2010 March

Wednesday March 17th at 6pm PT you can follow our tweetchat with Winemaker Greg Fries, and ask questions about the regions strength for grape growth, what goes into his decision making process and why Prosser, WA is the right place for his winery.

Greg grew up working on his family’s farm in California’s Central Valley, farming row crops such as cotton and tomatoes. When his family moved to Oregon in 1982, his family switched to farming hazelnuts and planted a small vineyard in 1985.

In 1990, Greg enrolled at UC Davis and began studying agribusiness,but his interest quickly shifted to vineyard management and grape growing. He soon changed his major to fermentation science with an emphasis in enology. During his summer breaks, he returned home to Dundee, Oregon, and put his knowledge to use on the family vineyard.

In 1992, his family decided it was time to open a winery of their own. They purchased a plot of land alongside the then rural Hwy 99W in Dundee. In 1993, Duck Pond Cellars opened its doors to the public. Wanting to expand beyond Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, the family also began planting the 480 acre Desert Wind Vineyard, located on Washington’s Wahluke Slope. When Greg graduated from UC Davis in 1994, he spent that summer and fall working under Duck Pond Cellars’ winemaker at the time. In 1995, he worked the first ever harvest at Desert Wind Vineyard and took over responsibility as head winemaker at Duck Pond Cellars. In1997, the Fries family decided it was time to start thinking about producing another brand of wine using the premium fruit from the Desert Wind Vineyard. With Greg as head winemaker, the initial releases of Desert Wind wines (1997 Ruah, 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999 Merlot and 2000 Semillon) were released to the public in 2001.

In 2004, the crush pad at Desert Wind was completed and Greg was able to bring fruit from the nearby vineyards to Prosser instead of trucking the fruit to the family’s Oregon facility for processing. As the wines continued to grow in popularity, the family decided it was time to open a tasting room and event facility in Prosser. In February 2007, Desert Wind Winery opened its doors. During construction, Greg oversaw all aspects of the project, at times acting as general contractor and general laborer. From the stucco on the walls of the winery to the wine in the bottle, nearly every aspect of Desert Wind bears Greg’s touch.

Greg considers the completion of Desert Wind the highlight of his career. He also prefers the term vintner to winemaker, as he feels it more accurately describes his position. “I enjoy the business of wine as a whole,” he explains. “I make sure I am involved in every aspect of the operation—from the planting and management of the vineyards to the operation of the buildings.”

Wednesday March 10th at 6pm you can follow our tweetchat on wines, photography and more from a Northwest blogger and Eastern Oregonian wine news author. And we will take your questions via email to craig@ikonmg.com as well, at least until our hour is through.

Rich Breshears is a 43 year old wine slob.  That’s right…wine “slob”.  His history with wine dates back to growing up in Caldwell, Idaho where he grew up near the Ste. Chappelle winery.  Ste. Chappelle was a part of the Symms family fruit ranching empire, and became famous in the late 1970s for their Johannesburg Riesling label.  Raised on gooey sweet wines, Rich was first introduced to Bordeaux and Italian wines while at the University of Idaho.  The Moscow Wine Company offered several courses in enjoying wine and food pairings.  23 years ago, While on his honeymoon with his wife Mary Ann, they toured wineries throughout Washington, including stops in Yakima, Prosser, Tri Cities, and Walla Walla.  Transferred to the region in 1993, Rich’s passion for wine officially took flight then.  He has worked as a distributor, marketing consultant, and agent for several distributors and wineries in the Eastern Washington region.  Currently he writes a weekly wine column for the Eastern Oregonian Newspaper, and his blog www.onerichwineguy.blogspot.com .  As a Certified Professional Photographer, and owner of Breshears Professional Photography one of his specialties is creating beautiful images for the wine industry.  His most recent clients are Alma Terra, Saviah, Claar Cellars, Powers Family Winery, Kyra, and Smasne Cellars.  His images are also on display at Barrel House in Kennewick, and 6th Street Coffee in Prosser.  Rich considers himself a wine “slob” because generally speaking there is nothing he won’t try at least once.  His biggest turn offs in the industry are jerks, snobs, and industry pros who think they know more than the common customer.  “Some in this industry think they walk on water.  I don’t care how good your wine is…somebody’s gonna think it tastes like crap.  Get over it or get out of the business!”  Along with that, Rich also has a strong philosophy when writing…”If you can’t say something nice…don’t say it”