Barrister Winery

Greg Lipsker and Michael White were vacationing with their families in British Columbia. En route, they stopped in a local shop to buy wine and walked out with a five-gallon Zinfandel wine making kit.

Five gallons turned into fifty gallons, which then turned into crushing 1½ tons of grapes in Greg’s garage in 2000. Validation came when they submitted their wine to the Indy International Wine Competition and walked away with three golds and a silver medal. Their passion ignited, Greg and Michael forged ahead with a mix of trial and error, conversations with local vintners, and courses at Walla Walla Community College. In 2001, the two lawyers decided to name their new business after the British word for lawyer; Barrister Winery was launched.

As Barrister grew, so did the accolades. Vintage after vintage won awards, including “Best of Show” at the prestigious Los Angeles Wines of the World competition. As well, Barrister Wines claim consistent 90+ point scores in the industry’s most prestigious wine magazines.