Washington's Global Winemakers Share a World of Flavor and Technique
Washington's Global Winemakers Share a World of Flavor and Technique
BY CARA STRICKLANDWithin Washington State there is already a beautiful diversity of wine in terms of style and varietals. Add some international, old-world-techniques and you have the potential for a blend that is much more than the sum of its parts.
It’s no secret that this country has benefited greatly from the wealth of experience immigrants have brought with them. One area where this influence can be felt on a daily basis is in the food and beverage world.
Within Washington State there is already a beautiful diversity of wine in terms of style and varietals. Add some international, old-world-techniques and you have the potential for a blend that is much more than the sum of its parts.
I spoke with three Washington winemakers who bring their experiences from making wine all over the world to their craft here in Washington State. They each come from different countries, but they all share one thing in common: they have fallen in love with making wine in Washington State and with the potential and freedom they found here.
These winemakers, and so many others across the state, offer opportunities to sample a style or a varietal we might have once needed to travel out of the country to sip. But it is the combination of the varietals, the care, and the unique terroir of Washington that offer an experience truly not found anywhere else in the world. I’ll raise a glass to that.
Jean-Francois Pellet,
Director of Winemaking & Partner
Pepper Bridge Winery & Amavi Cellars | Walla Walla, WA
(Courtesy, Pepper Bridge Winery)
“I’m a third generation wine grower, winemaker from Switzerland just outside Geneva,” said Jean-Francois Pellet. Although he didn’t want to go into the business at first, three years of school taught him to grow grapes, and that he wanted to be part of the entire process. He went back to school to study winemaking.
As part of his education, he worked all over the world making wine including Switzerland, Germany, and Napa Valley. After graduation, he continued to travel in pursuit of his craft, managing vineyards and making wine in Spain and Switzerland before moving to Napa Valley once again.
A friend connected Pellet with Norm McKibben, known as a “founding father” of Walla Walla’s wine industry. McKibben wanted Pellet to come to Washington and build a winery. So in 1998, Pellet packed up the house he’d recently bought in Napa and his family, including a new baby, and moved to Walla Walla. His plan was to stay two years, but 20 years later, he’s a pillar in the Washington wine community with no plans to go elsewhere.
Coming from a European background, Pellet has brought a wealth of experience from everywhere he has made wine, and the wines he makes reflect that knowledge. They are grown up, elegant, and complex. “I think what Europe teaches you is that it takes time to achieve what you want,” he said. “It’s like a human, the vineyards go through that youth and then the teenage years and then by the 10th or 12th years, you get pretty consistent.” Pellet brings some European patience to a young wine region.
Though he loves much about both the old and new world styles, for him Washington is the sweet spot between the two. “I think the wines still have the generosity of the new world, because it’s warm during the summer, but I think with the soil we have you have some nice mineral or earthy characteristics that can come out if you decide to showcase the intricacy.”
Javier Alfonso
Winemaker and Owner
Pomum Cellars and Idilico | Woodinville, WA
(Courtesy, Idilico Wine)
Although he was born in Sunnyside, Washington, to an American and a Spaniard, Alfonso was raised in the Ribera del Duero region of Spain until returning to Washington for college.
The Spanish side of his family has owned vineyards for generations, although they sold all of their Tempranillo grapes, never venturing into winemaking. “My Spanish family always thought that making wine was too complicated and did not realize that in actuality growing quality fruit is where most of the work and art lies,” said Alfonso. He worked with grapes in his youth but wasn’t interested in pursuing grape growing or winemaking as a career.
That changed when he met his wife, Shylah, at the University of Washington, and they began exploring Washington wine together, eventually beginning to make wine in their home in 2000. They founded Pomum Cellars in 2004 and moved production to Woodinville.
