Washington Wine Industry Tops 650 Wineries(2)
Greg Harrington, founder and winemaker at Gramercy Cellars, came to Walla Walla after overseeing wine and alcohol programs for 15 restaurants and hotels in New York as a partner in BR Guest Restaurants and James Hotels. He previously worked with famed chef Wolfgang Puck and is a master sommelier.
Price defines perception, Harrington said.
"Why is a Gucci black T-shirt $850 and I can get the same thing from J-Crew for $20?" he asked. "It's all about what you like."
Gramercy Cellars wines range in price from $40 to $65.
Iconic wines and iconic wineries aren't necessarily the same thing either, he said.
"For me, I would rather have five really good wines than four good ones and two that are outstanding," Harrington said. "If you can get $120 a bottle, that's great. It's a worse sin to sell your wines for too little than too much."
At any price point, it's going to be difficult for wineries to continue to set themselves apart, said Joshua Greene, editor and publisher of Wine&Spirits magazine.
"I personally would like to see more people pursue a $15 iconic wine," he said. "It would be so much better for Washington to have that approach, to reach more people."
Richard Rynes, 70, of Tacoma, Wash., considers himself a longtime wine enthusiast. After attending a wine-tasting event in Seattle, he said he remains convinced the best Washington wines are equal to the best California wines, regardless of price.
"If you're jumping in and you don't know anything about wine, you decide what you like and what you want to spend," he said. "You can get good wines at different prices."
