Columbia Crest Winery Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

Paterson, Wash.

Columbia Crest winery will celebrate its 25th anniversary of being open to the public this year. In June 1983, the winery and visitor center were officially dedicated and opened to the public. At the time, the winery represented a $26 million investment in the future of Washington state winemaking. Today, Columbia Crest is Washington state’s largest winery and continues to be one of America’s most popular wines and a leader in the industry.

In honor of its 25th anniversary, the winery will host the “Columbia Crest Silver Solstice” celebration on Saturday, June 21, 2008. The event, which goes from 12 – 4 p.m., will include food and wine pairings, live music, vertical tastings, and much more. More details can be found on the Columbia Crest Web site (www.columbia-crest.com) in the coming weeks.

“The 1983 Grand Opening for Columbia Crest winery was an exciting day,” said Doug Gore, who was Columbia Crest’s first winemaker, and is now senior vice president of winemaking and viticulture for parent company Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. “Attendees included members of the community, media, industry partners, and state dignitaries; everyone was buzzing about the growth of the new industry in the state. The energy and excitement at the Grand Opening foreshadowed the tremendous success the winery and industry experienced in the years following the opening.”

Since coming to Washington more than 25 years ago, Gore has watched the region grow from 20 wineries to more than 540 wineries in the state. Gore is considered one of the pioneering winemakers in the Washington wine industry.

Ray Einberger, who succeeded Gore as head winemaker in 2003, was attracted to Washington because of the similarities between French and Washington state vineyards. In his pre-Columbia Crest career, Einberger was Maître de Chai for Napa Valley’s Opus One and also worked in the cellars of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Chateau Clerc Milon in France.

“The first time I tasted Columbia Crest’s wines, I was impressed by the fruit expression,” said Einberger. “The reds showed purity of fruit and tremendous character but at the same time had the soft, balanced tannins and complexity that I had seen in France. I knew Washington state was the new frontier for winemaking, and I was excited to be a part of it.”

Over the years Columbia Crest has continually been praised by critics and consumers alike for producing affordable, highly-acclaimed wines that consistently over-deliver in quality.

“It is very gratifying for me to make wines consumers can count on to deliver stellar quality at an affordable price.” said Einberger. “The 25th anniversary milestone is not only a testament to Columbia Crest’s excellence, innovation, and leadership in the Washington wine industry; it’s also a testament to the success of the industry, something we are proud to be part of.”

History Columbia Crest first planted vineyards from 1978 to 1981 in Paterson, Washington, the future home of Columbia Crest winery. In 1979, design plans were drafted for a 16th Century French country manor house, with 90 percent of the facility housed underground to maintain year-round temperature and humidity control. Construction on the winery began two years later in the midst of the estate vineyards. The winery was furnished with European antique display pieces, hand-loomed wall tapestries, Italian tile and Spanish sconces and chandeliers. In June 1983 the winery and visitor center officially opened, representing a $26 million investment in the Washington wine industry.

From 1985 to 1988, under the leadership of Doug Gore, Columbia Crest released its first red and white blends and varietals wines, and the accolades soon followed. In 1990, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate named Columbia Crest as one of the 24 "Best Value Wineries" in the world, and Impact magazine named Columbia Crest one of the "Top Five U.S. Wineries" and to the "Nation's 20 Hot Brands" list; an accolade the winery would earn five consecutive times.

Over the following years, Columbia Crest continued to introduce new wines to the portfolio as well as partner with industry pioneers to experiment with new varietals in the vineyards. In 1993, Ray Einberger joined Columbia Crest to assist Gore with winemaking, specializing in red varietals and Reserve wine production.

In 1997, Wine Spectator’s first annual readers’ poll voted Columbia Crest “Best Winery For Value In the United States,” the only non-California winery to win an American wine category. The same year, two of Columbia Crest’s wines were named to Wine Spectator’s “Top 100” list, marking its first placements on the list, to date; Columbia Crest has earned a total of 14 “Top 100” wines.

Under the leadership of Einberger, Columbia Crest continues to be one of the top producers and innovators in the industry.

The Columbia Crest Portfolio Two Vines The vibrant, approachable and fruit-forward style of Columbia Crest’s Two Vines wines have established Columbia Crest as one of America’s most popular and fast-growing wineries. The vivid fruit flavors and the exceptional quality of fruit that our estate vineyard, Vineyard 10, consistently produces inspired our winemakers to create the new Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red, White and Rose wines, which are a tribute to this special vineyard. The suggested retail price is $8.

Grand Estates Columbia Crest’s Grand Estates wines are crafted from a collection of remarkable Columbia Valley vineyard sites, which are selected specifically for their ability to produce wines with intense fruit character and complexity. These lush and vibrant wines are distinguished by their ripe varietal intensity. They offer a pleasing balance of sugar, pH and tannin—a synergy that is grown in the vineyards and preserved in the cellar. The suggested retail price is $11.

Horse Heaven Hills (H3) The vineyards in Horse Heaven Hills appellation are the source and inspiration behind the Horse Heaven Hills, or “H3” wines. Crafted to reflect the unique terroir of the vineyards, these wines highlight the fruit’s varietal intensity while maintaining the undertones that are unique to the appellation. The debut vintages of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay were released to select markets early this year at the suggested retail price of $15. To read more about the new H3 wines click here.

Reserve Columbia Crest’s acclaimed Reserve wines receive extra care and attention—from grape growing to barrel aging. Each wine showcases the highest quality fruit and is made in the Petit Chai, a separate “winery within the winery" by a dedicated artisan winemaking team. These wines display rich flavors, velvety textures, and long finishes. Production is extremely limited. The suggested retail price ranges from $22-$34.

About Columbia Crest Columbia Crest has grown from a small winery in a relatively unknown wine region to one of the most significant wineries in the U.S. and a major force behind Washington state’s emergence as a world class wine region. In 2007, the Grand Estates Merlot was selected from a field of 15,000 rated wines as one of the “Top 100 Wines of the World” by Wine Spectator, marking the 14th “Top 100” placement for Columbia Crest in the past ten years. More information about the winery can be found at columbia-crest.com.

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For further information:
Erin Shane
425-415-3696
erin.shane@ste-michelle.com