WOODINVILLE, Wash. — The Auction of Washington Wines, one of the top five charitable wine auctions in the U.S., has named Columbia Valley winemaker/viticulturist Matías Kúsulas as a recipient for one of its Emerging Leader awards.
This year marks the 37th annual Auction of Washington Wines, and the presentation to Kúsulas — head winemaker for Gård Vintners and Desert Wind Winery, head viticulturist for Lawrence Vineyards and MLMG as well as co-owner/winemaker for Valo and Massalto — will be part of the third annual TOAST! Honoree Celebration on Thursday, Aug. 8 at Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville.
The festive Winemaker Picnic & Barrel Auction — with the auction component sponsored by Seattle author/wine merchant Paul Zitarelli and his Full Pull Wines — is Friday, Aug. 9 on the campus of Château Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, followed by the auction’s signature Gala on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Gala Online Auction begins Tuesday, Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 10. Money raised helps support Seattle Children’s, the Washington State University viticulture and enology program and grant partner Vital Wines in the Walla Walla Valley.
The Auction of Washington Wines began its TOAST! program in 2022, and the 2023 recipients are listed here.
For the second consecutive year, the nine TOAST! recipients will be revealed this week via GreatNorthwestWine.com.
Monday — TOAST! Vine to Wine Award: Eduardo Enriquez, Corliss Estates
Monday — TOAST! Healthy Land, Healthy Communities Award: Kiona Vineyards and Winery
Monday — TOAST! Award of Distinction: Markus Keller, Washington State University
Tuesday — TOAST! Emerging Leader: Jordan Small, Woodward Canyon Winery
Tuesday — TOAST! Emerging Leader: Matías Kúsulas, Gård Vintners/Desert Wind Winery/Massalto/Valo
Tuesday — TOAST! Emerging Leader: Stacy Buchanan, Blood of Gods
Wednesday — TOAST! Wine Industry Champion: Chris Stone, Washington State Wine Commission
Wednesday — Auction of Washington Wines Star Award: Richard Duval, WinePix
Wednesday — TOAST! Lifetime Achievement Award: Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small, Woodward Canyon Winery
Previously announced honorees for the 2024 Auction of Washington Wines include Leslie Sbrocco (Honorary Chair), Christophe Baron of Bionic Wines (Honorary Vintner) and Robert Rivera of Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard (Honorary Grower). Co-chairs are Laura and Ian MacNeil with John and Deanna Oppenheimer.
“We are delighted to recognize these outstanding individuals for their substantial contributions to the Washington wine industry,” says Jamie Peha, executive director of the Auction of Washington Wines since 2019. “Their dedication, innovation and passion have been instrumental in shaping the success and reputation of the region as a whole.”
Sponsors of the TOAST Honoree Celebration include Republic National Distributing Co., Saxco, Woodinville Wine Country, Washington State Wine Commission, Château Ste. Michelle and Trysk Print Solutions.
The Emerging Leader Award is designed to recognize those whose contributions, service or involvement within the Washington wine industry are creating pathways and providing a vision for the future. Considering the background and sense of adventure for Kúsulas, his is one of the deepest “Experience” sections you will find on LinkedIn for a Washington winemaker.
His work for the Lawrence family is fascinating and extensive. He oversees viticulture on the Royal Slope, Wahluke Slope and The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater (Ore.) and makes the wines in Prosser for their Gård Vintners and Desert Wind brands. His team produces more than 100 bottlings from each vintage, and he helps manage 1,100 acres of vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley.
Kúsulas began working with Josh and Lisa Lawrence in 2016 when he arrived in Washington state to join acclaimed winemaker Aryn Morell’s team in Walla Walla.
It was during his time in Walla Walla when Kúsulas launched two boutique labels — Massalto and Valo — with Montana chef Michael Ruhland, whom he met while they both worked a harvest season in New Zealand.
The immediate buzz and showing of their wines in competitions prompted Great Northwest Wine to choose Valo as its 2024 Washington Winery to Watch. Valo and Massalto are poured at shared tasting rooms near the Columbia River in Vancouver and the Gorge town of Bingen, Wash. There are plans to open a third satellite tasting gallery near the Gård tasting room in Ellensburg’s arts district.
The slogan for Massalto —“Be fearless. Drink fearlessly” — lines up with someone who is a skydiving instructor and a black belt in judo.
And the self-described unorthodox approach to his crafting of the Massalto wines appeals to critics and judges. It also fits Kúsulas, who traveled the world after retiring with the rank of lieutenant as a Marine officer and Naval engineer for his native Chile.
He served his country for seven years, then studied agricultural engineering at the University of Chile, graduating from its viticulture and enology school with distinction. Kúsulas took that degree into Chilean cellars for several vintages. From there, he embarked on the life of a globetrotting winemaker. He picked up a graduate degree while studying at University of Bordeaux and University of Montpellier. Kúsulas’s experience in France included two years as a maître de chai in Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie. Then came work in cellars in South Africa and New Zealand.
There is no doubt winegrowing and winemaking dominate the life of Kúsulas. Back in the Walla Walla Valley, he’s involved in MLMG, a young vineyard development company with Tom Merkle (the 2017 Honorary Grower for the Auction of Washington Wines) and the Lawrences that’s behind approximately 50 acres of plantings in The Rocks District, Desert Wind Vineyard and historic Conner Lee Vineyard.
Recently, Kúsulas added two new concepts to his résumé — Contact Natural Wines and Slope Life Wines. His community service includes being a project advisor for the Washington Soil Health Initiative, a young partnership involving Washington State University, the Washington State Conservation Commission and the state Department of Agriculture. He and storied grower Dick Boushey helped plant an experimental vineyard near Prosser in 2023.
So for those seeking balance in their life and their wine, Kúsulas offers another simple saying that he seems to live by — “Less Internet. More Cabernet.”
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