Navigate / search

The 7.5: Kevin White, Kevin White Winery

Happy May, everyone! We’re excited to present the latest edition of The 7.5 - our take on the Q&A – with all sorts of great people from the world of food & wine. This time, we’re pleased to have Kevin White of Kevin White Winery, whom we’d met at this year’s Taste Washington! event (we’ll admit to having tried his wine on both days). So with that, let’s get to the questions!

1. (from Ryan Crane, KERLOO Cellars) What’s the next bad to the bone varietal out of Washington State? Are you making it, and if so, what style? 

Grenache. Washington State grows fantastic Grenache and the wines are delicious. I would not be surprised to see more and more Grenache planted over the next few years. In my program, I use Grenache a key component in the ‘La Fraternite’ Red Blend. It adds beautiful red fruit flavors and aromas with a savory mouthfeel and texture. Grenache is my personal favorite of all the Rhone Varietals.

2. What are three things people should know about Kevin White Winery?

  1. The winery is small and I don’t have plans to grow more than where I’m at now (500ish cases). Get on the mailing list now as the wines sell fast.
  2. I don’t have a tasting room and will not have one for a while. Right now I have a singular focus on making the best wine I possibly can with the rest of my time is spent with family and my day job.
  3. Without my wife Stefanie, there would not be a winery. She has provided me with support and a lot of leeway to follow my dreams. When I think back – she allowed me to start this project with 6 month old twins at home! I owe her big time!

3. What keeps you up later at night, worrying about what your wine is doing in-barrel or your twin sons?

For the first two years of wine making, I would definitely say that it was wine keeping me up at night. It didn’t help that I started making wine during two of the most challenging vintages in Washington State (2010 and 2011). Now that I have three vintages behind me, and more confidence in my decision making, I’m not as uptight as I used to be. I’m still very focused and obsessive about quality but I have better feel of how wine from each of my vineyards develops and generally what to expect and when. Lately, it is Microsoft keeping me up at night.

4. What’s your winemaking jam that you really get into listening to while doing what you do?

Alison Krauss and Union Station. Harvest is so intense that you really need peaceful music playing.

5. What’s been the most eye-opening thing for you in your winemaking “career” so far?

Everything in the cellar takes twice as long as you estimate. I think every winemaker will agree on that.

6. When dining out with family, friends or colleagues do you bring wine with you to the restaurant or select from the menu? If yes, do you ever bring your own wine?

I wish I could say that I go out to dinner a lot, but most nights it dinner at home with my family. On the occasions when Stefanie and I do go out for dinner, most of the time we buy off the list. I like to pick out wine that will pair well with dinner – so bringing wine in advance is hard. Occasionally we will bring a special bottle from the cellar if we know what we are planning to eat (usually a steakhouse). Regarding my wine, I taste enough of it at home and when we are out I like taste new things!

7. How did you get into Rhone wine and will the Rhone (among others) continue to inspire what you do with your wines?

I was introduced to the wines of the Rhone and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Sothern France early in my exploration of wines throughout the world. I was, and continue to be, drawn to these wines. There is something about the earthy, spicy and fruit driven wines from the Southern Rhone and the mineral driven, lush but lively wines of the North that fascinates me. These wines definitely continue to inspire me in a stylistic sense – which is to keep the new oak low, focus on the fruit and make a balanced wine which expresses the terroir.

Who’s next?

We’re already working on a few future 7.5 candidates, and will continue to feature them here. In the meantime, please feel free to share suggestions, and let us know what you think about Kevin and his wine below!

The 7.5: Ryan Crane, KERLOO Cellars

Welcome to the latest edition of The 7.5, our version of Q&A, where we ask six questions to someone related to food, wine or culture, and include a seventh – delivered from the previous interviewee – and ask them to provide us a “blind” question for the next person we include, as a fun way of keeping it fresh.

This time around, we’re happy to have Ryan Crane of KERLOO Cellars, someone whose wine I most certainly enjoy, and not just because he had the stones to put a white leather couch in his tasting room, filled with delicious red juice. The first question comes from RN74′s Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen, who took part in the inaugural 7.5 earlier this year.

1. What is the single wine toy or tool that you can’t live without?

Hmmmm, well the answer to that is my lovely lees stirrer.  I love going in dirty and this tool is by far the most simple and needed tool in the cellar.

[ed. note: Here is an example of what Ryan's talking about, not necessarily the one he enjoys getting his stir on with...]

