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Keyword(s): wsw

41 Features

Andersen, Joy (b. 1957)

Joy Andersen had no idea that a career in the wine industry was awaiting her as she completed her chemistry degree at the University of Washington. It wasn’t until she started her first job at C...

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Baseler, Theodor "Ted" (b. 1954)

Ted Baseler (b. 1954) grew up in Bellevue, graduated from Washington State University (WSU), and studied journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois. From there he worked at a series of advertis...

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Betz, Robert "Bob" (b. 1948)

Bob Betz (b. 1948) is a leader and pioneer in the Washington wine industry. After growing up in Seattle, he took several trips to Europe and fell in love with the culture of winemaking. He abandoned h...

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Boeing Employees' Winemakers Club

The Boeing Employees' Winemakers Club (BEWC) originally took flight as a hobbyist organization in 1971 when a small group of Seattle-based aeronautics coworkers, who were also amateur wine enthusiasts...

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Bookwalter, Jerrold "Jerry" (b. 1940)

Jerry Bookwalter (b. 1940) is a pioneer wine grower and winery owner who helped bring the Washington wine industry to prominence. He arrived from California in 1976 to manage Sagemoor Farms, which had...

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Champoux, Paul (b. 1949) and Judy (b. 1951)  

Paul and Judy Champoux owned and operated Champoux Vineyard from 1996 to 2014. Their love for grape growing, and each other, started in the 1980s when both worked for Chateau Ste. Michelle. With Paul ...

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Clubb, Martin "Marty" (b. 1957)

Martin Lanis (Marty) Clubb (b. 1957) is the co-owner and managing winemaker of the L’Ecole No 41 winery in Lowden, just west of Walla Walla. Marty and his wife Megan Clubb acquired the wine...

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Figgins, Gary (b. 1948)

Gary Figgins (b. 1948) launched the Walla Walla Valley wine industry in 1977 with Leonetti Cellar, the first of the Walla Walla wineries and long considered to be among the best. Figgins became famous...

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Golitzin, Alex (b. 1939)

Alex Golitzin (b. 1939) is a revered figure in Washington winemaking. Born in France, raised in California, and trained as an engineer, Golitzin was living in Snohomish and working at Scott Paper Comp...

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Gore, Doug (b. 1952)

Throughout his career, Doug Gore has shown that a passion for growing grapes and dedication to teamwork can not only make delicious wines but create a more accessible industry for everyone. Gore began...

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Griffin, Rob (b. 1953)

Rob Griffin (b. 1953) has been a winemaker in Washington since 1977. He arrived at age 23 from his native California to be the winemaker at Preston Wine Cellars near Pasco. He had a degree f...

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Holmes, Jim (b. 1936)

Jim Holmes may be the quintessential example of the type of person whose professional background prepared him to help found a successful vineyard and winery in a previously untested, and even unpromis...

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McKibben, Norm (b. 1936)

An Oregon boy who came up working construction and studied civil engineering in college, Norm McKibben became a can-do serial entrepreneur in the wine business. After retiring as president of a nation...

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Sauer, Mike (b. 1947)

The visionary behind Washington's esteemed Red Willow Vineyard is Mike Sauer (b. 1947), a farmboy from Toppenish who studied agricultural economics at Washington State University. After marrying fello...

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16 Timeline Entries

Large-scale irrigation of the Yakima Valley commences when water gushes into the Sunnyside Canal for the first time on March 26, 1892.

On March 26, 1892, large-scale irrigation of the Yakima Valley commences when water gushes into the Sunnyside Canal for the first time. A throng of spectators are gathered at the canal's headgates aft...

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St. Charles Winery is granted Washington's first post-Prohibition winery permit after the manufacture of wine is legalized on March 22, 1933.

On March 22, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Cullen-Harrision Act, legalizing the manufacture of beer and wine. The U.S. Alcohol Tax Unit -- forerunner of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacc...

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Upland Winery, the first winery in Washington to bottle its own European-style wines, is founded in November 1934.

In November 1934, William Bridgman starts Upland Winery, one of the first wineries in Washington to take advantage of the December 1933 repeal of Prohibition. Upland is the first bonded winery east of...

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Sagemoor in Pasco plants Washington's first large-scale commercial vineyard in 1972.

In the spring of 1972, Sagemoor manager John Pringle begins planting 280 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling vines on two of Sagemoor's vineyards, Sagemoor and Bacchus, situated...

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Ste. Michelle Vineyards' 1972 Johannisberg Riesling finishes first in a Los Angeles Times blind tasting of Rieslings on October 13, 1974.

On October 13, 1974, The Los Angeles Times announces the results of a wine competition sponsored by the newspaper in which a Riesling from Washington – Ste. Michelle Vineyards' 1972 Jo...

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Washington red wines burst onto the national scene when a Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla's Leonetti Cellar is named the best in the nation on December 14, 1982.

On December 14, 1982, Washington red wines burst onto the national scene when a Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla's Leonetti Cellar is named the best in the nation. The award is the result of a blin...

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Yakima Valley is designated the state's first American Viticultural Area (AVA) on March 23, 1983. 

On March 23, 1983, the U. S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms designates the Yakima Valley as the first federally recognized wine grape growing region in Washington and the first north of Cali...

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F. W. Langguth Winery, first foreign investor in Washington wine industry, releases its first bottlings on April 14, 1983.

On April 14, 1983, F. W. Langguth Winery unveils its first vintage of Washington wines at the annual KCTS Festival of Wines in Seattle. Langguth, a German winemaking behemoth, is the first major forei...

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Columbia Winery's release of Washington's first vineyard-designated wines is documented by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on July 25, 1984.

On July 25, 1984, Seattle Post-Intelligencer wine columnist Richard Kinssies writes about the newest releases from Columbia Winery. Among them are three 1981 Cabernet Sauvignons, the first W...

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Hogue Cellars 1983 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is named Best in Show at the Atlanta International Wine Festival on October 5, 1985.

On October 5, 1985, the 1983 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Hogue Cellars in Prosser wins Best in Show at the Atlanta International Wine Festival. The award is a stunning achievement for winery owner...

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Washington Wine Commission is approved by the Washington State Legislature on April 26, 1987.

On April 26, 1987, a bill approving creation of the Washington Wine Commission is sent to Governor Booth Gardner for his signature. The bill with its controversial funding plan has passed in the House...

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Columbia Winery releases Washington's first Syrah, inaugurating a new era in the state's red wine industry, on April 1, 1991.

On April 1, 1991, the Columbia Winery releases Washington's first Syrah, inaugurating a new era in the state's red wine industry. Columbia winemaker David Lake (1943-2009) uses Syrah grapes that he an...

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Taste Washington annual wine and food event debuts on April 19, 1998.

On April 19, 1998, the first Taste Washington, a celebration of Washington state wine and food organized by the Washington Wine Commission, is held at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. The inaugural f...

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On June 21, 2001, the Washington House of Representatives adopts a resolution declaring Walter Clore to be the "Father of the Washington Wine Industry."

On June 21, 2001, the Washington State House of Representatives adopts a resolution declaring Walter Clore (1911-2003) to be the "Father of the Washington Wine Industry." The resolution is sponsored b...

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