By Doug Haugen

The story of Red Mountain is like that of most rock stars: modest beginnings, a little dumb luck, discovery and then fame.  Back in 1975, Jim Holmes and John Williams bought some land on Red Mountain as an investment property, having no idea what they’d do with it.  Just a few months later, they became aware of the research by Dr. Walter Clore, and realized they could grow grapes there.  Jim Holmes had been a wine hobbyist for a number of years, but he didn’t know what they’d do with the grapes other than sell them to home winemakers.  However, the Washington wine industry was beginning to emerge, and they found a market for the grapes among a handful of wineries.  That’s when they decided to make their own wine, and Kiona Winery was born in a Richland garage.

An official AVA since 2001, today Red Mountain grows arguably the most coveted grapes in Washington State.  The AVA has a total of 4,040 acres, but only between 600-800 of them are cultivated because of limited access to irrigation.  Limited supply and high demand means that vineyards on Red Mountain can sell their grapes for over 300 percent over average market value, some up to $8,000 per ton.  And land on Red Mountain, which used to sell for $200 per acre, can now be purchased at the bargain price of $50,000 per acre.

So, why are Red Mountain grapes so special?  According to geologist Dr. Alan Busacca, “It’s the summation of a lot of little things that make it stand out.”

Named after the red hue of the native cheatgrass in the spring, Red Mountain is a product of both plate tectonics and the Missoula Floods.  An uplift and folding of the Columbia River basalts created the shape of Red Mountain Ridge and the bench platform; the tectonics created an agricultural area that is inclined a little to the southwest, backed by the ridge, which funnels the winds and holds in the heat. Red Mountain has documented warmer temperatures and more sunlight hours than any other part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, of which it is a part.  It sits perched above the Yakima River Valley, which means that cold air can drain off down the canyons in the winter, protecting the grapes from frost damage.

In the last ice age, the Missoula Floods came out of the North and slammed into the back side of Red Mountain, forming an eddy, and then swirled around and over Red Mountain, creating a lot of turbulent chaos, which resulted in an eclectic soil profile.  In some parts, it left behind very course gravel, in others sand, and in still others silt.  In addition to the flood deposits, wind blown sediments called “loess” have been deposited on top of the other soils, creating stringers of sand dunes that have spread out over the top.  The terrain of the area acts as a wind funnel, and the high wind intensity on the grapes puts the grapes into stress (physical stress, shaking, and water stress from transpiration), which leads to small berries with thick skins, resulting in very high intensity in the grapes.  According to Jim Holmes (who left Kiona in 1994 to start his own vineyard Ciel du Cheval), Red Mountain grapes are darker, blacker, more tannic, more powerful and “muscular.”  The thick skins of the grapes leads to about sixty percent higher tannins than in other AVAs, such as neighboring Horse Heaven Hills, and the grapes from Red Mountain are known for their structure. Holmes has been unofficially tracking the success of wines made from Red Mountain grapes, and he says that they’re averaging 92 points among the major wine raters.  In fact, Cabernet Sauvignon by Quilceda Creek Vintners received the rare 100 points from Robert Parker in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Busacca continually reiterates that it’s the people on Red Mountain that are responsible for the great grapes:  “There’s unarguably fantastic fruit grown there, in large part because it is a special place, special terroir; but the people that grow grapes there…took on that job in a systematic way and a passionate way.  They’ve gotten the best out of Red Mountain, where other people may have just fooled around.”

It’s bound to get even better as people like Dr. Busacca begin to consult in the planting of vineyards, taking the micro-climate and soil conditions into consideration as they plant each block of the vineyard.  Take Coke Roth for example, whose company Vinagium owns two vineyards on Red Mountain. Roth hired the services of Dr. Busacca, who did a comprehensive analysis on the vineyards.  The forty-acre Scooteney Vineyard is comprised of about ninety-five percent Scooteney soil, and they have planted it all with Bordeaux varietals.  The second vineyard is composed of three soil types: Warden soil (brown dirt with no rocks), Hezel soil (fine sand that has been blown in from Horse Heaven Hills), and Taunton soil (a little soil on top of compacted hardpan calcified gravel).  This vineyard is planted with a bunch of Rhone varietals including three clones of syrah, three clones of Mourvèdre, two clones of Grenache, plus Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Petite Syrah and Carménère, all planted in specific blocks and rows to take advantage of the micro-terroirs.

