The Vineyard
Olalla Vineyard & Winery has been open to the public since 2008. It is a small, family owned winery with a deep, Croatian heritage.
The vineyard was previously owned, operated and lovingly tended by Joe & Konnie Serka. Joe and Konnie poured their hearts into creating and developing the vineyard into the beautiful oasis it is today.
In 2015, Stuart Chisholm and Mary Ellen Houston purchased the winery from the Serkas and made plans to grow the business and increase wine production by purchasing grapes from Eastern Washington vineyards while still making wine from the estate grapes in Olalla. Chisholm and Houston engaged with Matthew Loso, renowned Master Winemaker and original owner of Matthews Cellars in Woodinville, one of the most well-known and well-respected wineries in Washington State, to bring his extensive wine-making experience and expertise to Olalla Vineyard and Winery. Loso's wines are exceptional and have been a welcome addition to the winery. Over the next seven years, the couple grew the business to become a popular event venue hosting weddings, dinners in the vineyard, live music concerts and corporate events while offering world-class wines and exceptional customer service. The estate boasts six acres of property with a little over two acres of vineyard. The back vineyard is beautifully manicured and maintained especially for onsite gatherings.
Moving forward as sole proprietor, Mary Ellen plans to continue making estate wines but with a more "hands-on" approach than what has been done in the past. She also has plans to grow the wholesale business to include more local shops on the Kitsap Peninsula carrying Olalla wines. The Olalla Winery has become a unique, boutique destination vineyard and winery, with a focus on agricultural tourism.
Wines
Olalla Vineyard & Winery proudly presents fine estate wines from grapes grown and nurtured right on the premises as well as grapes grown in Eastern Washington. At the vineyard in Olalla, several red and white varietals are grown including Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Madeleine Angevine and Olalla's flagship wine, Golubok, a deep purple varietal reminiscent of a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Golubok, which hails from Eastern Europe, is particularly well suited to the Puget Sound climate, producing delicious, sweet dark bluish-purple grapes which become the body and soul of the Golubok wines.
Winemaker - Matthew Loso
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Nicholas O’Connell, Northwest palate writes, “Loso exemplifies the energy, creativity, and camaraderie of the next wave of winemakers.”
Mathew's passion is wine-making and his goal has always been to bring the best that the wine industry has to offer from around the world to our region and it's with great pleasure that we are able to say, to our front door too.
Our Artist - Carol Virak
We are thrilled to have commissioned local Gig Harbor artist, Carol Virak for a painting of our back vineyard with sweeping views of Vashon Island, Puget Sound and Olalla Bay. We are very happy to say that Carol's stunningly beautiful painting is now the wine label representing our estate wines (pictured above).
More about Carol:
Carol Virak’s art education began at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles as a teenager and continued with a BA in Fine Art from California Lutheran University in California, an MFA from the University of Puget Sound. She became the Director of Education at the Tacoma Art Museum and was appointed to the Tacoma Art Commission. Carol earned a “Time Magazine Person of the Year Award” and was appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts as a “Fellow” to study funding process for Arts Organizations around the country. Carol’s life-long interest in Art includes owner/curator for the Contemporary Craft Gallery in Tacoma and she maintains a working studio/gallery at her home in Gig Harbor.