For Robb Zimmel of Cerebella Winery, winemaking wasn’t in the cards — or at least, not in the way he’d imagined it might be for those born into vineyard families. He grew up in North Dakota, where wine culture was almost non-existent, yet he was captivated by it from a young age. In middle school, he even created a small collection of wine bottles, not to drink but to admire. “For me, wine was time trapped in a bottle,” he reflects. The dates on each label fascinated him. He saw each bottle as a small, tangible piece of history.
“I always thought winemaking was like the caste system,” says Zimmel. “You did it because your parents did it, and their parents before them. But I didn’t come from that world — wine just fascinated me.”
Yet his first exposure to winemaking came from his family; his grandmothers, lacking access to traditional grapes, made wine from whatever they could forage — rhubarb, chokecherry and even dandelions. “When I was five or six, I remember watching them work in the kitchen. The smell of the sugar cooking with fruit, the jugs swelling as the wine fermented, and those homemade balloon stoppers bobbing up and down on top. To me, it was magic,” he says.
In his early twenties, Zimmel joined the military and served as a flight paramedic in Afghanistan, where he saw the intense realities of war. The toll of serving in a combat zone was heavy, and Robb began to think about life after the military. Then, in 2007, in a chance conversation he learned that one could actually go to school for winemaking. It was an epiphany, and soon after, he found himself on a satellite phone in the desert, dialing Washington State University’s viticulture department to inquire about courses.
Zimmel was hooked. This was his future.
A pivotal conversation with a senior anesthetist sealed his decision. “I told him I’d be 43 by the time I graduated, and he laughed. He said, ‘You’re going to be 43 no matter what. The difference is whether you’re 43 with a degree or without one.’ That line stayed with me.”
Once back in the United States, Zimmel didn’t waste a minute. He got off the plane in Portland, Oregon, in 2010 and went straight to school. Enrolled at both Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, and Washington State University, he juggled campuses, classes and life. But it wasn’t long before the real winemaking science called. “After two years, they told me, ‘There’s nothing more we can do for you here. You have to go to Tri-Cities,’” he recalls.
Selling everything, Zimmel moved to the heart of Washington wine country, attending Washington State University’s Wine Science Center in Tri-Cities. He remembers vividly how being an older student transformed the experience. “Going back to school as an older student is so much more rewarding,” he says. “There’s this mutual respect — you’re there because you mean business.”
Zimmel balanced his coursework with an internship at Hogue Cellars, where he worked night shifts and drove directly to class. One morning, after dozing off in class, his professor, Bhashkar Bondada, called him out, only to admire Zimmel’s dedication when he learned he had just come from an overnight shift.
Zimmel’s journey to winemaking is both unique and grounded in mentorship. As part of a contractual agreement with the U.S. government, he received his college education in exchange for his military service, a path that also broadened his global wine perspectives. Yet, what shaped his winemaking skills was the support he received from industry leaders back in Washington. Rob Griffin of Barnard Griffin became a key mentor for him, guiding him through the early stages of his career. Equally important was Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas, who extended a rare generosity by allowing Zimmel to use his facility to make his own wine for one year, entirely free of charge. This support left a profound impression on Zimmel, who says he’s determined to “pay this kindness forward.”
Today, Zimmel runs Cerebella Winery in Pendleton, Oregon, where he channels his love for wine into crafting bold, memorable reds. His Malbec is a serious one to watch out for, gaining a strong reputation for its depth and flavor profile. Equally intriguing is the sparkling Syrah he plans to release next year — an unconventional wine that was inspired by a sparkling Shiraz Zimmel discovered while traveling in Australia with the military.
From his earliest days collecting wine bottles for their dates to serving in combat zones and finally crafting his own bottles of wine, Zimmel’s journey has come full circle. “Wine has always been my way of connecting with time. Each bottle is a story, a memory preserved, and I want to pass that on, just like the people who helped me along the way.”
