Portteus Winery Claimed

How did you get in the wine business? Great question; one I have been asked and answered at least one million times! So here is the real story: When I was 19, I bought a houseboat on Lake Union very near Fremont. I was too young to buy alcohol and since I entertained a lot I went over to Aetna bottling & supply on Rainier Ave and bought supplies to make beer. Portteus Brewery on the houseboat was formed. My uncle Howard made beer and wine that he let me taste as a youngster so I guess I got the idea from him. I quit making beer 3 years later when a batch blew up in the upper cabinets and the whole kitchen had to be torn out! I liked wine too, my parents were into wine in the 60’s so it seemed that wine was often on the table! After my junior year at UW i flew to Europe and bought a Norton motorcycle and spent 4+ months traveling from Spain to Norway. I also toured every wine region in Europe buying wine to drink at night in the campgrounds. 13 cents a bottle in Bordeaux and less in Spain! The turning point occurred at my little brothers 21st birthday when my dad pulled out a 1953 Nuit St. George (21 years old). I just flipped! I had never had the likes of this wine and I was determined to learn how they made it so much better than anything I had ever tasted. I began visiting Napa and Sonoma soaking up any and all information I could find and the more I learned the more I thought I should make wine. In 1977 we began looking for opportunities to grow grapes and make wine. First we looked in CA. then in May of 1980 we learned of pioneering grape growing in Yakima Valley. Wow, we can do this in our home state? In June of 1980 we began a search for the perfect vineyard site. We found our current site in April of 1981 and bought it!