Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington's Founding Winery, Releases History Book Chronicling Its 50-Year Contribution to the Wine Industry
Woodinville, Wash.
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington State’s founding winery, continues its year-long 50th anniversary celebration with the recent release of its coffee-table style history book, “Chateau Ste. Michelle: The First 50 Years (1967-2017).” The beautifully illustrated hardcover book, featuring more than 100 pages of Washington wine chronicles, details the rich story of the state’s wine industry and Chateau Ste. Michelle’s leadership in bringing it to the forefront of the American wine industry. While supplies last, the book will be available for purchase for $30 on site at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s wine shop or online at www.ste-michelle.com.
“Few could have imagined when our early Washington wine pioneers planted the first grape vines in a remote, dusty corner of Eastern Washington that it would ultimately lead to Chateau Ste. Michelle becoming one of the leading domestic wine brands sold in the United States,” Ste. Michelle Wine Estates President and CEO Ted Baseler said in the book’s foreword. “We hope you enjoy this tribute to Washington wine and Chateau Ste. Michelle, and develop a deeper appreciation for what makes Washington such an exceptional place to grow grapes and make world-class wine.”
Over the past 50 years, Chateau Ste. Michelle has become the number two premium domestic wine brand sold in the U.S (Nielsen-Dollars), with wines available in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. As a whole, Washington is also the nation’s number two producer of premium wine, with more than 60,000 planted acres, nearly 1,000 wineries, and 14 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). These successes have been due in large part to the cultivation and fostering from Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
The book, which illustrates its prolific history in the industry, also denotes how Chateau Ste. Michelle has fostered the trade and promoted continuous growth, through avenues such as its Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Washington State University Wine Science Center, as well as its Chateau Ste. Michelle Scholarship Fund. All proceeds of the “First 50 Years” book will benefit the Chateau Ste. Michelle Scholarship Fund, which has awarded 142 scholarships to support high-achieving, underrepresented minority college students throughout Washington, totaling $3.2 million since 2002. Students in the program, administered by the College Success Foundation, have an 85-90 percent graduation rate.
Chateau Ste. Michelle partnered with HistoryLink on the book, given its expertise and passion for researching and sharing the stories of Washington’s history. The book’s author, Peter Blecha, combed through the state’s meticulous archival records as well as the winery archives, in addition to conducting numerous interviews to tell the stories of the people and events that helped shape Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Washington state wine industry.
The book, now available online at www.ste-michelle.com/shop, is available for purchase for $30 as well as in-person at the Chateau Ste. Michelle wine shop at 14111 NE 145th St. The ISBN is 978-1-933245-47-8 and was edited by Chris Boutee with Company B, and designed by Paul Langland Design. The author of the book is Peter Blecha, and was produced by HistoryLink and Documentary Media LLC.
To follow along with other 50th anniversary updates, including the recent history book release from Chateau Ste. Michelle, please visit www.ste-michelle50th.com or follow Chateau Ste. Michelle on Instagram: @chateaustemichelle, Facebook: Ste. Michelle, Twitter: @stemichelle and the conversation at #CSM50.
About Chateau Ste. Michelle
Founded in 1934, Chateau Ste. Michelle pioneered vinifera grape growing in Washington State and has been producing classic European varietal wines under the Ste. Michelle label since 1967. The winery combines an ongoing dedication to research with a commitment to classic winemaking traditions. The winery owns 3,500 acres of vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Eastern Washington, including Canoe Ridge Estate and Cold Creek, which are LIVE and Salmon Safe certified. Chateau Ste. Michelle enjoys winemaking partnerships with some of the world’s most distinguished vintners. Col Solare is an alliance with Tuscany’s Piero Antinori, Eroica Riesling is a partnership with the Mosel’s Ernst Loosen and Tenet is a collaboration with Michel Gassier and Philippe Cambie of France. Chateau Ste. Michelle has received a long list of awards including 22 “Wineries of The Year” honors (Wine & Spirits) and 18 “Top 100 Wines” designations (Wine Spectator). Chateau Ste. Michelle also has a long history of giving back to the industry and community. The net proceeds from its popular Summer Concert Series helps fund its charitable giving program, which supports some 400 non-profit organizations annually, has provided more than $3 million for scholarships for high-achieving, low-income students at Washington universities, and supports the Viticulture & Enology Program at Washington State University.
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For further information:
Lynda Eller
media@ste-michelle.com
