Summer has arrived in the Pacific Northwest with a fizzle instead of a bang. No fireworks, no Bumbershoot, no Seafair, no fun. But wait...can that be true when there is still wine? Pandemics come and go, but wine is forever.
Bellevue Lifestyle checked in with a few of our favorite neighbors, who are also winemakers, to learn about how their business has changed, who they admire, and what and when they are drinking at home these days (spoiler alert: early and often). These neighbors take their customers and their wine business seriously, but as a group they have big sense of humor and a huge heart for people and community leaving no room for wine snobs in this ‘hood.
Bellevue Lifestyle chatted with Clyde Hill neighbor Damon Huard of Passing Time Winery, Yarrow Point friends Ron and Marianne Lachini of Lachini Vineyards, Medina’s Ross Mickel of Ross Andrew Winery, and Dane Narbaitz with Longshadows Vintners, also Clyde Hill.
As cities and states across the country cautiously reopen, winemakers have navigated local stay-at-home orders by making necessary and nimble pivots to their customer service models. “The ways people are purchasing wine is a sign of the times. Offering a curbside pick up option is a good way of connecting (safely) with our customers during these odd times,” says Damon Huard, of Passing Time Winery. All of the winemakers agree that social media and online platforms have led to new offerings such as virtual tastings and estate tours. Lachini Vineyards has done a virtual Rose’ release, and partnered with local restaurants to produce “Family Date Night.” And while online ordering is now an integral system, Huard says old school phone calls are equally important. Lachini says some customers order weekly “almost like Instacart, and get a kick out of the owners (Marianne and I) doing deliveries alongside a few of our staff.” Longshadows Vintners offers virtual tastings until their tasting room can reopen beyond curbside pick up, and Ross Mickel, delivers Ross Andrew Wines directly to customers “blue-gloved and masked up.” He also stays connected with customers through ZOOM and Microsoft Teams.
Summer 2020 plans are in flux both personally and professionally for all of the winemakers, but they are staying positive and flexible while maintaining certain wine time rituals. Huard is drinking earlier in the day and Dane Narbaitz says “Customers are consuming more wine than ever and opening bottles earlier in the day than usual, because ‘it just feels right.’” Meanwhile, Mickel says his favorite way to consume a favored bottle is “by pouring it in my glass, then down my gullet.” This is presumably the same method he uses when he “takes summer in the Berkshires, or off the coast of Nantucket in my red shorts.” (If you know Ross, this makes perfect sense and is total fiction) Lately he feels lucky to have friends who offer curbside pick up for the pizza’s they produce in their wood-fired oven.
Ron and Marianne Lachini will miss participating in the usual summer auctions, and focused tastings for trade and consumers as well as the usual events they host in their Woodinville Tasting room and at their Estate vineyard, in Newberg, Oregon. Narbaitz is a fan of Marymoor Park summertime concerts because its a great venue AND they sell wine. “Unfortunately its looking Iike it will be a long time before we enjoy that pairing again.”
With more time at home there is a lot of conversation (and consumption) of comfort foods. We asked the winemakers to reveal their favorite pairings and the results were across the menu; with sushi and short ribs getting double votes. Narbaitz likes Riesling and fried foods or sushi, Mickel is into slabs of butter on sourdough with whatever wine is in his glass (currently Pinot Gris), Ron Lachini craves a great Barolo or Pinot Noir/Burgundy with something braised, and Huard digs a burger with Beecher’s flagship or beef short ribs with a glass of Horse Heaven Hills.
One thing they all agree on is that everyone should trust their own palate. Narbaitz says “if you like it, its good! If you don’t, it’s not...regardless of what others may think.” Mickel cuts to the chase and advises “Drink more of what you love and less of what you dont.”
The journey to becoming a winemaker includes mentors, mistakes and meeting and learning from lots of people. It can be a bumpy ride; Huard recalls a lesson he learned early on;
“At age 28 I thought I was pretty much a wine expert…. That was until my friend and teammate Drew Bledsoe put two glasses of the same wine in front of me and in front of a number of our NE Patriot teammates. I went on to describe the wines and told the group that the first glass was definitely a Cabernet and was well balanced and had a long finish. Glass 2 I said was either a merlot, or some old world wine that did not do much for my palate. Sure enough Drew revealed the brown bagged wine to the party and that both glasses were indeed the same wine. Yes I was humbled and had a long way to go with my wine knowledge. LOL.”
Narbaitz talks about his wine hero Robert Mondavi. “He was a visionary and pioneer who brought worldwide recognition and acclaim to the wines of Napa Valley and the United States. Prior to Long Shadows, I spent four years working for the Robert Mondavi Winery as Northwest Region Manager for their luxury wine division.
For Lachini, winemaking is all in the family. “My great grandparents made wine when I was a little kid and that experience along with the family meal most likely defined our transition into this industry. When I was in my mid-20’s, I was fortunate to taste four of the legendary 1961 Bordeaux first growths … had a next door neighbor who introduced me to the finer side of aged Grand Cru Burgundies and regular visits to Napa & Sonoma along with travels to Tuscany, Greece and Spain lit my fire. Our dream has always been to live our lives around our values and create a generational business.”
Huard is a fan of Washington wine pioneers Paul Champoux, Norm McKibbon, Chris Camarda and Charlie Hoppes, but his ultimate hero is close to home “I have the best winemaker on the planet in Chris Peterson.” Mickel on the other hand doesn’t hold out for experience or even a trusted palate. His hero is this writer, the novice wine drinker Heija Nunn, because he is weird like that.