In a quiet residential area of south Walla Walla, something covert is happening. Behind an unassuming home, fluorescent-color string once traversed a backyard like tripwires, marking the future rows of what would become one of Walla Walla’s most unique “pico-wineries.” For Heather Scott, owner and winemaker of Tripwire Winery, the name wasn’t just inspired by those strings everyone kept tripping over — it perfectly captured the espionage-like nature of her passion project. “I would have loved to have been tapped by the CIA,” Scott says laughing. “In a sense my winery is operating discreetly undercover.”
Scott’s journey to winemaking began far from the undulating vineyards of Walla Walla, in Columbus, Indiana, a corn-growing region. The rhythms of rural life instilled in her a love of the land from a young age. Her first summer job, detasseling corn in the Indiana fields, may not have involved grapes, but it sowed a spirit of curiosity that would become central to her identity as a winemaker.
Scott moved west after graduating from Indiana University in 1994 to work in a luggage sales role with Samsonite, eventually landing in Portland as a district manager in 1996. Scott discovered her passion for wine in Oregon. During a grape stomping competition at Willamette Valley Vineyards, she met winemaker Bill Fuller. At just 22, she boldly approached him, curious about pursuing a career at the winery. Although the economics didn’t work out at the time, the seed was planted.
Scott describes curiosity as her driving force — a need to explore, understand and pursue new experiences. “I really wanted to do this and never stopped thinking about it,” Scott reflects, referring to her slow-burning dream of making wine. Travels to Napa, Willamette Valley and Walla Walla fueled her imagination further. She even pondered working as a travel or wine journalist before discovering her true calling in the vineyard.
When her parents retired to Walla Walla, she visited frequently, becoming more familiar with the local winemaking community. In 2018 she planted a quarter-acre vineyard on her parent’s property. “I planted a vineyard without thinking about what that meant and having zero training,” Scott admits, “working with only a one-hour consultation from Justin Basel, winemaker at Solemn Cellars.”
The small-town atmosphere of Walla Walla was a powerful draw, reminiscent of her Indiana roots. When COVID arrived, Scott embraced the moment to relocate there. Scott reflects, “The move to Walla Walla offered a chance to reconnect and offer support to my parents during a time when togetherness felt especially meaningful.
”Scott steadily developed her wine career. “The Winemaking for Dummies book was very important as well as YouTube,” Scott says. She credits much of her growth to the generosity of the Walla Walla community — veteran winemakers including Gilles Nicault at Long Shadows and Toby Turlay at Ducleaux Cellars took her questions seriously and didn’t scoff at a beginner’s curiosity. Scott also enrolled in the Walla Walla Community College Enology and Viticulture program.
What distinguishes Tripwire is not only Scott’s unconventional journey, but also her choice of grape to plant. “I wanted to make a wine that was different. Everybody was making Rhone wines,” she explains. Her site required a grape variety that could endure freezing temperatures. After researching cold-hardy Austrian grapes and blind tasting numerous wines, Scott landed on Zweigelt, an Austrian variety rarely seen in Washington. “I love the brightness, cherry and white pepper nuances. It’s not highly alcoholic. It’s unpretentious and very approachable.”
At Tripwire, Scott’s approach is boutique by design. Production is small — 25 cases — and she embraces the intimacy this affords. Scott aims to create “cult-like experiences” through personal tastings in the relaxing setting of her wine studio, secret pop-up tastings and intimate winemaker dinners. All of these are intended to create connections — an ethos that reflects both her Midwestern modesty and her innovative spirit. Tripwire is an “undercover” winery where espionage meets viticulture in a most delightful way.
