El Corazon Winery

“I want to be a volcanologist,” said 6-year-old Tiger in answer to his mother’s question about a future career. “How about being a winemaker?” his mom, Jennifer McKnight Sievers, asked. With a shrug of his shoulders, young Tiger gave a “Maybe, one day” response while eating a cup of yogurt and studying photos in a book he was perusing. Just like his mom and dad, Tiger has a can-do attitude.

To say that Tiger’s father, Spencer Sievers, has volcanic energy is the classic understatement. His fire instills a sense of esprit de corps in all those who are exposed to him. Tall and possessing a terrific smile, this lanky winemaker exudes great confidence, but not in a cocky way. Rather, it is a passion to try different things in life, such as moving to Kansas and opening a health food store in Lawrence (by the way, Jennifer owns Arizona Trading Co., a clothing reseller in Lawrence); living in Panama with Jennifer and toddler Tiger; and, in a leap of faith, relocating to Walla Walla to make wine. Winemaking wasn’t altogether a new venture, however. While residing in Portland, Oregon, he and Jennifer would make occasional forays into the Willamette Valley and there, they fell in love with its vineyards. On one such tasting visit, he met a grape grower and purchased a half-ton of grapes two months before harvest. The fact that Spencer didn’t know a lick about winemaking was incentive enough to devour winemaking how-to texts and talk the ears off winemakers. It was the classic Alfred E. Neuman “What, me worry?” approach.

At El Corazon (which means “the heart” in Spanish), handcrafted wine comes alive with small-lot productions of cabernet franc, syrah, Malbec, carmenere, and red blends. With his winemaking partner, Raul Morfin, Spencer works to keep El Corazon small (with production at 1,000 cases) but true to the fruit found in the Walla Walla Valley — varieties that grow wonderfully in this semi-arid location, which happens to share the same latitude as France’s Bordeaux region and its Côte d’Or, in Burgundy.

With a tip of his wine glass toward his son, Spencer noted, “Tiger has a really good palate and picks up flavors that I don’t.” He was quick to add that Tiger tastes eyedropper-size samples. In this respect, it’s only fitting that their 100 percent carménère wine bears the name “Tiger’s Blood.” At El Corazon Winery, the plan for succession is alive and well!

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  Order the book!

  El Corazon Winery was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla Downtown WineTrail on page 452!

• 

  Order the book!

  El Corazon Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla Downtown WineTrail on page 452!