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Organizers, consumers embrace Wine Yakima Valley’s Secret Crush

By Eric Degerman on February 14, 2015

David O’Reilly, who recently moved his family and Owen Roe winery to the Yakima Valley, pours at Secret Crush on Friday, Feb. 13. The event was catered by executive chef Roger Hazzard of Bon Vino’s Bistro and Bakery in Sunnyside. (Photo by Eric Degerman/Great Northwest Wine)

YAKIMA, Wash. — Wine Yakima Valley staged its inaugural Secret Crush on Friday, Feb. 13, at the Fourth Street Theater in downtown Yakima and, based on the reception, it was love at first sight.

More than 150 consumers paid $75 to mingle with more than 20 winemakers and grape growers from throughout Yakima Valley and Red Mountain, who poured highly acclaimed wines that had won gold medals, achieved 90 points from major publications or were small-lot productions.

Secret Crush served as the official kickoff to Red Wine and Chocolate Weekend in the Yakima Valley. Executive director Barbara Glover and several of those pouring were so pleased with consumers’ embrace of Secret Crush that Wine Yakima Valley is considering staging similar kickoffs for other weekends.

“Wine Yakima Valley, with Barb Glover, is working on how we can continue to keep the focus on quality coming out of the Yakima Valley, and I’ve been one of those helping to tell that story for the last couple years,” said Kerry Shiels, winemaker for her parents’ acclaimed Côte Bonneville brand from their renowned DuBrul Vineyard. “We really support the message of the fact that the Yakima Valley has so much quality and that most of the high-end wines in the state are made with Yakima Valley fruit.”

Wine country chef Roger Hazzard of Bon Vino’s Bistro and Bakery in Sunnyside provided hot appetizers throughout the three-hour event. Participating wineries include Airfield Estates (Prosser), Chandler Reach (Benton City), Cultura Wine (Zillah), Gilbert Cellars (Yakima), Hightower Cellars (Red Mountain), Kana Winery (Yakima), Kestrel Vintners (Prosser), Lookout Point Winery (Selah), Naches Heights Vineyard (Naches Heights), Portteus Winery (Zillah), Reflection Vineyard (Zillah), Treveri Cellars (Wapato), Two Mountain Winery (Zillah), Thurston Wolfe (Prosser) and Wineglass Cellars (Zillah).

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About Eric Degerman

Eric Degerman is the President and CEO of Great Northwest Wine. He is a journalist with more than 30 years of daily newspaper experience and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Andy Perdue and served as its managing editor for a decade. He is a frequent wine judge at international wine competitions throughout North America and orchestrates 10 Northwest competitions each year.