San Juan Vineyards

Every winemaker brings something different out of their grapes, no matter how familiar the varietal. Tasting unfamiliar grapes is exciting and San Juan Vineyards has been growing a few varietals that are not frequently seen. According to San Juan Vineyards operating manager Yvonne Swanberg (pictured), it was Gerard Bentryn of Bainbridge Island Vineyard & Winery who was responsible for bringing cooler climate grapes to the Puget Sound. Of these grapes, San Juan Vineyards grows two on their 6-1/2 acre vineyard: Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine.

Siegerrebe is a German varietal; the word means "winning harvest." It was mainly used in Germany for blending with Riesling because of its aromatics. Madeleine Angevine, another white grape, originated in the Loire Valley in France. Of the grapes San Juan Vineyards uses, these are the only two they grow on their estate. They buy grapes from the Yakima and Columbia Valleys, including Horse Heaven Hills, to make Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, as well as a blend of the three. They also make Sangiovese, Riesling, Chardonnay and occasionally a Mona Vino Blanc (a blend of the Madeleine Angevine, Riesling and Chardonnay). There is also a Mona Vino red, which is really just a different label on their red blend. The Mona Vino label shows off Mona the camel who lives in the field across the street. "We had a gal who sat on our porch one day and did a watercolor of Mona," says Yvonne. "It became our label. We use it on some of our red blend because people love it. The wine is the same, the price is the same, but we have the two labels."

The vineyards were planted in 1996 by Yvonne's husband Steve, their partner, Tim Judkins, and a few helpers. "It was a hideous job, a joke," laughs Yvonne, the farm girl from north of Spokane. In 1997, they hired a young Frenchman who knew what he was doing and he replanted the vineyard. They harvested the Siegerrebe in 2000, yielding 35 cases. Steve and Tim decided it would be great to make wine as a hobby and it grew out of control. "I knew it was real when we owned 31 acres and were building structures," says Yvonne. The property had a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse on it, built in 1896. They renovated it and turned it into the tasting room. The ceilings, walls and floor are all original fir bead board. They had to bring in sewer lines, dig a well, build roads. The project was completed in 1998 with infrastructure established, winery building, pavilion area, small office and storage building.

Their first winemaker, Michael Carr, came from Sonoma and stayed three years. "He made very nice wines and put us on the map," recalls Yvonne. "After he left, we had trouble finding a good winemaker because the wine industry just took off. Over the years, we've added and refined what we make as we figured out what was right for us."

Steve, Yvonne and Tim were partners in Swanberg/Judkins Insurance, reaching out to the wine industry during the good economic times. Yvonne was very involved in the insurance business and was more peripheral at the winery, helping in the tasting room, merchandising, marketing, bookkeeping. She became the acting managing partner of the winery in 2002. "It just evolved that way," she explains. "I learned on the job."

Steve became ill and stopped working in 2004. He died in May 2006. "Our winemaker quit; he never stayed anywhere more than about a year before moving on and that was his time," says Yvonne. "One of the first things I did was hire Chris Primus, who had been working in the Oregon wine country. He is responsible for significant awards," says Yvonne. "His first harvest in 2006 brought us a double gold and the Governor's Trophy on the Estate Siegerrebe as Washington's best white wine. 2006 could have been an amazing year, but when Chris came in, he met disarray. Steve had died and I'd been running the business by myself. 2009 was really our best year. We harvested 25 tons of grapes from our own vineyard; that has sustained us over the last few years. In 2010, the year was too cool and we made a total of 150 cases of Siegerrebe. We're now down to 60 cases. We have no harvest from our own vineyards this year because it has been too cool for ripening. Once our Siegerrebe is gone, there won't be any more until May 2013. We have standing orders each year for it, so it's a disappointment to our customers."

Despite the lack of Siegerrebe, San Juan Vineyards' other high quality wines are available. They won three double golds at the 2011 Seattle Wine Awards (Cabernet Sauvignon, Destiny Ridge Red Blend and Cabernet Franc). A visit to the winery is a must if you're on San Juan or other nearby islands. With Mona across the street, deer wandering next door and the peaceful feel of the vineyards, it's a wonderful destination. While on the island, stop in at their downtown tasting room, Piano and Wine, where you can play or enjoy someone else playing the grand piano while sipping wine.

San Juan Vineyards
3136 Roche Harbor Rd
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-9463
360-317-5121 cell

Piano and Wine
55 Spring St
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

www.sanjuanvineyards.com
sjvineyards@rockisland.com

Note: San Juan Vineyards is for sale. Yvonne would like to retire, but her plan is to find the right buyer, one who has a true passion for wine.

Connie Adams/November 2011