Columbia Winery

Columbia Winery
Location	Woodinville, Washington, USA
Appellation	Columbia Valley AVA
Formerly	Associated Vintners
Founded	1964[1]
Key people	Kerry Norton, Director of Winemaking; Tim Hightower, General Manager; Hal Hanifl, Assistant Winemaker
Parent company	Ascentia Wine Estates
Cases/yr	200,000
Known for	Red Willow Vineyards Syrah
Varietals	Riesling, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Sangiovese, Viognier, Chardonnay
Distribution	National
Tasting	Open Daily
Website	http://www.columbiawinery.com/

Columbia Winery is a Washington State winery located in Woodinville, Washington. The tasting room, main administrative offices and event facilities are located at 14030 NE 145th Street P.O. Box 1248 Woodinville, WA 98072. The winery production facility is located at 2310 Holmason Rd Sunnyside, WA 98944. Note: the production facility does not have a tasting room and has no tasting open to the general public.

The winery is currently owned by Ascentia Wine Estates. In June 2008, Columbia Winery (along with Covey Run Winery and other Constellation Brands wines) were sold by Constellation Brands to newly formed Ascentia Wine Estates.^[2] Ascentia Wine Estates is made up of eight brands- 1) Geyser Peak Winery, Sonoma County CA 2) XYZin (made at Geyser Peak) 3) Gary Farrell, Sonoma County CA 4) Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma County CA 5) Atlas Peak, Sonoma County CA 6) Columbia Winery, Sunnyside WA (production only) 7) Covey Run Winery, Sunnyside WA 8) Ste. Chapelle Winery, Caldwell Idaho.

Founded in 1962 by ten friends, six of whom were University of Washington professors, Columbia Winery is considered Washington State’s first premium winery. Originally known as Associated Vintners, the group was united in the belief that classic European Vinifera vines would thrive in the Washington climate and that fine wine could be made in Washington State. They began by making their wines in the garage of Dr. Lloyd Woodburne, Columbia Winery’s first winemaker, in the Seattle neighborhood of Laurelhurst.

The results far exceeded their expectations. "Those first years of the 1960s are the turning point in modern wine history" writes Hugh Johnson, one of the world’s most widely read and respected wine authorities. In his book “Vintage,” he pays tribute to the Associated Vintners and the industry they helped build in the Northwest, at precisely the same time that Californian winemakers were awakening to the possibility of making high-quality wine.

David Lake, Master of Wine, (1943–2009) joined Columbia Winery in 1979 as winemaker and continued the pioneering spirit of Columbia Winery’s founders. David Lake is credited with being one of the first Winemakers in the state of the Washington to produce varietal wines of Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris and in particular Syrah.^[3] David Lake also is most renowned for his experimentation with new varietals and for producing the first series of vineyard-designated wines in Washington.

In 1983, the winery released wines under its current name.^[4] In 1988, the winery moved to its current location in Woodinville Wine Country.

Due to failing health, David Lake retired from Columbia in 2006 and soon afterwards Kerry Norton joined Columbia Winery in early 2007 as Director of Winemaking. Prior to joining Columbia Winery, Norton served as winemaker for Covey Run Winery in Washington.

In 2008 after 20 years of wine production at the Woodinville facility, operations were moved to Sunnyside WA. Sunnyside Washington is located in the Yakama Valley AVA of Eastern WA. This now is where all of Columbia's wines are produced. This move was made in order to help improve the overall quality of the fruit delivered to the production facility, thus helping improve the overall quality of the wines produced.

Winemaking

Today, Director of Winemaking Kerry Norton honors the Columbia Winery tradition by crafting highly-acclaimed wines from Washington state. Wines from Columbia Winery exhibit the rich fruit flavors indicative of Washington from the refreshing Cellarmaster Riesling to the rounded berry-filled Merlot to the smokey Syrah, you will find that each wine has a superb balance of fruit and acidity to complement any meal or occasion.

Core Series

Columbia Winery's Core Series of popular varietals has achieved distinction for their outstanding quality and superior value. Made from grapes sourced from the finest vineyards in Washington's Columbia Valley, these wines showcase the quality of Washington State as a premier wine grape-growing region.

Wines included are as follows- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cellarmaster’s Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Gris, and Syrah. These wines are widely distributed and are available in many states outside of Washington.

Vineyard Designate Series

Columbia Winery's Vineyard Designate Series are wines that express the unique growing conditions that exist within a handful of vineyards that consistently produce outstanding wines.

Wines included are as follows- Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Willow Milestone Merlot, Red Willow Sangiovese, Red Willow Syrah, Otis Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Otis Vineyard Chardonnay Block 6, and Wyckoff Vineyard Chardonnay.

Small Lot Series

Columbia Winery's Small Lot Series are wines produced exclusively for our wine club and tasting room. Produced in quantities of a few hundred cases, these wines allow our winemakers to experiment with winemaking techniques and/or new varietals.

Wines included are as follows- Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Milestone Red, Peninsula, Dry Style Riesling, Ice Wine, Rose’ of Sangiovese, Red Willow South Chapel Syrah, Unoaked Chardonnay, and Viognier.

Stone Cutter Series

Columbia Winery's Stone Cutter Series pays tribute to Winemaker Kerry Norton's twin passions, winemaking and lapidary work. This limited-production series of wine are produced exclusively for our Cellar Club at Columbia Winery.

Wines included are as follows- Breccia, Lapis, Opal.

Vineyards

Columbia Winery currently does not own any vineyards of its own, but has maintained long-term contracts with several Growers and Vineyards in the Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley and surrounding areas. Some of these Vineyards are listed as follows.

Columbia winery harvest grapes from several vineyards in Eastern Washington including

• Red Willow Vineyard-Yakima Valley AVA. At 1,300 feet (400 m) above sea level, this is the highest vineyard in the Yakima Valley.^[5] Planted with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah, and Viognier.

The most celebrated red wine vineyard in Washington, Red Willow lies in the remote northwestern corner of the Yakima Valley Appellation. Mt. Adams’ 12,000-foot peak and the Cascade foothills rise to the west. There are no other vineyards within 20 miles. It is a fairly warm site (mid-region 2 on the old UC Davis scale). At high elevations – 1,100 to 1,300 feet – Red Willow has complex soil formations and steep hillsides.

• Otis Vineyard-Rattlesnake Hills AVA. First vineyard in Washington state planted with Pinot Gris, and home to the oldest currently producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines.^[6]

Established in 1957 by Otis Harlan, Otis Vineyard is one of the most celebrated vineyards in Washington State. Located in the Yakima Valley on the lower slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills, Otis boasts some of the oldest vines in the state and cultivates several varietals of outstanding character including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Wyckoff Vineyards-Rattlesnake Hills AVA. Planted with Chardonnay.

Located in the heart of the Yakima Valley north of Prosser, Wyckoff Vineyard is composed of several vineyard blocks that lie on the southwest facing slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills. The vineyard grows Chardonnay for Columbia Winery.

See also

• Washington wine

References

1. ^ Tom Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 15 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0-9719258-5-2
2. ^ PR Newswire article via Bnet, June 10, 2008
3. ^ Tom Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 15 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0-9719258-5-2
4. ^ Tom Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 11 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0-9719258-5-2
5. ^ Tom Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 37 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0-9719258-5-2
6. ^ Columbia Winery Otis Vineyard