Pomum is known for their blends based on Bordeaux varietals, Syrah, and Riesling. While Alfonso is passionate about those grapes, he knew he wanted to find a way to bring his Spanish roots to Washington. “I’ve always known from my growing in Ribera del Duero that Spanish varieties and specifically those suited to the center of Spain where the continental climate is very similar to that of eastern Washington would perform well here. Around 2005 we began partnering with renowned Dineen (Zillah) and Upland (Sunnyside) vineyards to plant various clones of Tempranillo and a grape called Graciano. In 2009 we expanded our selection to include Albarino, Garnacha (Grenache) and Monastrell (Mourvedre), and we decided to spin off Idilico, a new brand dedicated exclusively to wines from Spanish grapes grown in Washington State.”
The Alfonso’s recently purchased a vineyard, which will allow Javier to follow in his family footsteps, taking the wine all the way through the process. For him, Washington is a wonderful place to make wine because the possibilities are endless. “I think Washington can create world class wine out of many varieties, not just Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, or Syrah but also Riesling, Chardonnay, Grenache, Mourvedre, and, I believe eventually, Tempranillo, Graciano and others to be discovered.”
Juergen Grieb
Head Winemaker and Owner
Treveri Cellars | Wapato, WA
(Courtesy, Treveri Cellars)
Growing up in Trier, Germany, you could say Grieb had winemaking in his blood. His father was a viticulturist and his family owned vineyards over two generations. It was a natural step for him to study winemaking and then begin to specialize in sparkling wine. It was that second apprenticeship that taught him the intricacies of Méthode Champenoise.
He moved to Washington State in the early 1980s, just as the Washington wine industry was beginning to gain traction, taking a winery job in Mattawa, Washington. “I had just finished my degrees in Germany, and was looking to challenge myself and see more of the world. It was definitely a different landscape, both literally and figuratively, compared to Germany and the history of winemaking there, but I was able to settle in, and I never left,” he said.
His background in German wine helped as he launched his own venture: Treveri Cellars, which remains the only winery focused exclusively on sparkling wine in Washington State. He celebrated the winery’s 10th anniversary this past fall. “Washington’s climate is really unique, and there’s a lot of opportunity to craft sparkling wines that reflect the different microclimates here. Many varieties that grow well in Germany are grown easily here as well, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to introduce our customers to sparkling Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau, among others. Unlike Germany, we have a lot of freedom in our winemaking because the production laws are not as strict, and I really appreciate the creativity it affords me,” Grieb said.
Still, sometimes structure is a gift. Grieb makes every sparkling wine in the Champenoise method, ensuring results of superior quality and elegance.
Now, with over 40 years in the industry, Grieb has spent much more time in Washington than he did in Germany, but those formative experiences have never left him. “My classical training in winemaking and sparkling winemaking has given me a unique ability to understand both Old World techniques and New World fruit,” he said. “My education has given me the tools to leverage the superior quality fruit coming out of Washington to make really exciting varietal sparkling wines.”
About Pepper Bridge Winery & Amavi Cellars
PEPPERBRIDGE
pepperbridge.comWALLA WALLA:
509.525.6502
1704 J.B. George Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362WOODVILLE:
425.483.7026
14810 NE 145th Street Building A-3
Woodinville, WA 98072VANCOUVER:
360.726.6119
677 W Columbia Way
Vancouver, WA 98660AMAVI CELLARS
amavicellars.comWALLA WALLA:
509.525.3541
3796 Peppers Bridge Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362WOODVILLE:
425.483.7026
14810 NE 145th Street Building A-3
Woodinville, WA 98072VANCOUVER:
360.726.6119
677 W Columbia Way
Vancouver, WA 98660About Pomum Cellars and Idilico Wine
POMUM CELLARS
pomumcellars.com
206.362.9203
18512 142nd Ave NE
Woodinville, WA 98072ICILICO WINE
idilicowine.comAbout Treveri Cellars
TREVERI CELLARS
trevericellars.com
509.877.0925
71 Gangl Road
Wapato, WA 98951
