Guardian Cellars

Unedited

Police officer Jerry Riener is owner/winemaker at Guardian Cellars. When he’s not arresting people, he’s making wine; really good wine. His wines reinforce the brand with names such as Chalk Line, The Alibi and my favorite, Gun Metal a Bordeaux red blend that has me smacking my lips.

It’s rather lengthy for here, but read what Sean Sullivan of the Washington Wine Report had to say about his interview with Jerry Reiner, “Riener was driving down the highway in the late 1990s when he saw something suspicious. Stopping for a closer inspection, Riener looked past the barrels and grapes and went straight to the object that drew his attention – the shiny new forklift. Growing up, Reiner had spent summers on his uncle’s farm in the Midwest, and machinery had always held a fascination to him. After interrogating Matthew Loso (then of Matthews Cellars) about the nature of his business, Riener was hooked. He began spending forty hours a week volunteering at the winery, working harvest, crush, and racking barrels. With a degree from the University of Washington in chemistry, it was the science of winemaking that most interested Riener. As payment for his service, Loso let him make a barrel of his own wine at the winery each year.”

In 2001, Jerry Reiner met Mark Ryan McNeilly who was starting Mark Ryan Winery. Mark encouraged Jerry to make wine under his own label and two barrels later, Guardian Cellars emerged. The fact that Jerry loves “all things winemaking” including the equipment, the fruit, the racking and the bottling is the secret to Jerry’s success. Having a good command on the process creates a good outcome. If you are enamored with all the steps and paraphernalia that go into making wine, you are bound to make really good wine – as long as you just let Mother Nature express herself.