“One unique thing that we did down there was, I had this thought that if you have one kind of soil, you’re going to be stuck with one flavor component unless you do something that varies that,” Roth said.  So, Vineyard Manager Damon Lalonee has incorporated “smart viticulture,” which is close to organic viticulture “without being stupid.”  Rows planted closely together mean a balanced crop and even ripening, and planting seven clones of Cab adds layers of flavors.  Rows are planted both from East to West and North to South to add different dimensions.  These unique practices using varietals planted on carefully chosen micro-terroirs can mean a harvest of highly sought-after fruit.

The area surrounding Red Mountain is also abuzz with the wine bug, most notably in Prosser, Washington.  A town of only 5,000 residents, there are now around thirty-five wineries, attracting wine tourists from all over the state.  This is good news for Jim Milne, Executive Director of the Prosser Chamber of Commerce.  He said that in 2007, it felt like a new winery was opening every month.  Traditionally an agriculturally-based community growing concord grapes, hops and apples, wine grapes (vinifera) have become the new cash crop, and the wineries are bringing tourism dollars into the hotels, restaurants, gift shops and other local attractions.

The Chamber of Commerce has an aggressive events calendar that capitalizes on the local wine industry, attracting weekend warriors from Western Washington—the next big event is the Prosser Wine and Food Fair in August.  They’re also getting ready to build the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center, which will feature on-site vineyards, interactive classes like cooking with wine, wine education classes, wine grape growing classes, lots of videos, a restaurant and more.  They expect it to be an Eastern Washington icon.

Dr. Walter Clore, the father of Washington wine, lived his entire life in Prosser, establishing the first AVA in the state: Columbia Valley.  As both the birthplace and the next big thing in Washington wine, the Prosser/Red Mountain area has it all.

By Christine Go

North Central Washington? It’s not just for apples anymore! The “Apple Capital of the World” has become one of Washington’s burgeoning wine regions. In the past ten years, the Columbia Cascade region, comprising the two pending AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) of Lake Chelan and Ancient Lakes, along with wineries around Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and the U.S. side of the Okanogan, has grown from three wineries to forty-four wineries. Most of these are boutique wineries, each producing about 800 to 3,000 cases annually.

According to George Valison, the executive director of the Columbia Cascade Winery Association, the local wineries banded together in 1998 to promote their wine region, and the official association was formed in 2002. This region does not have its own official AVA designation, but George said that they are in the process of raising funds to pursue an AVA petition.

“Columbia Cascade” took its name from its biggest influences: the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains. Follow the Columbia River as it travels south through the region, and you’ll see the diversity of the terrain—from the glacier-carved valley of Lake Chelan, to the alpine beauty of Leavenworth in the Cascade Foothills, to the Ancient Lakes area around Quincy, with majestic basalt cliffs towering above the Columbia River. George emphasized that there’s plenty to do here, besides winetasting of course, everything from theater to white-water rafting.

The scenery is gorgeous, and there are various recreational activities available, but what else makes the Columbia Cascade region so special? Alan Busacca, Ph.D., who worked on the Lake Chelan AVA petition, says it’s the geology and soils. Both the impressive land formations of Eastern Washington and its soils were created by the Lake Missoula floods during the last Ice Age. However, Lake Chelan had 2,000 feet of glacial ice protecting it from those floods, so its soils are derived from the crystalline granite of the Cascade Mountains. Alan also explained that approximately 12,000 years ago, a huge eruption of nearby Glacier Peak showered the Lake Chelan region with pumice and ash. Bottom line: the soils in the Lake Chelan valley are different from the soils in Columbia Valley, and they’re even different from the rest of the Columbia Cascade region.

Besides the geology and soils, Lake Chelan itself also plays an important role in grape-growing. Most of the vineyards in the valley are just off the lake. Heather Neff of Nefarious Cellars says that from a viticultural standpoint, the area is special, because the lake creates a unique growing climate. According to Alan, this advantageous climate is due to the “lake effect”—in the summer, Lake Chelan absorbs a great deal of solar energy, creating a heat sink. This phenomenon moderates the temperature of the vineyards around Lake Chelan, so they rarely exceed ninety-five degrees during the summer, unlike warmer areas, such as Ancient Lakes or the Wahluke Slope. Why is this important? Grapes shut down their photosynthesis at temperatures above about ninety-five degrees, which interrupts grape-growing.

Lake Chelan also acts as a heat reservoir; during the winter, it gives off heat to the surrounding air, keeping the vineyard temperatures milder than adjacent valleys of grape-growing areas. Compared to other AVAs, the vineyards around Lake Chelan are much less likely to suffer frost damage, even during Arctic cold blasts.

