Mannina Cellars

To know Mannina Cellars is to appreciate the winegrowing family behind it — not just a lone winemaker, mind you, but an entire cast of family members, including a black Lab named Lucy. Although Don Redman is owner and winemaker, his wife, Nicole, and their three children are often found pruning the vines at their Cali Vineyard or assisting at their Walla Walla Airport winery. Don is ever grateful for his family’s involvement and for his family heritage, so it’s no accident that many Mannina Cellars wines bear the names of family members. There is the red blend “Cali,” named after his grandmother Rose Cali, and “RoseAnne’s Red,” named for his mother. Even the winery’s name, “Mannina,” comes from Don’s maternal grandmother, who emigrated from Italy. A photograph of Mannina graces the wall behind the tasting room.

Speaking of Cali, I would be remiss if I didn’t disclose one of the reasons for my sojourn to Mannina Cellars. At $17 a bottle, this blend of primarily cabernet sauvignon and merlot is a bargain. At the very least, it is Mannina Cellars’ own attempt at an economic stimulus package for the valley. (Even more palatable, Mannina Cellars’ wine club members take an additional 15 percent off their purchase. So for about $175, they can cart a whole case of Walla Walla’s finest to their car trunks. That’s a steal.) When a particular wine grabs my palate, I start imagining certain food pairings with it, and the image that popped into my mind as I sipped the Cali was a glass of this dark ruby wine accompanying a rib-eye steak with a red wine reduction. Egads, I’m drooling.

As a side note, the other thing that drew my attention during my visit was the artwork of local artist Squire Broel on Mannina Cellars labels. Squire’s watercolor of vineyard rows adorns the labels of the winery’s merlot, cabernet sauvignon, “RoseAnne’s Red” and sangiovese. For me, this imagery is a beautiful reminder that Don relies exclusively on Walla Walla Valley fruit, including that from such notable vineyards as Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills, and Les Collines. As Don’s own, 28-acre Cali Vineyard matures, look for his increasing reliance on his own fruit.

Naming wines and vineyard after family members pays homage to the past. The sounds of laughing children coming from Mannina Cellars’ barrel room spoke to the perfect present. With my clinking bottles of Cali in the back seat, I couldn’t wait for the future — and one particular steak recipe.

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  Order the book!

  Mannina Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla Airport WineTrail on page 446!

• 

  Order the book!

  Mannina Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla Airport WineTrail on page 446!