Esther Bricques Winery & Vineyard
About
Esther Bricques Winery and Vineyards produces quality crafted fine wines from grapes grown primarily on the premises - "ground to the glass." We are a husband and wife team, helped over the years by family and friends, operating on a passion and a dream made real by a lot of effort and time. We believe in sustainable ag practices, producing as clean and fresh a wine as possible, unfettered by lots of manipulation. We do everything on site in a rural location just south of the Canadian border on a beautiful location that grapes LOVE to grow well on.
Location Description
Nestled slightly above the sunny Okanogan Valley floor in Washington State.
Features
- Producing quality crafted fine wines from grapes grown primarily on the premises - "ground to the glass."
Additional Information
- Meeting / Conference Facilities:
- Caves:
- Wedding Facilities:
- Picnic Facilities:
- Dog Friendly:
- Winery Tours:
- Wine Tasting:
- Art or Architecture:
- Organic / Biodynamic:
- Awards:
- Wine Club:
- Lodging / Bed & Breakfast:
Average Bottle Price
The Team
Everything happens on-site at Esther Bricques Winery. Steve and Linda believe in sustainable agricultural and wine production practices resulting in clean, fresh, fruity wines unfettered by rounds of manipulation. The grapes are grown on site, harvested by hand, crushed, and fermented into wine without leaving the premises. Bottled and sold onsite, the wines have never been pumped or pushed thanks to the gravity flow design on the premises. These wines do indeed represent the ultimate character contributed by the close relationship with the Okanogan setting.
“Esther Bricques.” Where does this name come from? In order to make wine, winemakers must know the role of “esters” and keep their fingers on the pulse of the “brix” at harvest. When you put these two terms together, you get “ester brix” or, in the Colvins’ variation of the spelling “Esther Bricques”. Translate that as “sweet fragrances” and you begin to get an idea of what these wines have in store
Linda Colvin:
Esther Bricques is truly a team effort between Linda and Steve, as well as from many of their friends. Merging their efforts and dreams, they have created Esther Bricques Winery, operating on a passion and a dream that has been made real by time and effort.
Practices & Techniques
The grapes we grow become the wine you drink. Our quality crafted wines come directly from our vines, grown here in the North Okanogan Valley of Washington State, where the soils are composed of leftover deposits from the last Ice Age. The soil is where the crafting begins.
The season begins when the water from the snowmelt of the Eastern Cascade Mountains flows to their roots through amazingly sandy soil. As the season progresses, the vines mature and the grapes flourish thanks to the unique balance of hot days and cool nights here. When the sun shines, its hot, but at night, its not, just nice and cool. And the range of grape varieties that thrive here takes us all by surprise. Whites from Riesling to Viognier, and reds from Pinot Noir and Lemberger right on through to the newest plantings of Sangiovese all find a niche here.
Harvest happens at Esther Bricques selectively and by hand into 25-30 pound lugs when the sugar levels, the acids, the skins, and the seeds come together to make that unique point of ripeness that creates unforgettable flavors. Because we are small, we can sort the fruit as we pick, allowing us to ferment only the best of what our vineyards have to offer.
Once the grapes are harvested, the destemming begins, as the grapes gently leave their stems behind and become juice, if they are white, or mash, if they are red. Of course, if they are destined for ice wine, the grapes continue to sit out in the elements until it is 15 degrees Fahrenheit out there!
The Ferment… comes from the union of yeast and grape, the feeding frenzy of the yeast on the grapes’ generous supply of sugar resulting in the generation of heat, carbon dioxide and alcohol, all in small lots …But something else happens as the fruit and juices release flavors not present earlier, happening gradually, coolly, with the help of gravity… …leading, in time, to the marriage of the rather amazing flavors you meet when you drink our wine.