The post Hospice du Rhône hones in on Walla Walla Valley was written by Great Northwest Wine. By Barbara Robertson Stoney Vine Vineyard is an estate planting in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater for Dusted Valley Vintners. (Richard Duval Images) When the internationally acclaimed Hospice du Rhône revealed its decision to stage its prestigious wine event in the Walla Walla Valley this year, it was met with excitement among lovers of Rhône varietals grown in the region. The choice reflects the organization’s commitment to growth, exploring and showcasing regions at the forefront of Rhône va ..read more

The post Puget Sound tasting rooms offer experiences with wine was written by Great Northwest Wine. Tinte Cellars operates a winery and tasting room in Woodinville, but owners Tim Gamble and Teresa Spellman Gamble opened a satellite tasting room in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. (Photo courtesy of Facebook) Tinte Cellars operates a winery and tasting room in Woodinville, but owners Tim Gamble and Teresa Spellman Gamble opened a satellite tasting room in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. (Photo courtesy of Facebook) Tinte Cellars operates a winery and tasting room in Woodinville, but own ..read more

The post Rising Star: Stephanie Cohen shines atop Red Mountain at Col Solare was written by Great Northwest Wine. Ohio native Stephanie Cohen made wine in California, New Zealand, Australia and Oregon prior to moving to Washington state in 2019 for a job at Columbia Crest. She transferred to Red Mountain a year later, and was promoted to head winemaker of Col Solare in June 2022. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Cohen) BENTON CITY, Wash. — Stephanie Cohen had a sense back in eighth grade that her career would be tied to fermentation. She remembers thinking during a tour of a Belgian brewery that t ..read more

The post The Wines that Made Us: Charlie Hoppes, Wine Boss and a 1980s Kiona Cab was written by Great Northwest Wine. Charlie Hoppes, owner and winemaker for Fidélitas Wines on Red Mountain, holds a bottle of his inaugural vintage, the 2000 Meritage. (Photo by Andy Perdue/Great Northwest Wine) RICHLAND, Wash. — The Charlie Hoppes we all know now, the one who soared through the ranks at Château Ste. Michelle, who started Fidélitas, the Wine Boss … was nearly Boeing-engineer Charlie Hoppes. A Plane Boss, at best. He majored in economics, with a minor in accounting at Eastern Washington Universit ..read more

The post Paul Champoux to stage tasting of 100-point wines by Quilceda Creek was written by Great Northwest Wine. Renowned grower Paul Champoux is donating a tasting experience surrounding his collection of six 100-point wines produced by Quilceda Creek Vintners as a fundraiser for the Washington Wine Industry Foundation. The vintages span two decades, and individual seats to the March 12 tasting in Prosser will become available during the WineVit conference in Kennewick. (Photo by Paul Champoux) PROSSER, Wash. — For those curious to taste a 100-point wine, storied grower Paul Champoux will ha ..read more

The post Bobby Richards turns 4 entries into 4 golds, best of show for storied Seven Hills Winery was written by Great Northwest Wine. Bobby Richards graduated from Oregon State University with a forestry degree before becoming the winemaker for Seven Hills Winery in the Walla Walla Valley. (Photo courtesy of Crimson Wine Group) WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Few jobs are as pressure-packed as working the line at a popular restaurant or the crush pad at a famous winery. For a couple of years, Bobby Richards somehow did both before turning in his apron and settling in at Seven Hills Winery in downto ..read more

The post The Wine Knows: An accidental wine expert was written by Great Northwest Wine. Andy Perdue conducts a regional tasting of Red Mountain reds during 2013 at the Fídelitas tasting room in Benton City, Wash. (Photograph by Eric Degerman / Great Northwest Wine) RICHLAND, Wash. — I never grew up thinking I’d one day be considered a wine expert. I have two distinct wine memories from growing up in a naval town west of Seattle. The first is a box of California red wine that my mom kept in our refrigerator. It might have even been labeled “Chillable Red.” The other is going to an Italian resta ..read more

The post Match Maker: Caprio Cellars delectably achieves perfection in Walla Walla was written by Great Northwest Wine. Dennis Murphy is owner/winemaker of Caprio Cellars, which he launched in 2008 using estate grapes from the Walla Walla Valley. (Richard Duval Images) WALLA WALLA, Wash. — There’s no question Dennis Murphy, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most successful home builders, has engineered a business model on a foundation of hospitality that’s delicious, disruptive and successful at Caprio Cellars. The proof can be found in a simple web search for Caprio Cellars. There are more than ..read more

The post Turning the Tables on Seattle wine writer Dana Van Nest was written by Great Northwest Wine. Dana Van Nest, a past-president for the Seattle chapter of the Association for Women in Communications, is a writer who reads on average approximately 70 books each year. (Photo courtesy of DanaVanNest.com) Editor’s note: Turning the Tables is an ongoing series of wine writer Q & A interviews conducted by Carl Giavanti, a longtime wine industry advocate based in Portland. We asked him to begin his collaboration with Great Northwest Wine by introducing Dana Van Nest, a new contributor, to o ..read more

The post The Wines that Made us: Seth Kitzke and Château de Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes was written by Great Northwest Wine. Seth Kitzke is the winemaker behind Upsidedown Wines and Kitzke Cellars, and his fascination with Rhône varieties includes work with WeatherEye Vineyard on Red Mountain and Konnowac Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills. (Richard Duval Images) RICHLAND, Wash. — Seth Kitzke spent the summers of his youth pruning vines at his family’s vineyard on Washington state’s Candy Mountain. While managing orchards north of the Sagemoor vineyards — Bacchus and Dionysus — Se ..read more