2. When you first got into winemaking, what was your primary goal?

Make the best wines in the world. Seriously, I wanted to produce wines that were true to me as a person and make peoples palates be blown away. I also wanted to make wines of true distinction, that being more vineyard driven wines and true to varietal wines, so long as the vintage spoke to that. I started the winery in ’07 and have stayed true to my original philosophies.

3. What’s one thing that you think works well in Walla Walla tasting rooms that Woodinville (or other tasting room-friendly areas) could use more of?

I strongly believe that people that come to Walla Walla want an experience. They want to breathe, feel, be immersed into the community of W2 and that’s truly what sets us apart. By no means a knock to any other tasting rooms in greater-populated areas, but you don’t get that sort of feel. This element is very important for guests because they go home with a story, and that puts wines on the table!

4. You’ve lived on the West and East sides of Washington State – what’s the biggest culture shock you experienced when you moved East?

Food and diversity. Seattle has a vibe that is like no other. As I write this, I’m enjoying a few pints at Prost in West Seattle. The steady rhythm of the city is brilliant, but on the other hand the amazing people I’ve been able to associate with in Walla Walla is amazing as well. I now split my time between both places, so I enjoy each in its own right.

5. What’s something people might be surprised to find out about Ryan Crane or KERLOO Cellars?

WOW, that’s a tough one simply because I wear everything on my sleeve. A lot of people don’t know that I am a twin. My brother Wade is my co-partner, and scary to say, but there are two of us in this world. Ya, I know, off the chart. We are really close and he is an amazing bro and has two little rascals just as I do. His wife Karen isn’t too bad either.

6. Will Kerloo ever produce a white wine? If so, what would it be and why?

Now, my comment of wearing everything on my sleeve will come out. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of new world whites, that’s why I haven’t gotten into the white wine game. We are currently producing Rose of Grenache (which is ridiculous), but don’t plan on producing any other whites UNLESS I find the perfect Sauvignon Blanc site. I would make that in the hopes of competing with Sancerre, but may be a stretch even for my skills and Washington State but am willing to take a run when the time comes.

7. Is having a white couch in your tasting room some sort of dare to your patrons, or what?

Hell ya it is. I wanted to build a brand that was classy, sophisticated and sexy all at once. So, the white couch/chairs are an extension of KERLOO wines.  I want people to feel all of those things, and the dare is still on the table!!

Who’s next?

We’ll see what question Ryan teed up for the next-in-line participant in The 7.5 in the near future. Feel free to send along suggestions here, and let Ryan know how you feel about KERLOO’s wines – or his white couch – in the comments below!

The 7.5: Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen, RN74 Seattle

When the idea for Seven Hundred Fifty was coming to fruition, one of the main areas I wanted to address was what our “thing” was. By “thing,” I mean, what was something that would be unique and different, and could happen with some regularity and keep people interested. That’s when the idea for The 7.5 came up.

Short-and-sweet, it’s like this. We pick a person – a foodie, journalist, sommelier, chef, bartender, winemaker – someone in the food, wine or culture space, and ask them seven questions, followed by one question from the previous person – that’s where the .5 comes in. Of course, to start something like this off, the first person has to get seven questions from us, and be the guinea pig. So, we’ll be starting the series off by featuring responses from Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen, lead sommelier at Michael Mina’s RN74 in Seattle, and co-owner / winemaker at WT Vintners. So without further ado, let’s learn some more about Jeff!

1. Who is the person (or people, television show, book, etc.) that made you realize you wanted to get into a career involving wine (and food)?

My parents, particularly my mom, was always heading off to “wine country” when I was growing up, so wine was always around. I was a really picky eater and my parents got really fed up with me turning my nose up at everything they made, which was often a recipe out of Bon Appetit or Gourmet magazine and I was just being a brat. They implemented an “if you don’t like it you cook your own dinner” mantra. That morphed into my brother and I each being required  to cook dinner once a week for the family. It started out PB&J, and grew into simplistic but pretty tasty dinners as I remember it. My mom, however, just remembers the tortillas with peanut butter and banana rolled up like a taquito. I think this, along with my dad’s total disinterest in the pomp of fine dining, leaving an open seat for me, got me into the delicious complexities of food.

