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Bookwalter
Winery
The Bookwalter
family began tilling the soils of Europe well before the first generation
stepped foot in the
United States at the beginning of the 18th century. The name Bookwalter,
descended from Bouch-Walder, is Swiss Mennonite and means "Tender
of Beechwood Forests".
 Frantz Bouch-Walder, the first generation
to move to America came from Canton Jura, Switzerland, in 1709 and
first purchased farm land
in Pennsylvania known as "The Manavon Tract" from David Lloyd
the first justice in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The Bookwalter family
slowly migrated west spending many generations in the Midwest in and
around Illinois and Nebraska always staying closely woven into the
fabric of agriculture. Robert Bookwalter was the first generation to
move to the west coast in the late 1920's and established his family
and farming roots just outside of Modesto, California.
 Jerrold Bookwalter, the son of Robert Bookwalter, graduated from UC
Davis in 1963 with a dual degree in Agriculture Economics and Pomology
(the study of fruits and nuts) and quickly employed his degree and
farming experience in San Jose, California. After managing large corporate
farms in the San Joaquin Valley and owning his own farm in Atwater,
California, Jerry was presented with the opportunity to manage the
largest Vinifera planting of grapes in Washington State at Sagemoor,
Bacchus and Dionysus vineyards in early 1976. Jerry successfully managed
Sagemoor, Bacchus and Dionysus vineyards until 1982 when he resigned
to start his own agricultural management company and grape brokering
business.

John Bookwalter
Having worked with many of the pioneering
winemakers from Washington as well as closely interacting with winemakers
in California, Oregon
and British Columbia, Jerry teamed up with a veteran Northwest winemaker
to produce his first wines; Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc & Johannisberg
Riesling in 1983. By 1984, Jerry began production of the red wines
of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. By 1985, the winery was in need of
an operations manager and Jerry's wife, Jean, took over the operations
of the business. Jean's business skills and Jerry's innovation, winemaking
and vineyard management skills kept the winery operating during the
challenging early years in the Washington Wine Industry.
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Referring to Washington State Merlots,
Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator says in an article:
"Few of them have quite the depth
and richness Leonetti achieves, but among those that demonstrate
how close they are getting in that style are Bookwalter,
Chateau Ste. Michelle, L'Ecole No. 41, Columbia Crest and Andrew
Will."
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Breakthrough success began in 1994 when
the Wine Spectator named Bookwalter winery as a Washington Winery
to Watch along with Andrew Will and Quilceda
Creek based upon several outstanding wines from the 1992 vintage. The
1994 vintage delivered more outstanding wines and several 90 point
scores, best of shows and gold medals for the Cabernet and Reserve
Cabernets. By the 1998 vintage, the red wines were listed as "Wines
of the week" by both the Wine Spectator and the New York Times.
John Bookwalter, the son of Jean and Jerry Bookwalter joined the family
winery in October of 1997 after 10 years of a successful career in
beverage sales and marketing with Pepsi, Gallo, WinterBrook Beverage
Group and the Coors Brewing Company. John is the 10th American generation
of Bookwalters to be involved in and around agriculture and has focused
his attention primarily on the production of ultra premium red wines.
To produce the top red wines in Washington State, John quickly realized
the need for world class winemaking and vineyard consulting. Timing
and opportunity was on his side as Zelma Long had just retired from
her illustrious corporate career that spanned nearly 30 years in the
wine industry and passed through such Wineries as Mondavi and Simi
Wineries in California. Zelma and John began their red winemaking venture
with the 2000 vintage. Success was immediate with their first vine
to wine effort as the 2000 Columbia Valley Merlot was one of only 5
Merlot's in Washington that scored 90 points or higher in Robert Parker's
the Wine Advocate. The 2000 Cabernet also received high acclaim and
scored 91 points in Anthony Gismondi's Wine Access Magazine.
 Innovation has always been critical to the success of Bookwalter winery.
The winery was the first in Washington State to produce a gold embossed,
full color wine label and as well as a Charmat Bulk Sparkling Wine.
Additionally , several of Jerry's early vintages were vineyard designated
well before this trend was popularized. In 2002, the winery opened
Washington's first wine lounge dedicated to the pairing of hand crafted
regional cheeses, breads and Bookwalter wines by the glass enjoyed
in a relaxing, contemporary atmosphere. The 20th anniversary of the
winery brought about a sweeping, cutting edge package change that clearly
communicates the next generation's style and commitment to the future.
 The Bookwalter family roots are deep in agriculture and the Washington
wine and viticulture industry. With several of the top vineyard sources
in the state and a commitment to excellence in winemaking, Bookwalter
winery is positioned to fulfill the growing demand for ultra premium
wines from Washington State.
Older Bookwalter label
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