• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Contact Us
  • Wine of the Week newsletter
  • Wine submission guidelines
Great Northwest Wine

Great Northwest Wine

News, reviews and info about the wines of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho

  • Home
  • About us
    • Awards and honors
    • Advertising on Great Northwest Wine
    • Wine submission guidelines
  • e-edition
  • Events calendar
    • Submit an event
  • Reviews
    • Latest wine reviews
    • Wine of the Week
    • Best Buys
    • Washington wines
    • Oregon wines
    • Idaho wines
    • British Columbia wines
  • Competitions
    • Cascadia International Wine Competition
    • Idaho Wine Competition
    • “The Invite” – Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition
    • Platinum Awards
    • Walla Walla Valley Wine Competition
    • Washington State Wine Competition
  • Explore
    • Wine news
    • Grapes and viticulture
    • Washington wine
    • Oregon wine
    • Idaho wine
    • British Columbia wine
    • Product reviews
    • Recipes
    • Podcast

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates’ scholarship wine goes national

March 7, 2013 by Andy Perdue 1 Comment

ste. michelle wine estates
O Wines founder Stacy Lill and winemaker Katie Nelson are helping to turn the brand into a national success that will provide college scholarships to young women.

WOODINVILLE, Wash. – Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is taking a great idea and turning it into a national movement.

O Wines, which launched in 2006, was purchased last year by Washington’s largest wine producer and now is being released nationally.

O Wines was started by Stacy Lill and Kathy Johanson as a way to raise money for scholarships.

“The O Wines – standing for opportunity – was created with the sole intent of funding educational scholarships for low-income, high-potential young women so they could further their education,” said Lill, who now serves as an ambassador for O Wines.

To date, O Wines has raised $125,000 and paid for more than 40 scholarships in the past four years. According to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, most of those scholarship recipients were the first members of their families to attend college.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates commits to $50,000 this year

Ste. Michelle has committed to contributing a minimum of $50,000 this year to the O Wines Opportunity for Success Scholarship Fund.

Prior to Ste. Michelle purchasing O Wines, production was 11,600 cases of Chardonnay. Under Ste. Michelle’s ownership the past six months, it has grown to 60,000 cases of Chardonnay and 38,000 cases of red wine.

Each scholarship is $20,000, distributed in $5,000 increments over four years. The College Success Foundation in Washington state and Washington, D.C., will handle the scholarship program. The scholarships are available to female high school seniors who are entering a four-year college or university this fall. They must have a minimum 3.2 GPA and have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Students may apply online at oscholarship.org. Deadline is April 1.

Snoqualmie assistant takes over O Wines

ste. michelle wine estatesKatie Nelson is the winemaker for O Wines. The California native started her winery career when she got a job just after turning 21 in Healdsburg, Calif. After earning a degree from Sonoma State University, she got a job as a lab supervisor at Associated Vintners in the Yakima Valley.

Nelson later worked at Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Oregon’s Willamette Valley then landed a job with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 1999 as an enologist for Northstar. She served as assistant winemaker at Snoqualmie Vineyards for 10 years before being promoted to head winemaker for O Wines last fall.

Nelson makes O Wines at the Columbia Crest facility in Paterson and also serves as a roving assistant winemaker with other Ste. Michelle Wine Estates brands.

For O Wines, Nelson makes two wines: a 2011 Chardonnay and a 2010 red blend that consists of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The Chardonnay retails for $14, and the red blend is $16. Both wines use  grapes from Washington’s Columbia Valley.

Filed Under: News, Washington wine, Wine Tagged With: featured, ticker

About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is founding partner of Great Northwest Wine LLC and a longtime wine columnist. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Wine of the Week

Mt. Hood Winery 2018 Gunkel Vineyard Barbera, Columbia Valley $38

July 8, 2022

Latest Wine Reviews

Cold Springs Winery 2016 Syrah, Idaho, $25

Lenné Estate 2019 Jill’s 115 Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton, $60

Footer

Grapes

Washington wine grape harvest forecast for 28% increase in 2022

Northwest vineyards enter August as much as 12 days behind normal

Oregon stands out throughout Pinot Gris tasting

The Wine Knows: Mastering the magical blend of GSM

Sniff, Sip, Swirl: Holmes family unveils Arneis on Red Mountain

Food

Match Maker: Thiessen puts his brand on WW with Walla Walla Steak Co.

Match Maker recipe: Chocolate Crémeux Tart with Cocoa Nibs and Hazelnuts

Ellen on Wine: 19th century French chef’s legacy inspires 21st century NW women in hospitality with Les Dames d’Escoffier

Match Maker recipe: Cast Iron Cowboy Ribeye with Marinated Spring Vegetables

Expect heavy bidding as Reveal Walla Walla wine auction returns 

History

Ellen on Wine: 19th century French chef’s legacy inspires 21st century NW women in hospitality with Les Dames d’Escoffier

Kiona, Barnard Griffin toast 40th Red Mountain harvest with fundraiser Cab

Parks Redwine, owner of NorthWest Wine Summit competition, dies in Atlanta

Yakima Valley thrives as historical heart of Washington wine

Washington Wine Hall of Fame Gala raises record $105,000 for Clore Center

© 2022 Great NW Wine. All Rights Reserved.