Tasting in style: Local wineries take center stage at celebration in Marysville

Published 2:25 pm Thursday, January 15, 2009

When WineStyles pops the cork on its first anniversary, it will turn to local vintners for some help with the bottles.

The Marysville shop plans to welcome four local winery owners. Each will pour flights of red and white wine to keep customers from feeling blue at the Saturday celebration.

“Our local winemakers have supported us, so we definitely like to turn around and support them,” said Vicki Emery, who opened the store in January 2008 with her husband, Eric.

Here, we look at the local vintners, who each will pour about five types of wine.

Furion Cellars

Micole Miller launched his Everett winery for a simple reason.

“My wallet couldn’t afford what my tongue wanted to taste,” he said.

Through Furion Cellars, the label Miller founded in 2005, he experiments a little with blends, but mostly tries to create pure wines — the type he enjoys.

“The wines, they make themselves,” he said. “I don’t like to interrupt anything that’s happening. I really try and let the wines speak exactly where they’re coming form, what vineyard, and getting the taste of the grapes.”

Willis Hall Wines

John Bell started studying wine 32 years ago, taking classes with Seattle wine columnist Richard Kinssies.

By 2003, Bell reached a point where he felt like he could teach a class himself, so he founded his Marysville label.

Now, he stresses a style that brings the fruit flavor forward, while using oak barrels as a occasional subtle accent.

“Balance is pretty much on the taste buds of the winemakers,” Bell said. “Mine is to feature the fruit, to make it as prominent as possible.”

Alia Wines

John Olsen first visited WineStyles last spring, hoping to sell the store on his Snohomish label, founded in 2005.

When he introduced himself, Eric Emery said he was wondering when the vintner was going to finally stop by.

“It was nice to have that kind of a warm welcome,” Olsen said.

Olsen specializes in blended wines, which he said can bring out the best characteristics of each type of grape.

“I think viognier can taste a little flat,” he said, for example. “It’s got great aromatics, a little oily. Just adding a bit of chardonnay gives it a nice structure.”

Carpenter Creek Winery

Tara Hammer uses simple terms to sum up Carpenter Creek, the Mount Vernon winery she founded with her husband Jeff in 2003.

“It was a hobby that went out of control,” she said.

Carpenter Creek is a boutique label that makes small runs of wine. Based on its award-winning riesling, that ethic seems to put quality over quantity.

“It’s a well-balanced, very food-friendly wine,” she said of the riesling, one of the wines she plans to bring to the WineStyles event.

Andy Rathbun, Herald Writer, arathbun@heraldnet.com, 425-339-3455

Correction, Jan. 19, 2009: This article originally misidentified WineStyles owner Eric Emery in the pouring schedule.