One of Our Own Wins Wine Scholarship

Lily Perry, an associate in our Walla Walla tasting room, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the Washington Wine Industry Foundation. Lily is a first-year student at Walla Walla Community College where she is studying for both a BS in Agricultural Systems and a two-year degree in Enology and Viticulture.

“Right now, I’m working harvest,” Lily said. “We do grapes in the morning and then are on the crush pad in the afternoon. It’s been awesome. It’s so cool to get hands-on.”

As a brand-new student, Lily was at first hesitant to apply for a scholarship, but Martin Fujishin, winemaker and Director of Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College, encouraged her to apply.

“He told me, ‘You know more than you think you do. You have an aptitude for this,’” she said. “Everyone is so supportive. It’s given me confidence.”

Lily noted how different it is working in the wine industry than in the corporate world. “You’re seen as more valuable here with shorter experience,” she said. Her experience at Capital Call Vintners has helped her understand the customer-facing aspects of the wine business, a valuable concurrent experience to the technical lessons she is studying at WWCC. 

“We consider ourselves ‘brokers of happiness’,” she said of the tasting room team, using a term coined by consultant April Reddout. “We’re very collaborative and work well together. I feel really lucky to be part of this team.”  

What does the future hold for Lily?

“I’m definitely exploring my options,” she said. “I’m very interested in working in the vineyards directly. I feel very connected to the land and the people and the community that blooms from that.”

She adds, “I’m hoping to do more with Capital Call after I graduate. Working closer with winemaker Josh Maloney is on my dream list.”

Lily, we couldn’t be prouder of you. Watch for a call from Josh!