English Estate Winery

English Estate’s founder Carl English rolled the dice and decided to offer premium wines in a box. That’s right, that same box that got a bad rap 20 or 30 years ago. Cheap wine in a box translates into bad taste in the mouth. However, imagine if you could have premium cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir one glass at a time over a period of months and the taste would never change. How? Because, thanks to a bag within the box, those nasty little oxygen molecules don’t touch the wine. For those wine drinkers who enjoy a glass of wine a day, the bag in a box just might be the right solution.

At age 70 Carl English passed away however, the tradition continues with English Estate Winery’s Loafing Shed providing an inviting space to relax and enjoy wine as a sample or by the glass. By reputation, this east Vancouver winery is a popular nightspot on Friday evening where live music accompanies their estate wines.

English Estate Winery takes the bag concept one-step further by offering a bag in a beautiful box, or BIBB. And indeed the outer wooden box shell with the attractive engraving presents a look elegant enough to adorn Emeril’s kitchen. Each box holds 3,000 ml of wine, or the equivalent of four bottles of wine. No worry of cork taint here —there ain’t no cork. Nevertheless, for those among us who love the bottle-opening ritual and its obligatory popping cork, English Estate Winery offers all its fine wines in a bottle.

Housed in 1913 dairy barn, Vancouver, Washington–based English Estate Winery is the closest vineyard and winery to Portland. Many of the wines are estate made using pinot noir from their own 20-acre vineyard, Gravel Mine Vineyards. Other grapes come from nearby vineyards that enjoy the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers and the special terroir of the Columbia River Gorge.

At his death, Carl did not want a traditional funeral. Instead, he wanted a party to celebrate his achievements. He wanted a potluck for friends and family to “cry a little, laugh a lot, and dance all night.” That tells you something about Carl English, a remarkable man with a zest for life.

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  English Estate Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Southwest Washington WineTrail on page 168!