WOODINVILLE, Wash. — The Auction of Washington Wines, one of the top five charitable wine auctions in the U.S., will present its most prestigious honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award — to Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small of Woodward Canyon Winery.
This year marks the 37th annual Auction of Washington Wines, and the presentation to the founders of Woodward Canyon will be part of the third annual TOAST! Honoree Celebration on Thursday, Aug. 8 at Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville.
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 have been revealed this week via GreatNorthwestWine.com, and the series is capped by the announcement of Lifetime Achievement Award.
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
Today — TOAST! Wine Industry Champion: Chris Stone, Washington State Wine Commission
Today — Auction of Washington Wines Star Award: Richard Duval, WinePix
Today — TOAST! Lifetime Achievement Award: Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small, Woodward Canyon Winery
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. That will be 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 throughout the year by Auction of Washington Wines programs provides support to Seattle Children’s, the Washington State University viticulture and enology program and grant partner Vital Wines in the Walla Walla Valley.
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.
Winners of the first two TOAST! Lifetime Achievement Awards were closely connected to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates — Bob Betz (2022), the winemaking Master of Wine who founded Betz Family Winery; and Ted Baseler, longtime executive for SMWE.
The Auction of Washington Wines defines its TOAST! Lifetime Achievement Award as the highest honor recognizing an individual whose extraordinary dedication, inspiration and advocacy for the Washington wine community spans at least 25 years in the industry.
In this case, it goes to one couple — Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small.
Rick grew up on a fourth-generation Walla Walla Valley wheat farm and attended Washington State University, graduating in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture while also studying architecture. No one could have foreseen the wine industry that Small would help build when he returned to the Walla Walla Valley and soon began making wine as a hobby.
By 1977, he began planting the first of 35 acres of vines across his land in Woodward Canyon. Darcey, a University of Washington graduate working in Walla Walla when she met Rick through her work. They bottled some of Rick’s homemade wine on their second date and would marry in 1980. The following year they launched Woodward Canyon Winery, becoming just the second bonded winery in the Walla Walla area. There are now more than 140 wineries operating in the Walla Walla Valley.
Darcey’s employment as a land-use planner for Walla Walla County provided critical capital for the startup winery. She worked her way up to county’s planning director position when she stepped away after 22 years to become general manager of Woodward Canyon.
Early on, the Smalls took on a leadership role in the region’s emerging wine industry. As President of the Walla Walla Valley Winegrowers Association, Rick spearheaded the petition — with help from Darcey as a land-use expert — for the Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Area. It was established on March 7, 1984 by the federal government. Forty years later, their family’s vineyard remains the westernmost planting in the AVA.
In spring 1992, Rick’s winemaking landed him on the cover of Wine Spectator. Two years earlier, Spectator ranked his 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon as the No. 10 wine in the world. The age-worthiness of his Cab program — particularly his Dedication Series — became the standard by which other Washington state producers are measured. The Smalls’ early investment in Champoux Vineyard also proved prescient as that site in the Horse Heaven Hills grew into arguably the Northwest’s most acclaimed for Cab.
In recent years, Rick and Darcey transitioned operations of the vineyard and winery to their children. Sager graduated from culinary school and worked in the kitchens of some of Seattle’s top restaurants before going through the Walla Walla Community College viticulture and enology program. He manages the family’s vineyards, farming them under Salmon-Safe certification with an eye on organic and regenerative practices. Jordan joined the company in 2013 and was promoted to general manager in 2021. This spring, she was named an Emerging Leader by the Auction of Washington Wines.
In the 37-year history of the Auction of Washington Wines, only Rick Small has been awarded as both the Honorary Vintner and Honorary Grower. He’s also served as chair of the Washington State Wine Commission. And although they have retired, he and Darcey remain involved in the wine industry and support community efforts in the Walla Walla Valley and educational institutions. She served eight years on the board of trustees for Walla Walla Community College and is own the school’s board of governors.
“When Darcey and I started this, we never thought about time – just work and grapes and wine and the kids,” Rick says. “Failure was never in our vocabulary, neither was longevity, just quality. Today, I feel exactly as I did in 1981. It’s been an amazing ride and fortunately, it ain’t over yet.”
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