Greg Harrington spent his career overseeing some of the most prestigious wine programs in the country. After passing the MS exam at 26 years old (the youngest person ever at the time) he started to feel that his future in wine was the production side. In 2004, Greg attended an event featuring the wines of Walla Walla and was blown away by the potential of the area. In the fall of 2005, he and his wife Pam launched Gramercy Cellars. The wine-making philosophy is simple: work with top vineyard sites, harvest the fruit when it’s in balance and not overripe, intervene minimally, and use as little new oak as possible.

Bobby was raised in Albany, Oregon, surrounded by the vines of the Willamette Valley. But it wasn’t until 2008 when the fermentation science club received one ton of Syrah grapes, that Bobby was introduced to winemaking. Having enjoyed his college wine experiment, Bobby entertained the idea of winemaking as a profession. After graduation in 2009, he decided to work a harvest at Pinot Noir specialist Benton-Lane in Willamette Valley to learn the ropes. There, he fell in love, not just with winemaking but with the woman who eventually became his wife. The experience offered a connection to the land and the art of crafting a product by hand. Bobby came onboard as a harvest intern in 2013 and after working his way up, today serves as Winemaker.

Tyler Williams took over winemaking duties at Kiona Vineyards and Winery in 2019. Armed with a degree in Biology and a Master's in Enology, along with winemaking stints in Bordeaux, Sicily, South Africa, Chilé, New Zealand, Australia, and several top-tier Washington wineries, he brings an analytical, science-based approach to Kiona’s winemaking.

An international woman of style and taste, Fiona grew up in Hong Kong before attending university in the US. After graduating with a degree in Hospitality Management from Syracuse University, she began her prolific career in the restaurant industry. Her drive to continue learning led her to move across the country and attend the Walla Walla Community College Enology and Viticulture program in 2013. During her studies, she was invited to work at the famed Opus One Winery in Napa Valley for the 2014 Vintage. Then, what began as part time lab work evolved into full time lab management at Artifex Wine Company. Her exposure to winemaking techniques and styles was invaluable due to the nature of the custom crush business which caters to over a dozen clients at once. This, along with her frequent travels to the French Riviera sparked the idea for a unique winery focusing only on Rosé, and SMAK was born.

Justin received his degree in Microbiology from the University of Washington, where he met me, his wife Brooke. After graduation we returned to his hometown in the Yakima Valley to spend our days making wine. Together, since 2008, we have had JB Neufeld. Justin has been making wine for over 15 years for other wineries, loving it, and JB Neufeld was a passion project on the side. But last year we decided it was time, so we made the leap to focus completely on JB wines and our custom clients' wines. And this past year has been the best yet.

Josh McDaniels was born and raised in Walla Walla and at an early age fell in love with the wine industry. In fact, he started his own winery during high school. It was here in Walla Walla at the Leonetti Cellar where he first toiled with and witnessed the hard work and beauty that goes into creating a premium wine. The wine industry captivated him from both an entrepreneurial and wine standpoint and prompted his formal education from the Institute of Enology and Viticulture in Walla Walla while, at the same time, continuing to work under his long- time mentor, Chris Figgins of Leonetti. To further his education, Josh took extension courses through Washington State University and U.C. Davis and also interned in Argentina at Paul Hobbs’ Vina Cobos Winery.

Chris’ love for wine started in his youth, with extensive travel throughout the Grand Cru wine-growing regions of Europe and the west coast of the United States. “I had to start off developing my palate and my perspective. How can you make great wine if you don’t know what that is?” After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado and University of Washington, Chris began his career as a wine merchant, working with several of Seattle’s best-known restaurants. This experience allowed him to hone his palate while tasting wines from around the world. Chris spent the next 23 years crafting some of the finest and most award-winning wines in Washington State as the founding winemaker and a partner of DeLille Cellars. In 2007, Chris came full circle, launching Upchurch Vineyard with his wife Thea-- an opportunity that most winemakers only dream about.