RICHLAND, Wash. - Charlie Hoppes has come a long way in the past three decades - all to be back in the Yakima Valley. Hoppes, owner of Fidelitas Wines on Red Mountain, grew up not far away in the Yakima Valley town of Wapato, where he worked in Concord vineyards as a high schooler in the 1970s. After graduating from Eastern Washington University with a degree in … [Read more...] about Charlie Hoppes at home on Red Mountain
Viognier tops 4th North Central Washington Wine Awards
WENATCHEE, Wash. - A winery in one of the most remote regions of Washington's vast Columbia Valley earned best-in-show honors Saturday evening at the fourth annual North Central Washington Wine Awards. Rio Vista Wines took home the top prize with its Viognier, a white wine. Rio Vista is just off Highway 97, north of the road to Lake Chelan. The winery and estate vines are … [Read more...] about Viognier tops 4th North Central Washington Wine Awards
2014 Washington wine grape harvest begins hot, fast
RICHLAND, Wash. - Washington's wine grape harvest is getting off to another fast start. On Sunday morning, Barnard Griffin brought in 24.5 tons of Pinot Gris from its estate Caroway Vineyard east of Kennewick. Owner/winemaker Rob Griffin said the purple and yellow grapes measured 19.5 brix in sugar, perfect for what he's seeking at this point in harvest. He will pick the … [Read more...] about 2014 Washington wine grape harvest begins hot, fast
Telaya Wine shifts from Washington to Idaho grapes
GARDEN CITY, Idaho - Earl Sullivan is a winery owner with feet in two states, all because he simply wants to make the best wine possible. Sullivan, who owns Telaya Wine Co. with his wife, Carrie, is based in the Boise area community of Garden City, but many of his early wines used grapes from Washington and carried the Columbia Valley appellation on his label. "We knew … [Read more...] about Telaya Wine shifts from Washington to Idaho grapes
2014 Washington wine grape harvest begins
RICHLAND, Wash. - Washington's 2014 wine grape harvest is under way. Paul Champoux, one of Washington's top grape growers, led off the state's harvest season by bringing in 1.6 tons of Marquette. He delivered the grapes from his famed vineyard in the southern Horse Heaven Hills to Fidelitas Wines' production facility in Richland. The unusual red wine grape was developed … [Read more...] about 2014 Washington wine grape harvest begins