So who should we thank for being the first to plant wine grapes in the Columbia Cascade region? Ron Irvine of Vashon Winery states in his book The Wine Project that “Dutch” John Galler, a German immigrant, was the first grower. In 1873, he planted wine grapes near Wenatchee, and made wine from those grapes. Around Lake Chelan, the first grapes were planted in 1881 by Peter Wapato.

Dutch Galler and Peter Wapato may have been visionaries, but this was still apple country, after all. Tree fruits (primarily apples) remained the crop of choice for over a hundred years. In the 1990s, the prices for apples dropped, and suddenly wine grapes became a more lucrative option for growers.

In the Lake Chelan valley, the first growers to convert orchards to vineyards in modern times were Bob Christopher and Steve Kludt. In 1998, they ripped out apple orchards, and planted wine grapes. Steve went on to form Lake Chelan Winery in 2000, which was the first bonded winery in Chelan County. In 2002, Lake Chelan Winery released its first wine.

Also in 2002, Larry Lehmbecker and Michaela Markusson of Vin du Lac Winery in Chelan County converted seven acres of their orchard property to vineyard. That same year, Benson Vineyards Estate Winery planted twenty-three acres of wine grapes, and now only crafts wine from estate-grown grapes. Today Lake Chelan has thirteen wineries that are open to the public, and more than 150 acres of vineyards. Grape varieties planted include Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the Ancient Lakes area, Cameron Fries of White Heron Cellars had been making wine since 1986. In 1991, he planted a vineyard in Trinidad, located between Quincy and Wenatchee. Varieties grown include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Syrah, Rousanne and Viognier. Other growers followed; for example, in 1998, the Milbrandts planted Evergreen Vineyard seven miles northwest of George, a town famous for its nearby Gorge amphitheater. Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Viognier, Semillon, Chenin Blanc are the varieties grown there. Ten years later, the Ancient Lakes region is home to four wineries, and now has approximately 1,000 acres of wine grapes planted.

What’s next for this area? The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) is currently reviewing the Lake Chelan AVA application, and approval is expected later this year, or at the beginning of 2009. In the near future, there are plans to open eleven additional wineries in the Columbia Cascade area, making this one of Washington’s fastest-growing wine regions.

Many people ask me, “Hey WineTrail Guy, what’s your favorite Washington WineTrail? I usually get a quizzical look when I answer, “the Wenatchee to Quincy WineTrail.” But, it’s true. I love this WineTrail for its total package of great views, and places to stay, to eat, and to taste fabulous wine.

Beginning with Wenatchee-based Chateau Faire Le Pont Winery, Doug and Debé Brazil’s restoration of a 1920s fruit-packing building preserved the original hardwood flooring and gently arching windows. The 6,000-square-foot winery easily holds 150 guests for weddings, corporate events, class reunions, and wine-tasting geeks like me. Come hungry: a full-service kitchen supports its Vineyard Café, which serves up light and full fare.

Next stop, cross the river to Malaga and continue up the slope to Saint Laurent Winery. The views from Saint Laurent Winery are truly stunning. At Saint Laurent Winery, Laura Laurent-Mrachek is its horticulturist and her husband, Mike Mrachek, is the vintner. Get ready to take pictures. Laura’s garden is drop-dead gorgeous. But Saint Laurent’s tasting room itself is one of the highlights of the visit. Housed in a Victorianstyle house, the room is “cozy comfortable.”

Now it’s time to cross back over the Columbia and drive to East Wenatchee’s Martin-Scott Winery. Here the words “stunning” and “view” pair nicely. Come for the wine, but stay for the view. Mike and Judi Scott host guests in their downstairs tasting room and are often behind the bar introducing visitors to Martin-Scott wines.

Next, you’ll head south toward Quincy on SR-28 where the ghost town of Trinidad resides. This is the home of White Heron Cellars – the creation of Swiss-trained vintner Cameron Fries. Well over six feet tall, Cameron possesses a big, toothy smile and a deep voice to match his height. In the winemaking community, he’s a bit of an iconoclast, using techniques he learned in Switzerland including neutral oak. Cameron refers to his deep-bodied rousanne as a “syrah in drag.” Love it.

Few Washington wineries can boast that they are a “destination winery.” But Cave B Inn at SageCliffe and Cave B Estate Winery can brag. Once there, you will marvel at the dramatic views of the Columbia River Gorge. The Inn’s grand lobby, with its iron-turned chandeliers hanging from the soaring ceiling, huge wrap-around fireplaces and eager staff at your service, will quickly squash any concerns you had about your getaway. Inside, the critically acclaimed Tendrils Restaurant offers elegant Northwest cuisine.

