Spring 2022
History in the (wine)making
Washington State University graduates breathe new life into historical vineyard. » More ...
Viticulture / Enology / Wine
Summer 2021
Passing it on
The legacy of Rick Small and Darcey Fugman-Small at Woodward Canyon Winery continues to the next generation. » More ...
Fall 2020
Heaven so fine
Rob Mercer and his family have deep roots in winemaking and the Northwest. » More ...
Summer 2020
A new terroir
Washington State University alumna Nicole “Coco” Umiker and her husband launched Clearwater Canyon Cellars, and a new era of winemaking in Lewis-Clark Valley. » More ...
Fall 2019
Return to Red Mountain
The Williams family at Kiona Vineyards knows a legacy is like a good wine: it takes time. » More ...
Spring 2019
What’s gone viral?
Grapevine leafroll viruses threatens the wine industry in Washington and beyond, which is why Washington State University researchers like Naidu Rayapati are exploring the way leafroll viruses travel through grape plants. » More ...
Spring 2019
The Wine Club for Cougs
The Wine-By-Cougars Wine Club over the last 12 years has raised the profile of Cougs in the wine industry, engaged alumni, and helped people learn more about wine at WSU. » More ...
Fall 2018
Cornfields to vineyards
“I quit working in 1996,” says master winemaker David “Merf” Merfeld ’13. That was the year he got a job at Bert Grant’s Brewery in Yakima—one of the early craft breweries in the region.
Merf’s passion for fermentation started in his kitchen a few years earlier. He’d driven west to Seattle from the family farm in Iowa. “Thirty, thirty-one hours straight through,” he says, with maybe an “hour stop for a rain storm in South Dakota.” He was in the ’79 Park Avenue his dad gave him: “a great ride, and everything I owned fit in that car.” The first thing he and the buddy … » More …
Fall 2018
Designer labels
Every wine has a tale and deserves a wine label that can tell that story
That’s what motivates Jim Carey (‘78 Comm.) and Jim Craig from Doubleknot Creative in Seattle, a branding and design firm that has carved out a niche crafting the artwork that graces many Washington vintages.
The designers have seen wine labels in Washington evolve along with the varietals and the state’s wine industry as a whole. Washington wines continue to build reputation and credibility, and going against big hitters like California’s Napa Valley, “world-class wine deserves world-class packaging,” says Craig, the creative director of the firm.
Most of all, … » More …
Fall 2018
Gallery: Wine labels from Wine-By-Cougars
We’ve compiled a gallery of wine labels for all the members of Wine-By-Cougars—wineries with a WSU connection and Cougar passion. Since most produce a remarkable variety of types (and therefore labels), make sure to check each winery website through links found here.
Wine-By-Cougars (the official wine club of Washington State University) celebrates the impact that Cougs have made on the wine industry. WBC also supports student scholarships for the viticulture and enology program, and the wine business management program.
You can learn more and become a member of Wine-By-Cougars by going to the WBC website. There … » More …