The Pacific Northwest’s main wine firm introduces new winemakers for 2 of the area’s acclaimed manufacturers as two icons of winemaking retire
WOODINVILLE, Wash. (June 15, 2022) – Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the most important vineyard within the Pacific Northwest and the third-largest premium vineyard within the U.S., has introduced a number of modifications to its winemaking group, underneath the route of Chief Winemaker Juan Muñoz-Oca.
After 9 years as winemaker for Col Solare and 26 years with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Darel Allwine will retire on the finish of June.
Allwine joined the group at Col Solare in 2006 as a cellar grasp earlier than taking up as Head Winemaker in 2013. He has constantly crafted exceptional, critically acclaimed wines with premium fruit from the vineyard’s Crimson Mountain property.
“After I began my profession at Ste. Michelle 21 years in the past, I used to be launched to a degree of ardour, consideration to element, and dedication that I had not seen earlier than, three traits which are the muse of an important winemaker. Darel embodies all three,” mentioned Juan Muñoz-Oca, Chief Winemaker for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
“Through the years his craft advanced to a spot by which his wines are a truthful illustration of the place the place the grapes are grown. His skill to refine the at occasions forceful Crimson Mountain tannins whereas nonetheless showcasing what’s distinctive within the appellation is second to none. I can not thank Darel sufficient for the years we’ve got labored collectively. The legacy of the wonderful wines he’s made might be a part of the historical past of Col Solare and the Washington wine trade,” Muñoz-Oca continued.
A Washington State native, Allwine spent 20 years within the Air Mobility Command of the USA Air Power earlier than beginning his “second act” as a winemaker. His time within the Air Power included a stint in Germany the place he first turned all in favour of wine whereas touring the Mosel and the Rheingau. When he retired from the Air Power and returned residence, he answered an advert for a cellar employee at Columbia Crest Vineyard, and the remainder is as they are saying, historical past.
Stephanie Cohen, who has been working alongside Allwine at Col Solare since 2020, has been named Winemaker.
Working with premium grapes from Crimson Mountain was a serious draw for Cohen, “I like the intimate relationship with the winery that the property property offers,” she says of Col Solare. “The extraordinary concentrate on high quality, from the winery to the bottle, that comes with small manufacturing is unparalleled.”
Cohen holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the College of Michigan. She has held winery and cellar roles at wineries in New Zealand, California, Australia, and Oregon previous to becoming a member of Col Solare.
And, after practically 20 years on the helm of one among Oregon’s founding wineries, Gary Horner of Erath Vineyard, may even retire on the finish of the month.
With a Doctorate in Medical Pharmacy, the science of winemaking got here naturally to Horner. After changing into all in favour of wine and dabbling in making wine at residence, Horner determined to pursue winemaking professionally. In 1988 he left a prestigious place with a Seattle space analysis hospital to work on the bottling line at Bethel Heights Winery in Salem, Ore. for simply $6 an hour.
It was by his time with a handful of Oregon and Washington wineries––Bethel Heights, Witness Tree Vineyard, Washington Hills Vineyard, and Benton Lane Vineyard––that Horner honed the artwork and science of winemaking. In 2003, he joined Erath Vineyard, taking up as Head Winemaker from founder Dick Erath.
Since then, Horner has overseen important development for Erath, constructing an impressive portfolio of wines, and main the acquisition of two property vineyards, Willakia in 2014 and Knight’s Gambit in 2016. His wines have achieved a protracted record of spectacular scores and acclaim, together with cementing Erath’s place because the primary promoting Pinot Noir from Oregon.
When requested what he’s most happy with, Horner mentioned, “I’m proud as heck of our wines. Every one among them. I’m happy with the entire host of great people I’ve had the chance to work with and information. I’m endlessly grateful for his or her contributions to our success.”
Leah Adint has been named Head Winemaker for Erath. Adint is simply the third Head Winemaker in Erath’s 50-year historical past. She has held viticulture and winemaking roles at wineries in California, Australia, France, Switzerland, and Washington and holds a grasp’s diploma in Oenology from the College of Adelaide. Previous to becoming a member of the winemaking group at Erath in 2021, she was the touring winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle.
“Gary and Darel’s contributions to the wine group are immeasurable,” mentioned Muñoz-Oca. “They’ve been unimaginable mentors to this subsequent technology of winemakers. We’re indebted to them for sharing their ardour, data, and artistry with us these a few years. As we elevate a glass to them, we additionally toast to Leah and Stephanie, two powerhouse winemakers in their very own rights. We’re excited to see what these subsequent vintages will reveal of their distinctive palms,” he continued.
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates enjoys a powerful wealth of winemaking experience throughout its total portfolio:
- Ste. Michelle Wine Estates: Juan Muñoz-Oca
- Chateau Ste. Michelle: Katie Nelson
- Col Solare: Stephanie Cohen
- Columbia Crest: Will Wiles
- 14 Arms Vineyard: Keith Kenison
- Northstar Vineyard: David Merfeld
- Spring Valley Winery: Serge Laville
- Erath Vineyard: Leah Adint
- Conn Creek: Elizabeth DeLouise-Gant
- Patz & Corridor: James Corridor
- Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars: Marcus Notaro
About Col Solare
Col Solare is an equal partnership between two influential wine producers who’re acknowledged leaders of their respective areas: Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle and Italy’s Marchesi Antinori. From the inaugural 1995 classic, the mission of Col Solare has been to unite these two distinctive viticultural and winemaking cultures to provide a world-class wines from Washington State’s perfect winery websites. With the planting of the Col Solare property winery on Crimson Mountain in 2007, the imaginative and prescient of the companions has advanced to concentrate on showcasing the Cabernet Sauvignon of this famend appellation and, finally, the precise fruit of the property winery and the Crimson Mountain designation. For extra info on Col Solare, please go to www.colsolare.com.
About Erath Vineyard
Erath Vineyard, one of many pioneering wineries of Oregon’s Willamette Valley and the area’s main producer of Pinot Noir, has performed a serious position in establishing Oregon’s wine trade and cementing its repute as a world-class wine area. Now in its fifth decade of winemaking, Erath crafts wines that showcase the distinct character of their various winery websites and the distinctive qualities of every classic. For extra info on Erath, please go to www.erath.com.
About Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is the most important vineyard within the Pacific Northwest and the third-largest premium vineyard in the USA. With a distinguished historical past that dates to 1934, the vineyard now farms greater than 30,000 acres throughout Washington, Oregon, and California and distributes its wines in over 100 international locations. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates pioneered vinifera winegrowing in Washington and stays the driving drive behind viticulture and enology analysis within the state, together with the institution of the Washington State College viticulture and enology program and the development of the college’s analysis and instructing vineyard, now named the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Middle.
The Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio contains Chateau Ste. Michelle, 14 Arms Vineyard, Columbia Crest, Intrinsic Wine Co., Erath Vineyard, Patz & Corridor, Borne of Hearth, Northstar, and Spring Valley Winery, together with a number of different premium manufacturers. The vineyard additionally has partnerships with Marchesi Antinori (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Col Solare), Dr. Loosen (Eroica), and Michel Gassier and Philippe Cambie (Tenet). Ste. Michelle Wine Estates serves because the unique U.S. importer for Marchesi Antinori and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. For extra info, please go to www.smwe.com.
