Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/450509
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower FEBRUARY 1, 2015 29 Irish-born winemaker helps share the story of Yakima Valley wines. by Melissa Hansen W ine is as much about a story as it is about taste. At Owen Roe Winery in Washington's Yakima Valley, there's a story for each wine label. The wine market is extremely com- petitive—there are more than 800 wineries in Washington State alone. To be successful in the wine business, it takes more than just making good wine. Dave Ramey of California's Ramey Wine Cellars, who spoke last winter in Washington at the statewide wine convention, told grow- ers and vintners that success comes first from putting quality in the bottle, and then "telling the world about it." Stories that resonate with consumers help wineries dif- ferentiate their product in the crowded market, he added. David O'Reilly of Owen Roe Winery has perfected the art of producing high quality wines and matching them with stories that resonate. During Good Fruit Grower's visit to the estate vineyard and winery in Yakima Valley during crush last fall, the Irish-born O'Reilly shared stories about the vineyard, wines, and his ties to the shamrock country. "The Irish are quintessential storytellers," said O'Reilly, who is both grower and winemaker. "Instead of branding our wine labels all the same—something that's done to build brand recognition—I wanted every bottle to have its own story." That adds up to a lot of stories, considering O'Reilly makes around 30 different wines for Owen Roe's Oregon and Washington wineries. (See "Stories in a bottle.") "There's something about wine that makes these stories real and personal," he said. "You get to capture a story and experience it through tasting. When you tell people these stories, they remember them." The winery is named after O'Reilly's famous ancestor Owen Roe (Roe means red) O'Neill, the beloved Irish patriot who rallied the people against Oliver Cromwell in the 1600s. Owen Roe labels tell stories about Yakima Valley soils and terroir, O'Reilly's ancestral castle in Ireland, the family crest, Irish history, and even sharecropping. Personal story O'Reilly's personal story is as interesting as the stories that go with each Owen Roe wine. He is founder and co-owner of Owen Roe Winery, a partnership between O'Reilly and his wife, Angelica, and Seattle-based couple Ben and Julie Wolff. The company has a winery in Newburg, Oregon (Owen Roe Oregon), and one in Wapato, Washington (Owen Roe Washington). O'Reilly grew up in Belfast in Northern Ireland during the sectarian conflict that lasted from the 1960s to 1990s. It was a deadly and violent time, resulting in several thou- sand deaths, including the killing of his uncles. When he was 13, his father moved the family out of the country for safety, eventually settling in the small, coastal town of Bella Coola in British Columbia, Canada. His father, once a political science professor, now owned a small logging company and the family of 14 survived in part on subsistence agriculture and having the children work for neighboring farmers. "I always knew I wanted to be involved in some aspect of agriculture," O'Reilly said. "I wanted to do something with value-added agriculture that would take me from the dirt to consumer." TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER David O'Reilly stands at the top of the 106-acre Union Gap Estate vineyard, with a new planting of Syrah and the new Owen Roe winery in the background. TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Owen Roe