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Kerry Shiels, winemaker for Côte Bonneville, breaks down the latest wine trends coming out of Washington and her family-owned winery.
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An out of -- how cool would that be.
-- seal it up with us right now wind maker wouldn't awesome title by the way at the caught Bonneville winery on Washington State's yes thank you -- amazing story in before we start talking about Washington -- because you like myself.
We were once an engineer yes retired mechanical engineer C I was -- I -- actually get very far of that because when I found soils on my transcripts -- school.
A called Thomas and this engineering things on -- work -- after.
But you know what it's like numbers.
Look at their books -- look at it data rulers of the food and could do it.
Well shocking we excel and numbers are huge part of my life still -- that now -- OK so your family.
Openness vineyard back in 1992 my correct in saying that yet we -- -- -- -- -- was used to be a traveler care there was president of the state retrofit these.
Name them but the -- never did well so we tore up the orchard and -- groups see you family though you're down had finished.
Is residency because and they why did the aliens in Washington State.
Will they really like react -- -- They wanted to be in the Pacific northwest they wanted to be in a rural setting.
And they really love the fact that.
There was agriculture there was space there were birds.
The people in the abnormality are just phenomenal and it's a great place to let's say -- -- -- apple orchard which is not producing apples and their like.
Embellish I want.
Well actually started.
A different property we're -- areas located and they planet Concord grapes the -- so they've grown it they had -- -- -- for awhile.
And they needed Concord grapes and asparagus but that's not a good site for wine -- so five miles -- the road they ended up buying the southern property.
To put going to -- And that and the it's so different temperaturewise solo wise five miles away mad crazy yeah -- lot YNYS.
-- -- -- is emerging.
As you know this up -- -- when it comes wine definitely why is that.
Well it's a young industry.
For the US in general is a very old Missouri it it's not that cold having -- -- me ask.
It's really warm in the summer we have really long day as our days -- two hours longer than there in the Napa Valley for example because we're so much further north.
But -- night's are nice and cool so we still have a nice acidity.
And then excellence really -- -- See apparent start this they start producing -- if you take off you go be an engineer adore you looking yourself feel like I can't be ignored anymore I'm with you and that's -- -- mutual -- that's -- -- The -- and you like I'm gonna.
You know I mean my first -- at thirteen hot.
And I grew up in tasting groups with people who were winemakers who really helped found the Washington -- industry.
And so it's always been a part of my life and I got to the point where I was going to factory in morning and -- like you know we're going to factory.
Going to the office sitting my cubicle going in the factories like you.
Why just no better than cars and -- -- and -- where -- went to -- movement that.
So you went back -- -- your masters rating UC Davis rate because like I said I mean reference point of thirteen and it was fun drinkable it was horrible rates while that your thirteen everything is unthinkable and marvel at thirteen well.
Cool hand and then really you can get -- terrible but I need to know that anybody can make point but not everybody can make great wines consistently.
And it article estimate -- class minds we think we can do -- and we believe we can do in Washington State we have one of the best vineyards in the state of Washington.
And we really have the potential to -- world class wines so I didn't want to muck it up.
I wanted to see you when it learned some -- hands and -- even traveled you went to Australia went to Argentina and and I -- in California for a few years.
It -- is such a long term product it takes for years to make these bottles right and then it takes another.
They're -- -- area to the winds so how do you know what that's gonna tastes like unless you have the experience.
And that the sensory matrix really to say if I do this in the joint hearing this is the outcome this is -- -- it it is a business of patients is -- Definitely still okay see you -- I'm back home and here we are now in Washington and you are making great -- because I've seen -- their views on these things why do you think and then there's this.
Priced above average is that -- -- some of them.
Not an expense -- OK still.
Bruce Walton why that's racket why not -- you know.
Why -- do the Gallo twin dollar bottle wine -- why not go in that world to start out well we have.
45 acres of vineyards planted everything we do in the vineyard is by hand we actually have an all female crew -- -- -- -- with us for years.
-- -- amount -- -- locker -- excellent so and we can't we can't afford maker of the grapes we can't afford to make the winds are expensive points to make the that -- by the label -- a 100% different -- Canada thousand euros a barrel.
You just you can't afford.
To not charge more you can't afford not charged -- -- I understand that OK so what so let me ask you this.
Because of the region and learning about wind hear me okay -- clearly something is produced better than others.
What's the best great that's coming out of Washington State right now or are they all -- That's interesting thing about Washington is that we have so many micro climates and we have so much variation in soil.
That there is sex of the range of things that we can do well.
Wines made from our vineyard actually and leader of six -- -- have been shown to critics all over the world that have been -- -- London.
And Steven Spurrier is comment was how can these all come from the -- figured.
And those weren't our clients that they were another winemaker who makes who makes -- former -- and vineyard designate them.
Mean there's not a lot of places in the world where you can -- world class -- right next to -- and -- and but because.
That's the geography and then the aspects in the way that -- -- -- -- qualities of Washington State we can grow a lot of different things really well.
OK and so let's talk about what you brought us here basically runs one of everything yeah well do you have a favorite.
And everybody says it's like asking your favorite and I announce I'm not gonna ask you could the president -- for their own kids went okay.
But what do you pace and closed my sister and -- having -- -- today off some really -- different.
IC couldn't what is your favorite.
You know very very different -- of the reds -- That's the difference between the two reds that we make the most of the company carriage house of their differently at fifty yards apart of it -- at eight.
They have totally different -- I think it's so wild so it's really all about Washington State that's really making these rocks are wants -- now what's what's your best seller -- asking that.
We make amounts the carriage house -- -- but.
A thousand cases of the cared how delighted that there a chance the carriage house is a blend of -- -- and -- from sentiment.
They're in only a thousand hasten the -- you know mean make a lot of this -- -- -- -- out of the -- and that's the most unique and -- -- cases -- I made the late harvest -- on the -- I mean 78 cases of you can but we don't do it every year it's -- -- buffer size clusters so there's.
An organism that affects the grapes and causes and in Tripoli dehydrated.
See you don't get a lot of juice out of them but the flavors really really intense and so it's like a -- -- style -- Our -- triple Grassley isn't there no actually the style -- with us.
Which is -- really unique product -- like airline if I want to save it from here sitting here in Manhattan.
Well you can ask for that.
I had.
Lunch with a couple of restaurant person when -- today and so and we'll be seeing more throughout -- -- here but if you like to ask your favorites on masculine -- It's sold in around the country that we can I get -- -- -- website.
You can't order -- the website because liquor license and very nice you've been sitting on the moment but you can caller.
You called.
They'll be near my mom because of my mom my dad and I do everything so.
Really the -- -- dynamic staff.
Among them myself.
If you -- that you -- all women crew in the earlier in the vineyard and how many of those it varies depending on the time of the year we'll have we have 45 now we're -- -- get up to twelve during harvest C don't break twenty employees ever.
No.
It's a small family doesn't I think it's amazing sorry about now are you hear you say there is this a little blip on the road to figure out what to do with your life.
And not figured out what I wanted to my line here and I -- in engineering because I liked me things in -- in line and people love it and and there's nothing else like -- -- that -- get those phone calls right after Christmas you say you need my Christmas he made my birthday.
Which is so cool.
