Today, we introduce The VineLines Dispatch by Richard Duval, our contributing and frequently roving photojournalist.
The VineLines Dispatch will serve as an occasional roundup of dispatches from the Pacific Northwest wine community and echoes the classic “three dot column” long used in newspapers and magazines to note short items of interest that we can develop into in-depth profiles for Great Northwest Wine.
Duval’s basecamp is his shared studio in the Woodinville Warehouse District, but he has been known to bivouac overnight in his SUV, tucked among vines to chase photography’s “golden hour” of natural light.
Our plan is to publish The VineLines monthly. As the season develops and Duval hits the road more often, look for it more often. Wineries should place him on your media mailing list for news items – rduval@vinelines.com – to help keep consumers and the industry stay informed on the latest happenings in the Pacific Northwest wine community.
Griffin, Williams families celebrate 40 years with Cab
This past harvest, JJ Williams (Kiona Estate Vineyard) and Megan Hughes (winemaking daughter of Rob Griffin) supervised a Cabernet Sauvignon crop picked from the same block winemaker Rob Griffin used to produce the first Red Mountain commercial wine for Preston Premium Wines in 1978. Griffin is crafting a commemorative Cab from the Kiona Estate Vineyard, established in 1975, to be released in 2020 with the proceeds benefiting Second Harvest …
After three-plus years on Rose Street, Walla Walla’s Lagana Cellars is moving its tasting room just around the corner to the space on Second Street formerly occupied by Kerloo Cellars (which calls SoDo its home today) … Speaking of SoDo, another winery to open tasting room in this hot area is Woodinville’s Michael Florentino Cellars. Watch for the grand opening in March. …
February marks the 20-year anniversary for Syncline Wine Cellars in the Columbia Gorge community of Lyle, Wash. Raising a glass of Subduction in your honor James and Poppie Mantone. … There are new digs for Blooms Winery just a few miles from their original Whidbey Island home. An expanded tasting room and a full kitchen are sure to keep the winery a popular gathering for locals and visitors …
Weather-permitting, Two Vintners soon will pour what is likely its final release at its longtime Woodinville Warehouse District home. By spring, the winery expects to be in its new digs in Maltby, a few miles north. More to come on other wineries also moving to what has been dubbed “The Vault” – JM Cellars, Covington Cellars, Guardian Cellars, Laterus, Gorman Winery and JP Trodden Distillery. …
New wineries around the Lake Chelan wine region – all on the Manson side of the lake – include Skagit Cellars, Tipsy Canyon Cellars and Radiance Winery … In Leavenworth, Chateau Faire Le Pont Winery opened a tasting room as did Water from Wine, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that donates 100 percent of revenue from each bottle of its Horse Heaven Hills Cab and rosé to organizations working to help provide clean water around the world. Their winemaking partner is Charlie “Wine Boss” Hoppes of Fidelitas and last year’s Honorary Vintner by the Auction of Washington Wines.
Rudy Marchesi, partner at Montinore Estate, was named “Wine Person of the Year” by Oregon Wine Press. Marchesi remains dedicated to Biodynamic winemaking techniques that can be performed on a larger scale. With its 200-acre Demeter-certified Biodynamic estate vineyard, Montinore Estate is the largest producer of all-estate wines made from Biodynamic grapes in the country . … It’s official. Oregon’s newest American Viticultural Area designation is the Van Duzer Corridor, a sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley. It’s approximately 50 miles southwest of Portland and 40 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Not that anyone is counting but Oregon has more AVAs (19) than Washington (14) …
Oregon Solidarity – the industry-wide effort to help those Rogue Valley winegrowers whose contracts were abruptly cancelled by the California producer of Elouan – will bring three wines to market next month under the Oregon Solidarity banner. The distribution strategy by the team from King Estate, Silvan Ridge Winery, The Eyrie Vineyards and Willamette Valley Vineyards for Oregon and Washington state is set. Check Oregon Solidarity for more details on this unique show of support.
Nice job Richard!!