Buildings and Wines

Both are Vintage at Abbott

By Lucy Bodilly

Consider what it takes to run a vineyard near Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington: the peaceful setting, the natural beauty of the vines, the nurturing of the grapes and finally the harvest. The result? Being able to craft a wine and to nurse it until ready for bottling and that first taste.

Juxtapose serenity with the noise, dirt and activity of a construction site.

Different as they are, John Abbott, owner of J.R. Abbott Construction in Seattle does both. He is also part owner of Lake Chelan Winery, a producer of pinot, grigio, Chardonnay and Stormy Mountain Red. One of the oldest operating vineyards in the state of Washington, Abbott has managed its business side for about 16 years.

At first Abbot and his partner John Kludt, sold the grapes to local wineries. Three years ago the pair met Ray Sandige, a European-trained winemaker, and started producing wine themselves.

This past summer Abbott revisited the early days of his career. Abbott started as a carpenter at Strand Construction in Seattle and left 17 years later as the general manager. This summer he put on a nail belt again and built a small addition to the winery, which will open this spring as a restaurant.

"It was fun to just get out and build things again," Abbott said. Along with his son-in-law who is a foreman at JR Abbott, the two did the work themselves, except the concrete foundation and the painting. The pair added a new entry, deck and stairway all in a heavy timber motif. Other recent updates included adding new equipment for crushing and processing the grapes.

Being good with a hammer was a bonus to the winery, but its Abbott's management skills that are in demand.

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"It's the things that you would expect that carry over. The discipline of being able to stay within a budget and organizing and monitoring a business plan . . . labor relations skills, are the same on both industries," Abbott said. Even though he dedicated a large part of his life to construction, including active participation in various trade associations, he says he likes the wine industry better. "It's more fun," he said.

The winery is due to produce about 15,000 cases of wine this year, including the wine made by processing grapes for other wineries. Lake Chelan Winery will sell about 4,500 cases of its own label.

Other wineries with expansion projects under way are Stoller Winery, in Dayton, Ore. and Kings Estates in Eugene, Ore.

Stoller's new winery is a multi-level building with a gravity flow system, high-tech punch down system and a cooling tunnel.