Tasting Success

Alum becoming 'young superstar' in world of Washington winemaking

Robert Spalding stands among the vineyards at his Seia Wine Cellars in Seattle, Wash.

By Lisa Poppe
Journalism senior

Robert Spalding likens winemaking to cooking: It starts with a base recipe, and then tiny decisions are made along the way that alter the final product.

Such is the case with his path in life.

As the owner of Seia Wine Cellars, located in Seattle, Wash., Spalding has made many decisions along the way that have influenced the present status of his career, starting with a master's degree in organizational communication from Purdue in 1993.

"One of the things I gained from my time at Purdue was an ability to research and think through problems in making fine wines," said Spalding.

As the "technical wine maker guy" for Seia Wine Cellars, one of Spalding's responsibilities is to choose the right types of grapes, barrels and yeast in order to yield the finest in wines for his growing business.  

Spalding's book is selling fast on Amazon

Although Spalding has put many hours of time and effort toward his passion for wine, owning his own winery was not always the plan.

Working as a sales consultant in 1995, Spalding met his wife, an avid fan of fine wine who sparked his own interest as well.  The couple eventually became engaged, at a winery in California, and spent their honeymoon in Bordeaux, France, sampling some of the best wine in the world.

Spalding and his wife moved to Seattle five years ago, and he began work as a sales consultant for Washington Mutual. The couple began touring the multitude of wineries the state had to offer on the weekends.

"Most people think that it's just California that has all the wineries," said Spalding. "In reality, Washington has close to 300 wineries around the state."

Spalding said that he and his wife were so impressed with the many establishments they visited for wine tasting and volunteering that they began to think, "Why don't we do it ourselves?"

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Seia Wine Cellars

Thus began Seia Wine Cellars, a micro-winery established in Washington's Columbia Valley in 2003. Spalding is preparing to release the winery's 2003 collection of Columbia Valley Syrah and Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Rob is producing some great Syrah, and has the vision to add additional wines to his portfolio in the future," said Shannon Jones, proprietor of Hestia Cellars in Washington and a close friend of Spalding's.

"He is quickly becoming one of the young superstars in the Washington wine industry."

Spalding's experience with owning a winery as well as traveling to many others around Washington was the influence for his travel book, "The Essential Guide to Touring Washington Wineries," which gives advice to aspiring wine lovers who want to follow a path similar to his own.

Jones believes that things will only get better for Spalding.

"The passion and commitment that Rob has for his winery lays the groundwork for what should be a very exciting winery to watch for years to come."