Discovering Future Wines, on Can Wine Save the Planet?
Discovering the Wines of Wilridge Vineyard
Day 10 of our 12 Days of Wine Celebration!
These vineyards are farming the soil, creating healthy environments with biodynamic and regenerative methods. This generates biodiversity, sequesters carbon, and, in turn, makes delicious wine.Wines for the Future.
These are wineries and vineyards that are doing the work, in their own way, to be sure we have a long, healthy future on our planet in which to enjoy wine!
Grab a glass and celebrate with us!
Join us at Crushed Grape Chronicles for the Full Story!
Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery
and Paul Beverage
Paul Beverage has a name that leans into his industry. As a child, he and his family would go wine tasting in Napa. Of course, at the time, in the late 60s and early 70s, he was too young to taste, but he remembers the smells of the cellars and caves in Napa, and he loved it. This might sound very fancy. It wasn’t. His father was studying to be an Episcopal priest who appreciated wine. The family moved to Idaho, close to the Washington border, and with his father’s love of wine, parishioners would often share a bottle. He met some of the early names in Washington Wine through the parish and then through college in Walla Walla.
He worked for a law firm in Seattle and then as an environmental lawyer in DC. He got into brewing (fermented beverages really seemed to enchant him.)
Eventually, he opened the winery in Seattle and fought state laws to have a “wine pub” where food could also be served. He still has a Pie Wine Bar in Woodinville and actively pushes boundaries.
Naches Heights AVA near Yakima, Washington
Wilridge Vineyard is located near the city of Yakima, Washington, outside the Yakima Valley AVA, in the Naches Heights AVA. This AVA sits above the Missoula Flood level, between 1,200 and 2,100 feet. This plateau was formed as the lava flow from the Cascades cooled.
This high desert region is beautiful. From the vineyard, you can look into the Cowiche Canyon. Around harvest, the camel-brown mountains are dotted with vivid red sumac, mustard yellow rabbit brush, and, of course, squares of green agriculture. The canyon follows Cowiche Creek and is lush green, with orange and yellow highlights as the trees change colors.
Why are the wines of Wilridge Vineyard wines of the future?
Wilridge Vineyard was the 1st certified biodynamic Vineyard in Washington State. When we asked Paul why, he said that the best wines he had ever tasted came from biodynamic vineyards and wineries, so of course, that was how he wanted to grow his grapes.
In addition, he has helped to change rules on Washington Wines and Spirits, allowing small businesses a way into the marketplace. Regulations in this state regarding serving different types of alcohol varied depending on the beverage, and much was held as true because “it didn’t say you could.” Paul argued that “it didn’t say you couldn’t” and helped reform these regulations for clarity and fairness.
This location, with its views, is a perfect place to get in touch with nature, free of chemical sprays. Paul hikes or rides his bike from his home below the vineyard, up to the tasting room, and then beyond to the winery. Perhaps it is a little old-school, but old-school might just be the way of the future.
Links
You can visit their website for more information
https://www.wilridgewinery.com/
We chronicled our recent visit on Can Wine Save the Planet in our Harvest Diaries. You can read that here.
Our first visit to Wilridge was in 2019. While we did not have an opportunity to speak with Paul then, we shot some gorgeous views of the vineyard at sunrise!
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