The stunning contrasts in the view from the multi-tiered patio of Treveri Cellars is reason enough to linger for an afternoon. Lush winery landscaping gives way to the arid and undulating hills of the Cascade Mountain Range punctuated by Mt. Adams off in the distance.
What is inside every bottle is, of course, what draws visitors to this sparkling wine house located near Yakima, Washington. Legacy is poured into every tasting room glass and crafted in the onsite production room. A glass wall gives guests a teaser peek at the inner workings of how the celebratory beverage comes to be but it is a private tour that affords an in-depth look at their unique disgorging line which hails from Epernay, France.
According to Christian Grieb, son of German-born founder, Juergen Grieb, Treveri’s state-of-the-art disgorging line is the newest in Washington and one of the few complete lines to be found in the United States. This fastidious attention to producing méthode champenoise might be a non-story for a larger sparkling house but Treveri is still considered boutique and not in an unapproachable way. Prices intentionally range from $15 to $20 for each of their seven current releases.
“When we started this project we decided what kind of winery we wanted to be,” Christian Grieb says. “We wanted to put Washington more on the map in regards to sparkling and you can’t necessarily do that when charging $85 or more because it’s not accessible.”
Sitting at what Grieb refers to as their “sweet spot,” Treveri bottles 15,000 cases annually. This gives them the quantity to share their passion with people while still staying small enough to control the quality of their wines. Grieb attributes their price point to the industry knowledge of his father.
“He’s been involved in Washington wine for over 30 years and that industry know- how and [the] relationships he’s cultivated over that time definitely gives us a wealth of knowledge to rely on,” Grieb says.
In fact, Juergen Grieb is coming up on his 34th harvest in Washington State, a number few Washington winemakers can lay claim to. He came over from Trier, West Germany in 1983 and began working with German wine producer, Wolfgang Langguth. Langguth saw the promise of Washington grapes long before large investors existed in the state. Alas, his timing was a bit too early. He returned to the Mosel Valley but Juergen stayed.
Known for its red wines, the Yakima Valley is actually planted to 60 percent white wine grapes and Juergen honed in on the higher elevations and pockets bringing forth beautiful, acid-driven white wines.
Although Treveri opened its doors in 2010, Juergen has been making a few cases of sparkling wine from Eastern Washington grapes for decades. The family affectionately refers to them as “Dad’s hobby bubbles.”
In the last few years, the next generation has stepped up, with Grieb pursuing and earning his winemaking degree from University of California, Davis and works alongside his father as assistant winemaker. His mother, Julie, is co-owner/general manager, and his wife, Katie, is senior vice president of marketing. It is this family affair approach to Treveri that translates into experience-based tastings and a bubbles-friendly small bites menu.
Grieb explains that as purveyors of a distinguished beverage, it is important to them to offer seated salon-style tastings — an industry standard at the Champagne houses in France — as opposed to stand-up bar tastings. They also see Treveri as an extension of their home and how guests are treated in their home.
Although aged for between 24 to 36 months, Treveri wines are more fruit-forward than yeast-focused and pair seamlessly with the tasting room’s Fig Plate, a Pacific Northwest platter featuring smoked local fish or their selection of flatbreads with a Northwest twist.
“A lot of what we’re doing as far as being a family house producer of bubbles is starting at ground zero of discovery and that’s sort of the joy of it all,” Grieb says. “We’re really enjoying making unique and quality sparkling wines from Washington State.”
