Charity auction is among winemaker’s successes

Allen Shoup came into the Washington wine industry at a fortunate time, and he believes he has benefited as much in the past 33 years as he has contributed.

“I clearly think I was the luckiest guy ever to get into the wine industry,” said Shoup, chief executive for Long Shadows Vintners in Walla Walla.

Shoup came to Washington in 1980 to work at what is now Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Prior to that, he worked for Max Factor, the cosmetics company, and before that he was with E&J Gallo, the world’s largest wine producer.

Before he retired as CEO from Ste. Michelle in 2000, Shoup’s accomplishments there were many, not the least of which was helping to launch the Auction of Washington Wines in 1988. This year, Shoup is the honorary vintner.

“Of all the lucky things I’ve been affiliated with in my lifetime, this is one I hold most significant,” he said. “It was truly an opportunity to give back and an opportunity for our entire industry — which has so much to be grateful for — because there’s probably not a person in Washington who has been here a while who doesn’t know someone who’s benefited from the services of Children’s Hospital.”

Shoup and a couple of friends came up with the idea of the auction, hoping it could generate perhaps $100,000 to $200,000 per year. To date, it has raised nearly $30 million, including nearly $2 million last year.

The honorary chairman of this year’s auction is Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator magazine. And Kent Waliser, partner and general manager of Sagemoor Vineyards north of Pasco, is the honorary grape grower.

The auction started Thursday with a picnic at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville. The big auction, filled with patrons willing to spend $500 per ticket and perhaps thousands on various bids, was Saturday evening at Ste. Michelle. Nearly 50 wineries presented their wines at the auction.

When Shoup arrived at Ste. Michelle, he never would have thought the auction — or the industry — would be what it is today. Back in the early 1980s, Washington was a bit of a winemaking backwater.

But he was a dreamer.

Ste. Michelle’s collaboration with the Antinori family of Italy in 1995 became Col Solare, which now has a grand winery on Red Mountain east of the Cascade Mountains.

That was inspired by Opus One, the joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

Shoup said the advent of Opus One in the late 1970s helped propel California as an important wine industry back when Napa Valley wines were generally unavailable on the East Coast.

Mondavi was a close friend and mentor to Shoup for decades.

“He had so much influence over me in so many ways,” Shoup said. “He was like a second father.”

When Shoup decided to launch Long Shadows Vintners after leaving Ste. Michelle, Mondavi was an early supporter and even planned to be a partner, but he became ill and died in 2008 at the age of 94. Shoup gave the eulogy at his funeral.

At Long Shadows, Shoup has taken the Opus One idea and given it a twist. He has seven international partners who make a single Washington wine using a grape variety they excel with. His partners come from California, Germany, Australia, France and Chile.

Now nearly 70, Shoup shows no sign of slowing down.

“I’m trying to see if we can’t go up one more plateau in Washington in terms of building the learning curve, to get to the point where nobody in the world questions our position among the premier viticulture regions.”

Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue run Great Northwest Wine, a news and information company. Learn more about wine at www.greatnorthwestwine.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.