doing business as
employer : Frichette Winery founded : 2013 location : Benton City employees : Five website : www . frichettewinery . com
Frichette Winery
With roots in a momentous coin flip and a search for adventure , Frichette Winery is a growing family business in the rolling hills of the Red Mountain AVA . Greg and Shae Frichette are expanding their winery as they produce 3,000 cases of red wine ( and a little white ) each year and host events for wine club members and visitors from around the world .
Brian Mittge
heads or tails : After meeting and marrying in California , Greg and Shae Frichette wanted to be near one set of their parents as they raised their son . But where should they move — to her family in South Carolina or his family in the Tri- Cities ? After much discussion , Greg suggested they leave it to fate and flip a coin . Shae agreed . It came up heads , which meant they ’ d move to Washington . Then they had to decide how to support themselves . ( She had been a corporate trainer and he was in IT .) “ I said to Greg , let ’ s do something that gives us goosebumps ,” Shae said . That meant starting a winery .
making a home : They fell in love with the Red Mountain AVA , but there was nothing for sale . They knocked on doors looking for land . After their fourth inquiry at one site ( including sending them handwritten letters ), the owners finally said yes and the Frichettes were able to buy 5 1 / 2 acres of sagebrush . They planted grapes and opened their tasting room in 2013 . Their team harvests their grapes by hand , and crush them on site , then ferment the wine in bins and age the wine in French oak casks , all on their property . They recently tripled their landholdings , adding 11 acres to their estate .
love for the land : Greg fondly recalls spending his youth in Pasco , playing outside until the sun set . A few years after buying their property at Red Mountain , Greg decided to capture that feeling . He dedicated a few minutes every evening of 2015 to capturing the sunset , whether through clouds , grape vines or a wine glass held aloft . The resulting giant montage of photos from the changing seasons at Red Mountain hangs in their tasting room and at spots in the Tri-Cities . He calls it “ 365 Sunsets .”
red mountain , red wines : The Red Mountain AVA is one of 16 American Viticultural Areas in Washington . It ’ s among the smallest AVA ( 4,040 acres ) and most densely planted with grapes . It ’ s a windy desert region with ideal winery soil , producing thick-skinned grapes with lots of tannin . “ Mother Nature gives us the perfect elements to produce insanely beautiful , intense and bold wines ... full of flavor and intensity ,” Shae Frichette says .
“ Being a winemaker and being able to create something that was grown out of the earth here at Red Mountain and take that and baby it for a couple of years and then be able to share it is one of the coolest things .”
— co-founder Greg Frichette