Lodmell Cellars

The dogs’ names are Mazzy and Kimball, and although they were playing and romping around the winery during my visit, they kept a close eye on their owner, Andrew Lodmell. In his mid-40s, with a tanned, whisker-stubbled face shaded under a well-worn baseball cap, Andrew has the look of an Eastern Washington farmer. The blue-collar, Levi-jeans look belies the fact that this lean “dirt guy” grew up on Mercer Island, WA, where folks drive Mercedes, not John Deere. Andrew pointed out that Mazzy and Kimball were once feral vineyard dogs, and they’re still most comfortable playing among the 30 acres of Lodmell Vineyards wine grapes, located near the Snake River, 30 miles northwest of Walla Walla.

A few minutes with Andrew reveals his love of the land, and like other farmers-turned-winemakers in the valley, he’s a farmer first despite growing up in the shadow of Seattle and a winemaker second. A fourth-generation farmer, Andrew’s great-grandfather established the family farm in the late 1800s. As it’s often said, it all starts in the vineyard; you can’t make good wine from bad grapes. Lodmell Vineyards’ south-facing slope, high heat units, shallow soils, and arid conditions put plenty of stress on the grapes, and the result is intense flavor profiles. That’s a good thing — a really good thing.

To allow Andrew the much-needed time to grow grapes, his sister Kristie Lodmell Kirin and her husband, Randy Kirin, focus on the business side of the winery. In addition to financing the operation, the Seattle-based couple (Kristie in particular) manages the tasting room, markets the wine, and handles the myriad piles of paperwork. There is a multitude of other business-related chores, and fortunately for everyone concerned, Kristie’s sales management background serves Lodmell Cellars well. Check out Lodmell’s elegant website, the eye-catching snake icon on its wine labels, and the image of the Norwegian flag on the sign above the winery’s entrance, paying homage to the family’s heritage.

Now in the third year of a six-year, nonrenewable lease at the Walla Walla Regional Airport wine incubator complex, the family is thinking about where to establish Lodmell Cellars’ permanent home. The town of Dayton, the airport complex, and the vineyard site are all under consideration. Although the winery’s future location is uncertain, there is one constant: Lodmell Vineyards. To borrow a quote from Gone with the Wind, “Land is the only thing in the world worth workin’ for, worth fightin’ for, worth dyin’ for! Because it’s the only thing that lasts.”