This is the Farm Walks Podcast, brought to you by Tilth Alliance and the Washington State University Food Systems Program. I'm your host, Keith Bacon. Following in the footsteps of Farmer Nicole and everyone on the team who first brought this production to life, the Farm Walks Podcast came about when in-person farm walks were put on hold during the pandemic. Those on-site visits for farmer-to-farmer education are now back in action, and you can learn more about them at our website farmwalks.org. For this new season of the podcast, we're switching things up and recording every interview in the field or in the barn or wherever I can get a moment with our very busy, hardworking guests. In this episode, we'll hear firsthand how eco-conscious efforts and practices are growing like a vine in the Washington winemaking world and how the Transition to Organic Partnership Program is helping to establish pioneering advances in organic winemaking. And we'll make a provider connection at the Tilth Conference and Farm and Food Symposium with Ben Boll, Education and Advocacy Director at Oregon Tilth. But first, let's head out to Yakima for a deep dive into organic wines.

I'm Abraham Gonzalez. And I farm grapes. I'm a manager for Naches Heights Vineyard for 20 years, so pretty much planted all the grapes around the area.

I'm Paul Beveridge. I'm the winemaker and distiller at Willridge Vineyard Winery and Distillery on Naches Heights near Yakima.

And we are here at Willridge Winery and Distillery for this interview. Thanks for hosting us here today. Paul, can you just give us a general overview of what your operation is like up here?

Yeah. So Willridge, we started in Seattle in 1988. We're actually the oldest winery in Seattle. And for a long time we bought our grapes from around the state from some of the, the best vineyards in the state. And every winemaker's dream is to have their own vineyard where they have total creative control, get to pick what grapes are grown, how they're grown, and that sort of thing. 18 years ago, I quit my day job, found Abraham and his boss Phil. And planted this place. So we've been up here on Nancy's Heights now for almost 20 years.

Yeah, yeah, that's pretty much what I have. Farmed grapes, but again, I'm a farmer for all my life.

Are you a multi-generation farming family, or?

Yes, my father came here in 1956, and then my old brothers farmed around, and I stay in the business.

Did your family do apples in Mexico?

No. Okay. We started here and started farming here. Farming here, yes.

Paul Willridge is Washington's first certified organic winery, is that correct?

Okay, we are the first certified organic and biodynamic winery.

Okay.

And vineyard in Washington State. And if you throw the distillery in, we're the first of all.

Okay.

So yeah, first organic vineyard winery and distillery in the state. We did our conversion in 2007 when we planted the vineyard here.

And what motivated you to go that route?

For me, it was just obvious that we'd be organic. I was an environmental lawyer in my prior life. First 20 years I moonlit with a day job at a big law firm in Seattle.

Uh-huh.

So, so when I left the law firm, I planted the vineyard and as an environmental lawyer, I'm gonna be organic from that perspective. Then I had two young boys who were gonna be out here playing in the vineyard. And as you saw this morning from seeing the vineyard, you know, the winery, the tasting room are right there amongst the grapes.

Yeah.

And we got the picnic area right there amongst the grapes and we don't wanna be spraying any nasty stuff.

Yeah.

And we have the hiking down to the Cowichee Canyon Conservancy south of our vineyard. So people are always walking through the vineyard too. We don't wanna have any operations that are gonna be trouble for the public.

People are literally drinking, eating, and sleeping here. So it's nice to have a clean environment to do all those things.

Yeah.

Yeah. And the other thing is, is that grapes are pretty easy to grow organically, particularly out here when you've got all the natural advantages that Washington State has. Why not?

In your opinion, what are the benefits of choosing organic certification as opposed to just practicing organic?

I get asked that question a lot. Well, I do it because there are a few guys here in Washington and many more in Oregon and California that practice organics, practice biodynamics, but don't go through the trouble of getting certified. And there's a number of reasons to do it. I think one is it keeps everybody honest. You really do have to keep the records, right? You don't just have to do the practices.

Abraham even showed up with some records today, right?

Yeah, he's got 5 years of our records.

Receipts.