It was quite some time ago that I found Convergence Zone Cellars on Twitter, actually it may have been they, and by they I mean Scott Greenberg found me. Scott had announced via the twitter machine that he was starting up a new winery in Woodinville and that we should be on the lookout.
Scott did a little "sumpthin sumpthin" for the #WAWine event up in his space in the Warehouse District and is getting ready to finally unleash his wines upon the wine drinking world with his grand opening on July 10th.
As Scott prepares to open he invited me up to check out the place, and to give his Convergence Zone Cellars wines a whirl. Scott is going to be rolling out two white wines in July his Riesling ($15) and his Sunbreak ($15) which is 100% Chenin Blanc. I was able to sample the Riesling from the tank (at the time of my visit nothing was in bottle). The wine was fruit forward with a little residual sugar, a certain palate pleaser for the summer. I wasn't able to taste Scott's Chenin nor did he have the Storm Front ($24 blend of Merlot and Cab) blended at the time. Scott plans to release the Storm Front in Autumn. We did barrel sample some of his 09 Cabernet Franc from Red Mountain, which was showing very well. Scott is looking to have three of the four 2009 wines he releases come from Red Mountain fruit. He has Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Red Mountain, and Malbec from the Gilbert Vineyards.
Scott is not a meteorologist but has a passing interest in the subject. He has always referred to Woodinville as "The Convergence Zone" and Woodinville has played a major role in his decision to make wine. The epiphany if you will came while out to dinner with his wife at The Barking Frog. Scott looked for a really nice bottle and settled on a Covington Cellars Cabernet. Scott was really blown away by wines that were being made just down the street from him.
Scott is in his fifth year dabbling in wine making, he got his start with simple kits. He started taking classes at the Northwest Wine Academy and has really appreciated the support that the Washington wine community has shown. Scott emailed a guy in Walla Walla asking a question and he got a very thoughtful two page response. It's that kind of camaraderie that has Scott thinking he's made the right move going into wine, and Woodinville.
A fun anecdote Scott shared was the origin of his labels. The design came from Pennsylvania, my home state. Scott's son is an online gamer and a guy he played World of Warcraft with collaborated with him on the bottle design. (Which is very slick looking by the way.)
Scott Greenberg is making wine because it's a sincere passion of his. This is usually a combination that leads to success for the winemaker, and a real treat for wine drinkers. Go see Scott in the Convergence Zone on July 10th and tell him I said hello.
I'm pretty sure you could tell a staff member at any winery in Washington (or any furniture vendor for that matter) that Clive says hello and they'll bat their eyelashes and the free wine will be forthcoming.
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