When Spanish wine executives Jesús and Ana Martínez Bujanda first constructed a vineyard in Walla Walla, people anticipated them to do issues the Spanish means.
As a substitute, they planted varieties aside from Tempranillo, used irrigation and trellises, employed a Walla Walla winemaker and viticulturist and adopted the lead of locals who had already constructed a profitable, if younger, trade within the Pacific Northwest.
“We got here right here to be taught,” Jesús stated. “We didn’t come right here to attempt to do the issues the way in which that we do them in Spain.”
In 2019, the household opened Valdemar Estates in Walla Walla, a hub for wineries in southeastern Washington.
The general firm, referred to as Valdemar Household, is predicated in La Rioja, a province in northern Spain that’s identified for Tempranillo and has a wine historical past relationship again to medieval monasteries. The household had been desirous to develop however couldn’t discover the appropriate slot in Europe. Jesús requested them to contemplate Washington, the place he had visited as a College of Washington worldwide research scholar in 2008. After some visits and networking, they settled on Walla Walla.
Shortly after, the household employed Devyani Isabel Gupta, a graduate of the Walla Walla Neighborhood Faculty viticulture and enology program, as an assistant winemaker. Now, she serves as winemaker and viticulturist. She additionally has levels in psychology and Spanish from Whitman Faculty, one other Walla Walla faculty.
At the moment, Jesús is the CEO of Valdemar Household and lives in Walla Walla. Ana is the chief working officer and lives in Spain. Their father, Jesús Sr., is the president however has semiretired to an advisory function, additionally in Spain.
“He’s a really, superb taster as a result of he has a number of expertise,” Ana stated throughout a go to to Walla Walla in June.
Their mom, Carmen, just isn’t concerned with the enterprise.
Ana has two grownup kids in Spain. Each have expressed at the very least some curiosity in changing into the sixth era. Jesús’ kids are nonetheless younger.
Ana stated she is going to seemingly stay in Spain for her profession however communicates with Jesús and the Walla Walla group day-after-day by video convention to debate the variations and similarities of illnesses and pests.
“One of the best factor is that we’re studying lots,” she stated.
Variations and similarities
Regardless of the household’s dedication to Washington, they imported a couple of European concepts, giving the 2 veins of their enterprise similarities and variations.
The 2 places function on a special scale. Valdemar Estates at the moment produces about 3,500 instances per 12 months however has capability for about 10,000. Their vineyard in Spain, referred to as Bodegas Valdemar, cranks out 120,000 instances yearly, exporting about 75 % of that quantity.
Enterprise choices differ, too. For one, selection choice and administration practices in America are as much as particular person companies. Most growers have contracts, however firms might plant and harvest as a lot as they need. In Europe, appellations authorize the usage of grape varieties and regulate yields.
Valdemar Estates’ enterprise ways take heed to Spain’s emphasis on meals. The Walla Walla vineyard includes a tapas restaurant, and in September the corporate opened a tapas cocktail and wine bar in Woodinville. Additionally, they harvest slightly sooner than their neighbors, in search of a brisker type that pairs higher with meals, Jesús stated.
Each wineries export to one another by their current distribution networks, so European drinkers in eight international locations are uncovered to the Walla Walla wine.
The vineyards are a combination of old- and new-world concepts, too.
They’ve loads of the horizontal cordons widespread within the Northwest, however Gupta head-trains the corporate’s Grenache into tall, three-cane goblets. It’s a method widespread in Europe, although different growers in components of the Walla Walla Valley try it, too.
“That is primarily based off of what I noticed on the household’s property in Rioja,” stated Gupta, a Washington State Wine Fee board member, pointing to some vines in April, simply as they began budbreak.
Nonetheless, she makes use of trellis wires to make the fruit cling larger, away from drip irrigation traces. The vineyards in La Rioja are freestanding and don’t have any irrigation.
Valdemar Household has been partnering with Washington State College to trial Spanish varietals in Washington and plans to plant one in every of them, Maturana Tinta, within the subsequent couple of years.
Shoutout to Washington
Valdemar’s resolution to undertake Washington strategies is a testomony to the state’s trade, stated Erik McLaughlin, CEO of Metis, a Walla Walla meals and beverage consulting firm.
“It’s an amazing validation of Walla Walla and of Washington state that they need to come and embrace and be a part of it quite than transplant and do one thing totally different,” stated McLaughlin, who consults for Valdemar Estates and bought a winery property to the corporate.
They may have succeeded with Tempranillo, McLaughlin stated. A number of high-end wineries in Washington and Oregon produce it (see “Tempting with Tempranillo”).
McLaughlin sees Valdemar Estates as a part of a development of European mainstay wine producers investing within the American West. One issue could also be that earnings and inheritance taxes are decrease in the USA. European wineries think about the USA the most important market on the earth for bottles on the excessive finish of the value level, although demand for cut price wine has dipped.
“The U.S. is actually seen as the expansion space,” McLaughlin stated.
Valdemar additionally requested for technical assist from locals, together with Kevin Pogue, a geology professor at Whitman Faculty and writer of the petition to type the Rocks District, a federally acknowledged subset of the Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Space.
In the meantime, different native wine leaders inspired their new Spanish neighbors. Norm McKibben, founding father of Pepper Bridge Vineyard and one in every of Walla Walla’s pioneer wine producers, helped the siblings discover property and bought them a parcel for the vineyard subsequent to his Amavi Cellars.
McKibben stated the household takes a “lengthy view” of vineyard possession, which is sweet for the Walla Walla neighborhood and Washington wine trade.
—by Ross Courtney
