Meet The...Winemaker
Rock Star Wines
Charles Smith
DISCOVER - August 5, 2009
Eleven years of living on a shoestring in Copenhagen and traveling the back roads of Spain and Bulgaria imbued Charles Smith with a remarkable passion for wine, a prodigious capacity to consume it and an enduring love for the good times of the European table.
But the wine world knew little about this California free spirit until he met another adventurer in a Walla Walla wine bar; the rest is history. After getting to know Christophe Baron, the first Frenchman to establish an estate domaine in Washington (Cayuse), Smith concluded "I want to change my life and I want to do it with wine."
A master of the fine art of living well while poor, Smith offered a $5,000 down payment (that he didn't have) to buy a wine store in Seattle. There he learned all aspects of the trade, incognito, never revealing his plan to start a winery.
Talking to Smith on the lime green Adirondack chairs on the front porch of his 19th Century farmhouse, one is taken by the sensibility of the man. His passion comes from a life-long love affair with wine as an enjoyer, not a vintner. He regales us with stories of his first winters there, sleeping on a futon, cold as a block of ice. "Not enough money for both barrels and beds" he recalls.
This self-taught, foot-stomping winemaker has reached the pinnacle of his profession with grit and determination, while living on the edge. He produces wine under two labels, K Vintners and now Charles Smith Wines and is evaluating wine ventures around the world. You can taste the passion in wines that dazzle critics and feel the vibe in his descriptions: "It's just booze - drink it."
Charles Smith Wines/K Vintners
820 Mill Creek Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Phone: 509 526-5230
www.CharlesSmithWines.com
www.Kvintners.com
2007 Charles Smith Wines, "Boom Boom! Syrah" - Washington State. This wine rocks!
2008 Charles Smith Wines, "Kung Fu Girl Riesling" - Columbia Valley. This girl truly kicks ass.
2007 Charles Smith Wines, "The Velvet Devil Merlot" - Washington State. So smooth, so naughty, so very, very nice.
Our regular Meet The... series profiles the winemakers, chefs, vintners
and others that weave the rich tapestry of wine country culture.
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