of soils, climate and topography.  Today, they farm biodynamically 17 acres on several different sites, all within a mile of the winery.  They grow familiar grape varieties such as Syrah, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, and Grenache, but also some less familiar ones, including Grüner Veltliner, Furmint and Mondeuse.  In fact, they are the only ones in the US growing Furmint and Mondeuse.    

Initially, Syncline Winery focused on Rhone style wines, even though most people in Washington at the time couldn’t even pronounce Viognier or Mourvèdre.  More recently, they have drawn more on estate grapes and tried to highlight grape varieties that thrive in the Columbia Gorge AVA.  Although they still make some of the finest Rhone style wines in WA, they also make sparkling wines, a memorable Gamay Noir, Grϋner Veltliner, and more.  The tasting room at Syncline is an enchanting garden that offers an intimate and personal space for each group of tasters.  James and Poppie designed the space according to their study of what plants grow best on the site and the principles of xeriscaping, or minimal water use.  This is a not-to-miss site for sipping world-class wines while picnicking.  You also don’t want to miss the unique, surreal blue door that beckons from the garden’s west boundary.      

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #142 James & Poppie Mantone of Syncline Winery

Dineen Vineyards

Marissa Dineen and David Rodriguez of Dineen Vineyards

A 1950 black Chevy truck graces the labels of Dineen Vineyards’ award winning wines.  It symbolizes family heritage, particularly Pat Dineen’s Wisconsin farming roots and the Dineen family’s love of the land.  After a 30-plus year career in banking, Pat and Lanie purchased their first vineyard land in the Zillah area 21 years ago.  They had always loved wine, food, and travel, as their honeymoon excursion to Robert Mondavi suggests.  Today Dineen Vineyards is owned by daughter Marissa, and there are 90-plus acres planted to Bordeaux and Rhone grape varieties.  When speculating on which Pacific Northwest vineyards would be considered top ones, or Grand Cru, if we had such a classification, Sip Magazine identified 3 in Washington, and Dineen was one of them.  The elevation, slope aspect, and soils are all ideal for growing grapes, as Marissa makes clear in this interview.

Dineen Vineyards is one of the few wine businesses in Washington that is certified sustainable and fully estate.  All Dineen wines are made by David Rodriguez with grapes grown in the family vineyard.  The vineyard is certified sustainable by both Lodi Rules in CA and the newly created Sustainable WA program.  A long tenured vineyard crew engages mostly in hand labor, but Dineen also uses some cutting edge technology such as drones for water and pest management.  The meticulous attention to vines is evident in the wines.  They are outstanding, with the Cabernet Franc one of the very best in Washington state.  The vineyard site is not only ideal for grapes, but also for humans, providing a stunning view of the Yakima Valley and distant mountains.  There are many events at Dineen that take visitors glass in hand out into the vines to learn more about viticulture, sustainability, and the joys of the farming life.

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #141 Marissa Dineen & David Rodriguez of Dineen Vineyards

Hawkins Cellars

Thane Hawkins of Hawkins Cellars

November 2022

Thane Hawkins discovered his love for wine while biking in the Napa Valley on his days off from work.  He was a pioneer in the field of animation, working on films such as Shrek, Ants, and Monsters Inc.  Long days in the dark staring at a computer screen led him to ask for a leave of absence to pursue outdoor activities in the Pacific Northwest.  One of those activities was helping out with winegrowing in the Willamette Valley where he fell in love with Pinot Noir and the vigneron lifestyle.  He eventually studied winemaking, became an assistant winemaker, and started the Hawkins Cellars label in the Willamette Valley in 2007.  In 2009, he met Deb Michelson who owned some property on Underwood Mt. on the Washington side of the Gorge.  The area was perfect for the outdoor activities they both loved to pursue, and for the cool climate grape varieties they liked.  Thane planted a vineyard on the property in 2013, and in 2017 they moved their tasting room to Underwood Mt.

Hawkins Cellars is a destination winery with a spacious rental unit, stunning views of Mt. Hood, and many nearby outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, wind surfing, white water rafting, canoeing, and more.  The wines are outstanding and diverse, as Thane makes both cool climate wines with Underwood Mt. fruit, as well as Rhone style wines from much warmer Yakima Valley vineyards.  He is partial to low alcohol, higher acid wines that are food friendly, and has been influenced in his winemaking by such European wine regions as Chablis, Bandol, and Alsace.  For example, his Caldera red is a Rhone style blend dominated by Mourvèdre, the main grape in Bandol.  The Tru North Hawkins white blend reminds one of Alsace, with its delightful combination of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.  Learn about these wines and much more from a winemaker who says, “Every wine I make has a story and a sense of place.”

Listen to the Interview: 

Lines on Wines · #140 Thane Hawkins of Hawkins Cellars

Seven Hills Winery

Bobby Richards of Seven Hills Winery

Planted in 1980-82 to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Seven Hills Vineyard was one of the first commercial vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley.  Those original vines planted by Casey McClellan and his family are still the heart of the estate vineyard today, which has grown from 7 to 54 acres.  In 1988, Casey started the Seven Hills Winery, Walla Walla’s 5th bonded winery.  The winery and tasting room moved in 2000 to the Whitehouse-Crawford building, which had been a planing and lumber mill since 1904.  Today, Seven Hills is the only Walla Walla winery facility housed in a historic downtown building.  The Celtic Infinity Knot on all Seven Hills labels reflects Casey’s heritage, as well as the winery’s commitment to a balance between fruit, acid and tannin in its Bordeaux style wines.  Although Casey retired as winemaker in June 2021, Seven Hills is continuing his commitment to showcasing Bordeaux grape varieties, as well as estate vineyard sites.

A purchase of syrah grapes by Oregon State University’s Fermentation Science Club gave Bobby Richards his first taste of winemaking.  He was hooked.  Bobby and his wife moved to Walla Walla in 2011, and have been working in the wine industry ever since.  Bobby just celebrated 9 years working at Seven Hills, most of the time under Casey’s mentorship.  When Bobby took over as winemaker in June 2021, he was determined to set the be benchmark for Merlot in WA and around the world.  He is continuing Seven Hills’ tradition of bottling all 6 Bordeaux red varieties independently, as well as making an annual flagship Pentad  blend with 5 of the 6 varieties.  But Bobby is also moving in new directions as he works to put his stamp on Seven Hills.  For example, multiple clones of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan have been planted in the estate vineyard lands extending into the Rocks District of Milton Freewater.  The first Rhone style wine will be produced in 2023.  Learn about this new project and much more in this interview with Bobby Richards.

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #139 Bobby Richards of Seven Hills Winery

Caprio Cellars

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. 

Listen to the Interview:

Lines on Wines · #138 Dennis Murphy of Caprio Cellars