Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, July 15, 2007

Wine is about people, not just grapes

By Jeff Wicklund
Special to The Herald

 One of the contributing factors to the amazing Washington wine explosion is the unity and cooperation among what really amounts to manufacturing competitors. It's a fascinating brotherhood of wine that's more about inclusion than exclusion and traverses the entire state. And it isn't just about an established winery lending a hand to its neighbor.

A new winery in Blaine received invaluable assistance during its start-up phase from well-established wineries just outside Leavenworth and (blink and you'll miss it) the little town of George. Ken Peck, owner and winemaker of Dakota Creek Winery in Blaine told me recently, "I just couldn't have done it without the guidance and inspiration of Rob Newsome (Boudreaux Cellars in Leavenworth) and Rusty Figgins (Cave B Winery in George). They really were instrumental in my ability to launch Dakota Creek Winery."

The, "I got mine, so go get your own" protectionist mentality, for the most part, just doesn't seem to exist during this great Washington wine rush we've all been witnessing, and to me, that's cool.

Nowhere is this brotherhood of the vine translated more figuratively or literally than in the percolating west-side wine country of Woodinville. The literal translation comes from a couple of "relative" newcomers in the 'hood - actually brothers, whose passion for music collides, but for wine, there's brotherly unity. Derek Des Voigne is owner and winemaker of Cuillin Hills Winery and an avid Celtic musician who has been known to blow a mean bagpipe. His brother, Darren Des Voigne, is the winemaker at Des Voigne Cellars and has an old-school jazz fascination that has spawned what I think are the coolest art deco jazz labels in the biz.

After getting to know these two wacky, warm-hearted, and very talented winemaking "Brothers Des Voigne," I thought I'd get the straight skinny on how they ended up chasing their passion for the fermented grape in Woodinville, and who, along the way, provided assistance. I asked Derek Des Voigne for a little hometown lowdown, and here's what he had to say: "The Brotherhood, Darren and I, happened into this business after taking an interest in what my father was doing under his house with some of those squished grape things. I'd been running the UC Davis Extension train for a couple years and was finally granted my wish with a layoff from AT&T Wireless in summer of 2003. In 2003 I answered a classified ad in the Eastside Journal that was passed to me by my stepbrother, and read something like, "Lake Chelan winery looking for...." I responded, met Larry Lehmbecher (Vin Du Lac Winery) at an eastside Italian joint over lunch and a bottle of Cline chard, and after several hobby vintages with Dad and friends, flights and hotels in Davis, Calif., my professional career was born. '03 at Vin Du Lac, '04 at Sorensen Cellars, and finally landed at home in March of 2005 in Woodinville, where we are today. Darren and I had most all of the equipment we needed to be off to the races, but we did need a forklift. We'd been eyeing a nasty old green Clark forklift, now referred to as "the booger," which rested in front of another office space - which we determined was occupied by Mark McNeilly (Mark Ryan Winery). A few conversations later, and he was happy to lend its use in trade for crushing his fruit for the '05 harvest. Little did we know what we were in for. Close to 80 tons later, harvest wound down, and we'd found a couple great friends in both Mark and Jerry Riener. Like-minded goofballs making wine in some warehouse park in Woodinville - a far cry from 'The Mothership' for certain."

Stories like that of Derek and Darren Des Voigne are countless, and could be repeated over and over, just in the Woodinville wine arena alone - and they undoubtedly would include some of the old guard wineries. Names like Matt Loso (Matthews Cellars), Bob Betz (Betz Family Winery), Mike Januik (Januik Winery), Mark McNeilly (Mark Ryan Winery) or Lance Baer (Baer Winery), just to name a few who have provided valuable guidance (or just the use of a fork lift) all in the spirit of unity in the industry.

Here I'd like to acknowledge and pay homage to one of the "brothers in the hood" who died recently. Lance Baer was a true friend to so many and a driving force within the Woodinville wine scene, and he will be missed immensely. It's in times like this that the cooperative spirit of fellow winemakers has shown to be at its brightest. I'm sure there were many in the brotherhood that would have jumped in and, in a heartbeat, assisted in anyway they could to help keep Lance's dream, legacy and winery alive. As it has turned out, it's our good buddy Derek Des Voigne who's thrown his hat in to assist the Baer family to continue with the winery.

These are just snippets of the "circle of life" wine stories that are constantly spinning, and after hearing them, I'm convinced that they can actually make the whole experience of wine more enjoyable.

As a wine writer, I have to admit a glaring reality. Writing about wine as a commodity is kind of boring but, when you infuse the human element, it becomes endlessly fascinating.

Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, 360-756-0422 or wick@purplesmilewines.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA