Posts by Cougar Digital

One unintended consequence of paving your front yard, and turning that space into a bonded winery, are fruit flies. Those pesky little buggers swarm the covered and fermenting bins of fruit, first in the tens, then hundreds, and finally in the thousands. This wouldn’t be so bad, but we live here. They infest our house and buzz about the kitchen where I spend too much time whacking at them with tea towels, trying to fish the little pests out of my glasses of wine. They have worn my nerves down. They persist even though all the fruit is gone and the wine is safely tucked away in barrels. The remnants of them are still finding their way to my kitchen sink, taunting me. Finally, it happened, they are gone! The thing that finally took them out: Absolute bitter cold! Ordinarily, I’m not a fan of cold or inclement weather. I just prefer warm weather. Today though, I must admit, that I’m glad to be rid of those flying vermin!

The second unintended consequence of paving your front yard and turning it into a bonded winery: You now have to compete with your kids for this space. Turns out to be a really good place to ride bikes, roller skate, skateboard, and play with remote-controlled cars. My son turned seven in November. He received the coolest remote-controlled car ever and immediately started racing it around on the smooth newly asphalted driveway. This is also the space that I use to do barrel work. Which means operating a forklift. Not more than five minutes had passed, when my son began racing around his new toy, dodging, barrel racks and the moving forklift, laden with full barrels of wine. Then the unthinkable happened. I ran over the shiny new toy! A look of disbelief crept over his face, the tears welled up, and a whaling scream of agony and terror slipped from his lips. I felt horrible, but I couldn’t let on. Instead, I yelled at him, how could he not know I wouldn’t run over his toy? It’s not that I did it on purpose, but I’m working here, and not paying attention to his shenanigans. I later hugged him and told him I was sorry. I think his mom even bought him a new car.

Baby It’s Cold Outside! We are in the midst of a Polar Vortex. That sounds so cool, but as near I can tell it means that all the cold air that belongs in the Arctic shifts itself to where I’m at. This is bad! I might be mostly Scandinavian, but I like it warm! All my nice warm air went up to the North Pole. This is problematic on many levels. First of all, if it gets too cold the grape buds freeze that contain next year’s crop; that’s bad for everyone who loves to drink wine. Secondly, it makes living here and working outside really miserable, which is bad.

Cat and I wanted to do some barrel work on my paved front yard, but the forklift wouldn’t budge on the ice. We ended up, going old school, and siphoning and topping with a pitcher. Took us all day! Turns out that smooth tired forklifts are fair-weather vehicles. I never thought I would say this, but it looks like forklifts and I have something in common.

I remember as a kid my dad trying to teach me how to back up a trailer.  That was a disaster!  It wasn’t until I was an adult, and my dad was long gone, that I had occasion to back up a trailer.  I was apprehensive but found that it wasn’t that hard after all.  Maybe something my dad was yelling at me sunk in, or maybe it’s just not that hard.  Whichever, I certainly have had the opportunity to hone my skills.

Since starting a winery at my home, which is located at the end of a thousand-foot driveway, and possesses a turnaround that can barely accommodate a three-point turn in a passenger car. The only access to my cute little winery tucked away at the end of this long driveway is to back a truck and trailer in every time.  Often this must be done in the dark, and to make matters worse the driveway pitches slightly up for three hundred feet, then down for seven hundred. When I’m backing a load in the dark and crest the hill in the driveway, I’m backing by brail.  There are a few moments when I have no idea where I am, and the running lights on the trailer just aren’t adequate to guide me in the dark.

Then there is the matter of me bringing things down and pulling them out, at all manner of day and night.    We are not just talking about normal things that you see coming and going in a normal suburban neighborhood.  No, I have my trailer loaded with bins, filled with grapes, of the finest quality.  Sometimes, it is racks and racks of beautiful French Oak barrels, filled with the finest red wine, which I’m transporting in and out.  Other times, I have my trailer stacked high with cases and cases of finished wine, on its way to the tasting room and your table.  Just today I brought home a 1000 gallon fully jacketed stainless steel wine fermenter.  Polished stainless steel, variable capacity, and glycol ready.   It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.  I wonder what my neighbors think of the strange goings on?  Maybe they don’t even notice!  They certainly notice as I’m blocking the highway, maneuvering the truck and trailer into the driveway.

Flint

Washington’s newest winery opens its doors May 7 in the cradle of the state’s wine industry.

In many ways, Wit Cellars has come together remarkably fast – from an idea last summer to 1,300 cases of production next week.

But in other ways, the winery owned by Flint Nelson, Carolina “Cat” Warwick and Gina Adams-Royer has been a quarter-century in the making.

