Callan Cellars
Vintner – Lisa Callan
What is your/your family’s story around your winery? How did you first become involved in the wine industry and what has your trajectory looked like?
I enrolled in WSU’s enology program in 2010 at the insistence of my brother-in-law, as he always thought I would enjoy the logistics of winemaking. During this time, I also started working in a local tasting room to better familiarize myself with the retail and business side of winemaking. This ultimately led to a series of introductions to others in the industry, which then led to a harvest internship. This is ultimately where my passion for winemaking was first discovered.
How long have you been making wine in Washington state?
Callan Cellars was officially licensed in 2016!
How did you first begin working with the grower?
I met Dick Boushey while working as an assistant winemaker for another winery. During one of our early conversations, I learned that Boushey Vineyards grew a varietal that was one of my absolute favorites – Picpoul. My first vintage of Picpoul was 2015.
What excites you the most about the wines you’re making?
I have been making a few single varietal wines these last few years with grapes that are usually used for blending. I love showcasing single varietal, single vineyard wines. We just released our Boushey Vineyard Petit Verdot and will be releasing a Cinsault this spring.
What is your favorite part about the Washington state wine community?
The people. We are fortunate to work with people who truly love what they do, are passionate about Washington wine, and want us to be successful in this industry.
What excites you the most about what the future holds for Washington state wine? Where are we headed or what trends are you seeing?
The future is exciting for so many reasons. The rise in quality, sustainability, diversity of varietals, and accessibility to the consumer are just a few things we are seeing.
What is your favorite wine and food pairing?
Grenache Blanc and fried chicken must be one of my all-time favorites!
Partners/Managers,Boushey Vineyards – Dick Boushey and Luanne Holden-Boushey
We started farming in the Yakima Valley in 1975. Apples and cherries were our first crops, which we grew for 35 years. We have slowly transitioned to only wine grapes and juice grapes today. Currently, we grow 24 different wine grape varieties and sell to approximately 50 wineries located in WA, OR, and Idaho.
How long have you been growing grapes in Washington state?
We planted our first wine and juice grapes in 1980. Those first plantings are still producing today. If anyone wants old vine grapes, we have some for sale 🙂
How did you first begin working with the winery?
We met Lisa Callan when she was an assistant at another winery whom we sold grapes to. I believe that was in 2013 or 2014. In 2015, we sold her a small batch of Picpoul grapes. Lisa was very persistent about wanting to source fruit from us and her determination convinced us to sell grapes to her when she started Callan Cellars in 2016. It has been a very gratifying and succesful relationship.
What excites you the most about the grapes you’re growing or the techniques/equipment you’re using?
What really excited us is working with such talented winemakers. They help guide our direction and what kind of viticulture techniques we use to grow the grapes they ultimately want. Most of our vineyard tasks are performed by hand. We do, however, pre-prune every block with a machine which cuts out half the costs of pruning. We have machine-picked some fruit, but 85% of our fruit is hand-picked. We employ a crew year-round to handle all the viticulture tasks that need to be tended to throughout the year.
What is your favorite part of being a part of the Washington wine community?
Other than actually trying to make a living in this business, it is the camaraderie of the industry. Working with other growers and wineries to improve our wines. It has been amazing to watch the industry grow over the last 40 years.
What do you think the future holds for Washington wine? Where are we headed or what trends are you seeing?
My crystal ball has a bit of a crack in it this year, but I see our wines improving and continuing to be some of the best in the world. The trends I see are focused on further fine tuning our growing and winemaking techniques to fit all our diverse regions. We have a much stronger foundation of understanding to fall back on thanks to our investments in research and marketing. This should lead to sustained, moderate growth for the future.
What is your favorite wine and food pairing?
It might be duck breasts with Syrah or Merlot, lamb or oysters with Picpoul, or Dungeness Crab and Chardonnay.
Vineyard Foreman, Boushey Vineyards – Elias Barboza
What is your background, how did you come to work at the vineyard?
I moved from Mexico to Washington in where I started working in apple orchards for Boushey in 1979.
How long have you been working in this capacity?
I became foreman in 1985.
What excites you the most about working in the vineyards?
When we begin to see the grapes ripen and we can begin picking.
What is your favorite aspect of your job?
When we are done picking! I am also incredibly fortunate to be working alongside a lot of friends in the vineyards, which makes daily activities that much more enjoyable.
What do you think the future holds for Washington state wine? Where are we headed or what trends are you seeing?
What I love about the state is that we are constantly trying new things to try and improve the quality of the fruit, and ultimately the wines produced year over year.
What fact can you share about your job that wine-drinkers might not know?
I do know all the different grape varieties and how to grow them, but I don’t actually drink any of the wine produced from these grapes.