Then, when I was 20, I dated a woman whose father had an amazing wine collection — he is really the one that turned me onto fine wine. The timing was perfect, as I had left a corporate job to go back to school, thinking I might be a cultural anthropologist, and started waiting tables to pay the bills. Over time, wine became part of my income, so I dug into it a little deeper. Meanwhile, I was getting to drink ridiculous wines with my girl’s dad. It wasn’t a light bulb going off or anything, it just kind of grew and grew into a realization that the wine world encompassed everything I was looking for in a career: history, art, food, travel, amazing people and on and on. It really is the perfect job for me. I get to share my passion with people everyday and hopefully bring a little something extra to the moment they are in and sometimes inspire them a bit as well.

2. Without throwing anyone (colleague, customer or otherwise) under the bus, what’s the one food & wine faux pas that just drives you crazy?

I am guilty of this one myself. It makes me absolutely crazy when someone just downright dismisses or worse yet says “I hate” that grape. Lately, I am noticing a bit of a Syrah backlash. How can one hate something that has so many incarnations. I am really not a fan of Zinfandel. However, one of my fondest memories is tasting 1970 and 1971 Ridge Zinfandels that a guest shared with me at IPNC in Oregon several years ago. Those wines blew me away and were over 25 years old — I had no idea Zinfandel could age and taste like that. I treasure that experience. I am of the notion wine is almost as much about the moment and those you are with as what is in the bottle. That being said, a great bottle of wine elevates the entire experience, your food tastes better, your date is prettier, etc.

Also, the domestic foie gras haters drive me nuts in their leather shoes while eating southern grown chicken. If only all of our food supply had such a good life as the American foie gras farms.

3. Who has been one of your most fun, or perhaps surprising, customers or people you’ve worked with in a dining setting to date?

It makes my night as a sommelier to have a guest well versed or just learning about wine to throw caution to the wind and let me take them on a bit of a tour of the great wine regions of the world during their dinner by pairing to their courses, and sometimes pairing to their personality. In the end, what is most important is to drink what you like, but when a food and wine pairing is spot on everything tastes better.

4. “Sideways” or “Bottle Shock” and why?

While I truly enjoyed both “Sideways” and “Bottle Shock,” my vote for a wine movie would be “Mondovino.” It really has an important message about the craft of winemaking versus its rampant industrialization and hemogony. If you havent seen it, you really should.

5. Can you tell us a little bit about the dress code at RN74? It’s pretty intriguing (says this fan of plaid), with a healthy mix of cocktail dresses, flannel shirts, and awesome kicks. On that note, what’s your “signature” gear that you wear to work?

Well the dress code has changed a bit recently, the servers and support staff have transitioned into a sort of “reverse mullet” of a uniform with a pressed white shirt and black tie on top and jeans and sneakers on the bottom. The cocktail women in the lounge get a bit of a free pass and just have to wear a black dress/skirt, as uniformity goes. The sommeliers, captains and managers all wear either a blazer or sweater over a collared shirt. I miss wearing a suit, I own a lot of them and I feel very confident and natural in one. The casual nature of the uniform at RN, I think, helps put people at ease. We have a very intense wine program and the food is really sophisticated so the sneakers help keep some levity in the room.

I don’t think I’ve found my signature style in this uniform yet. But this question has sure got me thinking I better find one. Ascot? Bedazzler? I do wear a lot of beautiful cufflinks and a couple bad-ass belt buckles.

6. Desert island five wines under $50/bottle?

I hope I never get stranded on a desert island with price limitations I have expensive tastes in wine. I’ll omit Burgundy and the Rhone as the magic happens beyond your threshold of 50 bucks.

  • Donnhoff Kabinett Riesling, pretty much any of his single vineyards. Low alcohol, high acid, a touch of sweetness.
  • Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs de Ay, Champagne. Delicious!
  • La Gitana Manzanilla Fino,  Sherry, Spain cheap, awesome, tastes like the sea and marcona almonds.
  • Nigl Gruner Veltliner, a nearly infallible producer so anything from his quiver will do.
  • I need a red, but it’s a desert island. does this island get cold? Is it shady? Lapierre Beaujolais, maybe.

7. What’s your favorite thing about Seattle?

Seattle has a bit of everything within a few hours’ drive; mountains, water, forest, desert, wine country, great food, you name it — other than consistent warmth or sun, we’ve got it all.

Who’s next?

We’ll see what question Jeff asked of the next person up in The 7.5 in an upcoming installment — drop us a line or leave a comment below about others you’d like us to chase down to participate!

In the meantime, go say hi to Jeff at RN74 in downtown Seattle!