The Cave B Winery tasting room features the wonderfully rich, fullbodied wines of Cave B as well as its second label, SageCliffe. The Cave B tasting room houses a seventeen-foot-long tasting bar, handcrafted from used French oak wine barrel staves crafted by highly skilled local artists. It’s a comfortable space in which to relax and sample Alfredo “Freddy” Arredondo portfolio of reds and whites.

You know that book, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die?” Well, if there were a book entitled “1,000 WineTrails to Experience Before You Die” the Wenatchee to Quincy WineTrail would be near the top.

Happy WineTrails!

By Molly Pumper

Unlike the backdrop of your typical wine tour setting – a scenic drive through the open countryside, rolling green hills abundant with sun-ripened vineyards, charming wineries of modern rusticity, off the dirt road and every quarter mile, not a cloud in sight – the ferryboat ride from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island, home to a handful of the 100-some wineries in the Puget Sound, is both sodden and chilly, much like the region itself.

By any standards, Puget Sound is not conventional wine country. Yet, the misconception that it is too cold or too wet to grow premium grapes is simply untrue. While western Washington is famous (or perhaps infamous) for its incessant rainfall, the conditions are actually quite similar to that of the Loire Valley in France; heavy rains fall during the winters while summers tend to be mild, providing long bright days for vines to grow, cool nights for acidity preservation, and warmth for ripening. Temperature extremes are also rare as such conditions are moderated by the bordering Pacific.

To date, Puget Sound is Washington’s only recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA)/Appellation west of the Cascades, a designation authorized by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). To be defined as an AVA, an area must be recognized as a distinct wine grape-growing region, distinguishable by geographical features. For a bottle of wine to be considered produced from a specific AVA, at least eighty-five percent of the grapes used in its making must be from that particular region. The Puget Sound AVA, first certified in 1995, includes not only the Puget Sound, but the San Juan Islands, sections of the Olympic Peninsula, and a strip of the mainland; a span of over 7,600 square miles. While seemingly vast, only 80 acres of this region are actually used to grow wine grapes – one percent of the state’s total yield.

Gerard Bentryn, the catalyst behind the Puget Sound receiving AVA certification, is an advocate of the area’s cool climate growing conditions. After receiving a graduate degree in geography, studying winemaking and working in vineyards in Germany, England, Australia and South Africa (to name a few), he and his wife Jo Ann concluded that the region was ideal for viticulture and set to work. The result of their efforts—Bainbridge Island Vineyards and Winery, which, after thirty years in existence, remains today as the sole producer of one hundred percent estate-grown wines in Puget Sound, predominantly of vinifera varieties.

According to the Puget Sound Wine Growers Association, only ten other wineries produce commercial wines from Puget Sound AVA grapes, although many complete their productions using small quantities of grapes from other AVAs. The majority of wineries located in the Puget Sound area however, actually grow few, if any, grapes in the region. Instead, they generally plant vineyards in Eastern Washington AVAs, such as the Columbia Valley, or purchase grapes from another grower and then make and market the wine in Puget Sound. This is done for a number of reasons. First of all, land around the Puget Sound is expensive, as is labor; and, while the region has proven successful in terms of growing wine grapes, it does not have the same history or allow for the wide variety of grapes to be grown as eastern Washington. However, with its dense population and tourist draw, Puget Sound is the optimal choice for wine production and distribution.

Needless to say, there is often confusion as to what defines the Puget Sound wine region, or what is actually considered to be Puget Sound wine. According to Chris Stone, Marketing Director of the Washington Wine Commission – “In purely wine growing terms, the Puget Sound AVA is all about the wonderful and unique grapes grown within the AVA. From a tourism standpoint, the Puget Sound area and the AVA, offer fabulous opportunities for wine enthusiasts to experience the breadth and quality of what Washington has to offer.”

However, Gerard, a vintner from the old school—charmingly gruff, with calloused hands and a weather-red face, telltale signs of his passion and labor—believes that it is almost entirely the locally grown wines that define the region, meaning those of the Puget Sound AVA. Such wines include madeleine angevine, siegerrebe, and muller-thurgau, dry varietals that tend to be lower in alcohol, because the grapes have less sugar. Wines that grow in warmer regions have higher sugar levels, and consequently higher alcohol content. “We like civilized wines that don’t knock you out with alcohol,” says Jo Ann. “Wine’s not supposed to overpower you at the dinner table.”

