Washington State winemakers: “pushing boundaries and challenging traditions”
BC Wine Lover welcomes this contribution from BJ Oudman, wine writer and BC Wine Ambassador. She takes on a tour of her recent experience at Taste Washington.
North of the border, the market does not sell a lot of wines from Washington, but those that do make it to our shelves have a reputation for being robust, tannic, and structured reds. But some game changers in the state are breaking that stereotype. One of them, JJ Williams from Kiona Vineyards says his goal is “to make red wines you can see through.” He proudly boasts that Kiona is the largest producer of Lemberger in the Western hemisphere.
I recently attended Taste Washington, the nation’s largest annual single-area food and wine event. Nightly winemaker dinners and special events were on the agenda leading up to the Grand Tasting at Lumen Field. Over 200 wineries and 50 restaurants showcased their products to ticket holders both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
In addition to events, six seminars took place on the weekend mornings. I was excited to attend Game Changers: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Traditions. Moderated by Maryam Ahmed, owner of Maryam + Company and 2022 winner of a Wine Enthusiast Future 40 2022 Wine Star, the panel consisted of five Washington wine professionals, each with their own, yet collaborative goals of challenging tradition. “We need tradition, we are working with it,” emphasized Maryam, “but we have a different set of goals, a different vision.”
One focus for all of the panelists was on sustainable winemaking practices, from being good stewards of the land through less conventional farming to improving how their employees are treated. “When we know better, we can do better” stated Shae Frichette, from Frichette Winery, referring to sharing data and best practices with fellow winemakers. Versatility in farming is critical due to the warming climate, with a transition to more and more Spanish and southern French varietals occurring. “The future of Washington wine is in acreage-specific wines and acreage contracts instead of tonnage contracts. Winemakers are moving to more intentionality, and less commodity-driven decisions, farming the grapes specifically to what the purchaser wants them for,” proclaimed Matt Austin from Grosgrain Vineyards. “We need to focus more on the land, dirt, the terroir. We are starting to see consumers choosing the vineyards, not just the varietal,” chimes in Jackson Rohrbaugh, MS, owner of Crunchy Red Fruit, an online subscription wine club.
There are other reasons JJ feels strongly about planting new varietals. “Wineries that rely on investor funding and have debt don’t have the freedom that solvent businesses have. Cabernet pays the bills. But we used controlled linear growth, we have no debt, and we can do the things we want.” He added, “Unique varietals are a feature, not a flaw. Weird and lesser-known wines have built-in SEO, and for Gen X and Z, it’s not just about what is in the bottle, but about its Instagramability.” Everyone else on the panel agreed. “There is also a bias to varietal,” explained Shae. “Our best-selling flight in the tasting room is the mystery flight, which removes that bias, helps people discover their new favourite wine.”
Even the way that wine is described is changing. “Wine has carried European colonial language since its beginning. We are trying to use a more open lexicon in describing wine to become more inclusive of different backgrounds,” says Jackson. Going beyond just using words, each of his box releases comes not just with a food recipe, but a song to pair it with. “We are not telling people what to eat or what to listen to when they drink wine, we are just helping to build some context, to make wine more personal, especially for wine club members.”
With more than 900 wineries, with most selling wine Direct to Consumer (DTC), standing out is vital. Fiona Mak from SMAK Wines does just that, producing only roses. Her idea was born in France, where rose is not just a beverage, but a lifestyle. “I am challenging the stereotype that rose is just a summer sipper. I make seasonal roses and each one emulates the season it is released in.” Not only do the wines change in style, but she changes the entire feel of the tasting room quarterly, from the decor to the artwork. “We live by the season in the PNW, and I want to mirror that with my wine.”
Along with the engaging dialogue facilitated by Maryam, a professional conversation starter, eight wines were open for tasting. Each winemaker had at least one of their wines represented, whether their own label or from the fruit they grew from other winemakers also present in the room. Jackson puts it well when he explains the goal of Crunchy RedFruit, “Wines have stories to tell. We’re after the ones that speak.” This room of Game Changers was full of passionate words, lively debate…and some really great wine.
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BJ Oudman is a western Canadian freelance writer with interests in an active lifestyle, travel, food, and beverages from coffee to cocktails. She left her professional career as a physical therapist in Calgary, Alberta after 30 years to spend her time in Vancouver and the Okanagan. She has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, and the Americas. She has her Level 2 ISG certification as well as BC Wine Ambassador Levels 1 and 2. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter @bjoudman.