Sip Northwest, Summer 2014
SIPNORTHWEST COM A signi cant birthday prompted Earl Sullivan and his wife Carrie of Idahos TELAYA WINE CO to pursue winemaking The couple was on the beach in Cabo Mexico on the verge of turning 40 and contemplating what they could do next We wanted to do something that we were really passionate about says Earl Sullivan With Earl being a biochemist and Carrie a veterinarian the chemistry of wine was enticing as was the culture and experience of sharing wine with food and friends It was something that we could actually understand and dig into and become very familiar with because of our backgrounds in science says Sullivan Another aspect was time with their children Both Sullivan and his wife were consumed by time intensive demanding careers The wine business is also demanding but Sullivan saw it as an opportunity to teach their children about agriculture science and the kind of work ethic he learned as a child growing up on a farm in Kentucky We wanted the time spent with our children to be meaningful he says The couple began making wine in Washington with friends who were willing to lend space in a facility and teach them techniques and processes After their rst commercial vintage in 2009 made with Columbia Valley fruit they came to a crossroads Stay in Idaho or move to Washington We decided to take the risk in Idaho says Sullivan Based on research we were doing we saw the opportunity in the Idaho industry as signi cantly greater for us long term We are on the forefront of whats hopefully going to be an explosion in the Idaho wine industry over the next 10 years similar to what happened in Washington When asked for advice to aspiring winemakers Sullivan speaks to the importance of balance Im also a winemaker with my wife which has other costs associated with it he says The couple talks about the business 24 7 We never get to leave the business And so theyve had to make important decisions around when to hire more sta sooner than anticipated in order to maintain a work life balance In 2011 the couple moved into a winery facility in Garden City and in 2012 made wine with their rst Idaho fruit Its ended up being the perfect culmination of all the things we wanted says Sullivan TELAYA WINE CO THE SCIENCE OF WINE PHOTO CREDIT TOP TO BOTTOM DAVID FENTON AND TELAYA WINE CO
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