Gerard adds that the flavors and characteristics of wine harvested in the unique terroir complement those of other foods indicative of the region, such as salmon and crab, fresh fruits and vegetables. The combination of fruit and fragrance however is arguably the stylistic imprint that defines wine grown in the Puget Sound AVA; a characteristic attributable to the land, not the winemaker. “We grow wines you can smell before you taste” explains Gerard, “not meat-on-yourbones, hair-on-your-chest wine.”

While the Bentryns have an undeniable history in Puget Sound viticulture, they are certainly not the first to have planted roots in the region. Back in1872, it is believed that Lambert B. Evans, a Confederate Army Civil War veteran from Florida, was the first to have grown wine grapes in the region, planting his harvest on his homestead of Stretch Island. Evans’ vineyard, which was planted along the shore on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound, was sold in 1918 after his death to Charles Somers, who, with his son C.W. “Bill” Somers, founded St. Charles Winery. Years later, after the winery closed, Howard E. Somers, Charles’ other son, a chemical engineer who did lab work for the winery, became a winemaker at American Vintners, the predecessor to Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington State’s oldest existing winery.

In continuation of its abiding past, and in spite of its seemingly temperamental climate, the Puget Sound wine region, both the AVA and the area itself, continues to grow, steadfast, much like the vines themselves. Signs of promise for pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot gris are even being shown in warmer areas such as the Puyallup Valley and Woodinville. And, with experimentation of new clones and hybrids in the works, and exploration of new, suitable growing sites, the Puget Sound AVA should have no problem living up to its potential.

Where the hell are the vineyards?” my friend from back east queried. He was in Seattle for a business meeting and had heard about Woodinville wine country. We had pulled up to the Novelty Hill / Januik Winery in Woodinville and his reaction might be like a gazillion other visitor’s. I had to give him the bad news, “Jim, you won’t find vineyards in Woodinville. They get their grapes from the Columbia Valley in Eastern Washington but that’s another trip for another day.”

When it comes to winemaking regions of the state, Woodinville first comes to mind for many, given its close proximity to Seattle, world-class wineries, and upscale amenities. The fact that there aren’t vineyards here is one of the quirky things about Washington’s wine industry. Most wineries import their grapes from viticulture areas of the Columbia Valley.

This notion of separating the grape growing from the winemaking would get most vignerons in France to give you that “you must be crazy” look. But the Woodinville winemakers have the freedom to select their fruit from the best vineyards east of the Cascades. The result? Great wine. What’s more, you can experience a full range of wines – from Rhône style reds to Bordeaux-blends. Here, diversity rules and you’re sure to find the wine you like.

Woodinville wine country is home to the magnificent Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, but many people are surprised to learn that a number of other wineries are tucked away in unexpected locations. For the 800,000 visitors that make the trek to Woodinville annually, touring Woodinville is easier if you focus on its two major WineTrails – Woodinville WineTrail North and Woodinville WineTrail South.

Along Woodinville WineTrail North you will discover that business parks aren’t what they used to be. This is the suburban equivalent to city garage winemakers or garagiste. These boutique wineries transform grapes from eastern Washington into award winning wines that continually receive accolades from wine connoisseurs. Two major business parks account for most wineries in this WineTrail. Simply park your car and follow the signs. A few wineries require a car to get to but won’t disappoint.

In the Woodinville Business Park you can park your car and sample wines from such wineries as Mark Ryan, Page Cellars, Edmonds, Darby Winery, Arlington Road, Cuillin Hills, and Alexandria Nicole. Just a short hop away is the Woodinville Commerce Center which is the location of Chatter Creek, Covington, and Stevens Winery. All these wineries have regular tasting room hours – particularly on Saturdays – and tastings tend to be complimentary. For a complete times and events as well as complete listing of wineries to visit, see www.winetrailsnw.com.

Woodinville WineTrail South is home to Chateau Ste. Michelle where visitors can easily spend a half day touring, tasting, and picnicking. WineTrail Tip: Consult Chateau Ste. Michelle’s website (www.ste-michelle.com) for event information, including their summer concert series. However you don’t want to miss out on the other wineries in this WineTrail, such as, Novelty Hill / Januik Winery, Woodhouse Family Cellars, JM Cellars, Facelli Winery, Matthews Cellars and Brian Carter. Plan on investing a couple more weekends to really do this WineTrail justice. Also, if hunger strikes, check out nearby Barking Frog at Willows Lodge or the Purple Cafe. Both offer great fare and a wide choice of premium wines.

When it comes to Woodinville wine country, come for the wine and its wonderful amenities, but don’t come for the vineyards…your out of town guests will be sorely disappointed!

Happy WineTrails!