Wit Cellars is at 2880 Lee Road, Suite A, not far from such wineries as Hogue Cellars, Alexandria Nicole Cellars and Mercer Estates.

All three of the Wit Cellars owners worked for nearby Kestrel Vintners for several years – Nelson was the head winemaker there for a dozen, and Warwick worked in various capacities for seven. Last summer and fall, they parted company with the winery, and it was just in time to buy some grapes and make some wine.

When Wit Cellars opens May 7, the three will be pouring eight wines – a remarkable amount for a winery that didn’t exist until last fall’s harvest. And they have managed to get into some of Washington’s top vineyards, including Evergreen, Olsen, Elephant Mountain and Gamache.

The trio sees this entire odyssey as part of the good karma that flows through the genial Washington wine industry.

“In every aspect – from offering goods and supplies and money and space – it’s been remarkable,” Nelson told Great Northwest Wine. “Everyone has helped.”

Nine months ago, Nelson was at, well, wit’s end. He was burned out and wishing he wasn’t in the wine industry. Not good for someone who’s been at it for as long as he has. But the journey of creating Wit Cellars and seeing how so many have surrounded the little winery has brought back his trademark smile.

“It’s completely come back,” he said. “It’s restored my faith in the wine industry. I have to admit, I was feeling a bit down on the whole thing and wishing I’d made a different career choice. But everything that’s happened in the last six months has made me really proud and happy to be where I’m at again.”

From WSU to Wit Cellars

Nelson’s journey as a winemaker began in 1991 when he graduated from Washington State University with a degree in food science and horticulture. From Pullman, he landed a job at Columbia Crest, where he worked for Joy Andersen, the longtime winemaker who oversees Snoqualmie Winery for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.

From there, he worked at Hogue Cellars for four years, learning from such winemakers as David Forsyth and Rob Griffin. Then he went to Paul Thomas Wines, where he worked with David Lake and Dave Crippen. Then he worked alongside Brian Carter at Apex Cellars before landing at Kestrel Vintners.

Warwick got her start at Apex Cellars, working in hospitality before catching the winemaking bug. She worked there for several years until Owen Roe took over the Apex facility in Sunnyside. There, she worked in every department from human resources to the cellar. Near the end of her stay there, she was named associate winemaker.

During her stay at Owen Roe, she began taking night classes at Yakima Valley Community College to earn a winemaking degree. She was the first graduate of the program in 2009.

From there, she went to Kestrel, where she again worked in every job she was asked to perform. Ultimately, Warwick landed in the cellar as Nelson’s assistant winemaker.

“We’ve been working closely together for almost four years,” Warwick said. “We’re a pretty good team. We do whatever it takes.”

Adams-Royer landed at Kestrel in 2012 working retail and helped run the winery’s tasting rooms in Prosser, Leavenworth and Woodinville.

Now the three have teamed up to create Wit Cellars – and it doesn’t look like anything can stop them.

Launching Wit Cellars

When the trio decided to create Wit Cellars, the pieces quickly fell into place. Grapes became available from top vineyards. Investors showed up to help in any way the could. Friends and family pitched in.

Their 1,100-square-foot tasting room is now equipped with a bar that Nelson created from scratch. It features barrel staves and a concrete top.

They came up with the name “Wit Cellars” as an acronym for “Whatever It Takes,” and that is their attitude for getting the winery launched. In fact, all three have fulltime jobs to make ends meet until they start selling wine.

Nelson teaches winemaking at YVCC. Warwick works full time at Owen Roe’s tasting room up the valley in Wapato. And Adams-Royer works for Wine O’Clock, a tasting room and restaurant on the other side of Prosser.

And they all have families. Warwick has three children and is going to college full time to earn her bachelor’s degree. Nelson’s wife, Katie, is a winemaker for Charles Smith Wines, and the two have young children. Adams-Royer and her husband, a U.S. Marine who has served three deployments, have four children.

Whatever it takes, indeed.

“I hope that in a year, my life isn’t so crazy,” Nelson said with a laugh.

Regardless, the three know they will be successful at this venture. After making an announcement on Facebook in late March, more than 50 people signed up to be in the wine club – without ever tasting a drop.

When they open, their Wit Cellars wines will include: Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, a rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend. They’ll also be releasing under Nelson’s separate Mazzacano Cellars label a Grenache and another red blend. Prices will range from $17 to $40.

Most of their wine will be sold directly to consumers, though the three will likely distribute small amounts to wine shops and restaurants as needed.

They also already are planning a second tasting room in Woodinville. Though details have to be ironed out, they foresee this happening in the not-too-distant future.

And if that happens, “We can sell all the wine we need to support ourselves,” Nelson said. “We’ll never be rich, but we’ll be happy.”