BEHIND THE BOTTLE

Steve Bruere remembers well the fateful phone call. Alan Busacca, his partner in Windhorse Vineyard, was on the line. The business needed a quick cash infusion. The two had spoken the day before. On that call, Steve had brought up the fact that harvest at their vineyard was running below expectations. The way things were looking, the vineyard was going to run in the red that year. “I don’t think we’re making any money,” he remembered telling his partner.

Creating a World Class Cabernet With our 2022 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon, winemaker Josh Maloney employed a time-intensive, old-world technique for introducing native yeast to the wine fermentation process—pied du cuve. Two weeks before fermentation, Josh went to the hardware store and bought two brand new buckets. He then went

Josh Maloney on the Art, Science, and Beauty of Winemaking “I am so grateful that I get to do something every day that I love, and I get paid for it,” says Josh Maloney, winemaker. “How lucky am I?” An accomplished trombonist in high school, he almost went into music

Capital Call Acquires Barons Winery We are excited to announce that we have acquired the respected Barons Winery brand. Barons, known particularly for its Cabernet Sauvignon, has been a stalwart of Washington wine since its founding in 1999 by five “barons” of timber, agriculture, and business.   When the Barons

Going to Market with Claire Smith When you buy a bottle of wine in a tasting room, the wine industry calls that “direct to consumer” or DTC, for short. Claire Smith likes to call them “hand sales.” There’s a direct connection between the winery staff and you—they hand you a bottle

Nick Mackay Gets Results Results Partners, Director of Vineyard Operations Some people take a winding path to wine. Not Nick Mackay.  Growing up in Benton City, in the heart of the Red Mountain AVA, he was right smack in the middle of Washington’s wine country.  “Red Mountain was the cool new

Meet Bryan Walters, Walla Walla Tasting Room Manager In college at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill, Bryan Walters studied Political Science, intending to become a lawyer. After classes, he picked up shifts at a local pizza place and worked nights in a bar. Turns out he liked the customer

Meet Doctor Dirt: Alan Busacca Alan Busacca, Ph.D., aka Doctor Dirt, is one of the experts on the Capital Call Vintners team, bringing over 40 years of soil science, geology, and viticulture experience­­­, including 25 years on the faculty at Washington State University. He describes his life as “living outdoors;”

Vital Wines Donation One of the best features about the Washington wine industry is our sense of community and willingness to collaborate. Vital Wines, located in our hometown of Walla Walla, is a nonprofit organization that helps vineyard workers, primarily Latinx, access affordable, local healthcare for themselves and their families.