The Wine Knows

David O'Reilly, who co-founded Sineann and now is co-owner/winemaker of the highly sought-after Owen Roe wines near Newberg, Ore., has always been interested in making wines from Washington state grapes. Now, he's making an even bigger move into the Evergreen State.

I chatted with O'Reilly earlier this week while he was in the Yakima Valley. He has purchased an old dairy that for years served as the winery for Washington Hills and Apex Cellars in Sunnyside. Apex as since moved to The Winemakers Loft in Prosser.

He is going to turn the building into a high-end custom crush facility and try to make it mostly "green" by using more natural light (I pointed out he'll get a whole lot more natural light from the cloudless skies of the Yakima Valley than in the often gray skies above the Willamette). He'll make a lot of his Washington-based wines here.

O'Reilly also has purchased Outlook Vineyard west of Sunnyside near the town of Outlook.

O'Reilly has long enjoyed making wines from Washington grapes, including those from DuBrul Vineyard (Yakima Valley) and Elerding Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills).

Just don't think O'Reilly is abandoning his Oregon roots, however. He makes no fewer than four Pinot Noirs, as well as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Oregon grapes.