Charles smith winemaker biography samples

  • A remarkable, self-made man, Charles talks about starting his winery as well as his life as a rock band manager in his previous life.
  • Former rock group manager, Washington State winemaker Charles Smith released his first vintage – of just 330 cases - in 2001.
  • Smith came to Walla Walla to make terroir-driven wines.

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    Taking the world one wine at a time.

    Grape

    100% Riesling

     

    Facts

    • I’ve been slowly working my way through the Charles Smith portfolio of wines for the last few years – with the only hindrance to my progress being their limited-availability. It’s quite a wonder why more restaurants/retailers don’t carry this line. I would challenge anyone to find a better value coming out of Washington State right now. It certainly beats the generic-tasting-juice that some of the “big boys” are churning out!
    • Charles Smith grew up just outside of Sacramento, California. Born to a Welsh mother and French father, his first exposure to wine was the barrels of family wine made every year by his father. Charles moved to Denmark for a girl (NB: as you do) and spent the next 11 years living the rock-and-roll lifestyle (literally), managing rock bands (Danish indie-rock duo The Raveonettes being one of them).
      After growing weary of all the sex, drugs, and loud-music; he moved bac

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      Thank you to Eric Asimov for recommending this post in the Friday, June 21, 2013 edition of The New York Times Diner’s Journal “What We’re Reading.”

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      The History of Smith-Madrone

      Stu Smith inspecting Chardonnay, April 2013

      Smith-Madrone began on a Santa Monica beach at the end of the 1960s, where two brothers, Charles and Stu Smith, grew up. It was a time when an otherwise middle class family could afford vineyard land in Napa Valley, and start a winery fresh becoming owners that produce their own wine, a phenomenon rare in the region today.

      Stu Smith worked as a summer lifeguard while completing a degree in Economics at SF State. His brother, Charles, earned his undergraduate at the same institution with a focus on English Literature, also taking a lot of Philosophy classes.

      In the midst of his undergrad, Stu developed the idea of studying viticulture, and buying land in the Napa Valley to grow wine. While defending swimmers, he got to kno

    • charles smith winemaker biography samples

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      "Rock star" and "winemaker" are rarely used in the same breath (unless you're Fergie) but Seattle's Charles Smith certainly looks the part: all-black outfits, dark shades, and a head of hair that wouldn't be out of place on scen at a Mötley Crüe concert. Smith has the street cred to back the style: He's one of the best vintners America has seen in years—Wine Enthusiast named him the 2014 "Winemaker of the Year", thanks to hits like Kung Fu Girl Riesling and the Velvet Devil Merlot. (Bonus: He actually used to manage rock bands in Europe back in the '90s.) Smith recently opened Charles Smith Wines Jet City, the largest urban winery on the West Coast, in the heart of Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood, a rehabbed warehouse district that draws craft brew fiends and wine lovers alike. We caught up with Smith to learn about his favorite places in Seattle for a great glass of wine, a nice dinner out, and a relaxing mani/pedi. E