J. Bookwalter Winery

John Bookwalter is all about not sitting still. He learned early on that you succeed if the category succeeds. In this case, the “category” is Washington State wine. If overall sales go up for the industry, he’s part of that rising tide. But even more important for this youthful, marketing charged, Washington Wine Commissioner, is the fact that he hugely desires to be part of the conversation when it comes to Washington’s top wine producers.

The J. Bookwalter Winery story began in 1983 with the establishment of the winery by John’s dad, Jerry Bookwalter. The winery was the first in Washington to use a gold-embossed, full-color wine label. Early on, Jerry produced a number of “vineyard-designated vintages” before they became widely popular. Time marches on, and in 1997 John, joined the family winery. Every bit as innovative as his father, John secured the services of consulting winemaker Zelma Long. A number of prestigious awards and honors have followed, including the 2005 Winery of the Year award presented by Wine Press Northwest. More recently, John benefits from the advice of French vintner Claude Gros who pays meticulous attention to the detail from vineyard to wine storage.

In 2003, Bookwalter Winery opened a trendy “wine lounge” next door to Barnard Griffin in Richland. The hip atmosphere succeeded in attracting a younger audience with a taste for premium wine, handcrafted cheeses, and artisan breads. The definition of a “tasting room” shifts in this contemporary ambiance. Here you can order a glass of wine to pair with regional cheeses while listening to live music, which more often than not is the sound of jazz. During warm weather, the tasting room spills out on to a patio giving a bistro-like feel.

Their second “tasting studio” located in the Woodinville Schoolhouse District provides a light-filled contemporary space for sampling Bookwalter’s creations. With ample parking, visitors have the added pleasure of visiting nearby tasting rooms including Mark Ryan, Ross Andrew and Pepperbridge.

With captivating names such as Subplot, Foreshadow, Antagonist, and Conflict, J. Bookwalter offers a full slate of reds and whites. My self-confessed weakness for merlot had me going for the Foreshadow Merlot and while smacking my lips I couldn’t help but think about the phrase “every bottle tells a story.” In this case, a great opening, a nice mid-palate plot and a great finish. It foreshadows the rising tide of Washington wines for the world.

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  J. Bookwalter Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Tri-Cities WineTrail on page 402!