Ash Hollow Winery

You know that old adage “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Well, that isn’t the case at Ash Hollow Winery. True, the name is the same as the original winery, which began in 2002, but gone are John Turner (managing partner) and Steve Clifton (consultant winemaker and partner). Currently, John Turner is running for Walla Walla County sheriff, having returned from Iraq, where he was embedded with the U.S. military as a investigator for counterterrorism; and Steve Clifton is making wine in southern California. But that’s another story.…

When I asked our affable tasting-room host, “What about the Ash Hollow motto, ‘Family, friends, food, fun, and great wine’ — is that still in play?” She replied, “We’re revisiting that line. The family-and-friends theme has become overused by other wineries and it doesn’t differentiate us.” While scribbling my notes, I glanced over at the new wine labels the winery is using for its Legends series of red blends: “Four Horsemen” and “Headless Red.” These new labels are stunningly bold, in stark contrast to the rather staid and traditional Ash Hollow Winery labels, which bear the ink drawing of a lone tree. Turning the music down a bit, my youthful pourer explained, “We’re about having fun, and the new wine labels reflect that.”

I applaud the ownership group and managing partners (including the likes of Jay Tucker of Reininger Winery fame) for evolving the winery in this direction. Perhaps it was serendipity, but they managed to hire employees who possess turbo-charged creative drive, potentially positioning Ash Hollow to connect with the often-overlooked but fastest-growing demographic of wine drinkers – the 21- to 30-year-olds. Led by sales and marketing director Jennifer Gregory and talented winemaker Spencer Sievers, the winery’s future looks anything but ashen.

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  Order the book!

  Ash Hollow Winery was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla Airport WineTrail on page 434!

• 

  Order the book!

  Ash Hollow Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla Airport WineTrail on page 434!