There are over 1,000 wineries in Washington, and while many of those produce sparkling wine, only a handful focus exclusively on the bubbly.
A relative newcomer to that small Washington sparkling wine scene is Tirriddis. The Prosser winery was founded in 2021 by Andrew Gerow, Gabriel Crowell and Matthew Doutney, who met as classmates at the nearby WSU Tri-Cities campus, where they studied viticulture. Naturally, the trio bonded over glasses of wine, specifically sparkling ones.
"During our program, we kind of formulated a friendship, and we were really ambitious to explore international wines. One of the styles of wine that really spoke to Matthew was Champagne, and one of the things about Champagne and sparkling wine that we found out the hard way through college is that it is seldom taught how to make it," Crowell says.
That is, at least in part, because sparkling wine production is more technical and precise than non-sparkling wine. Especially when produced following the traditional method, which Tirriddis subscribes to — unlike many run-of-the-mill, grocery store varieties of sparkling wines, which are carbonated unnaturally through forced injection of carbon dioxide, known as the Charmat method.
The name, Tirriddis, is an homage to the traditional method. It's a portmanteau formed from tirage, riddle and disgorge, the three main steps of the traditional method.
"Not only does it showcase our devotion to the traditional method, but it also is a point of educating the consumer and showcasing the traditional method made famous by Champagne," Crowell says.
The first step, tirage, involves blending two wines, including one sweet, with yeast to produce carbonation.
Next, the riddling process removes the yeast from the bottle, which is stored neck-down, by using gravity to force the yeast toward the bottle's mouth.
Finally, the disgorging process involves freezing the gravitationally condensed yeast, which takes on the form of a plug. The bottle is then gently opened, allowing the internal pressure from the carbonation to expel the yeast plug.
Unsurprisingly, this laborious process results in higher costs than the mass-produced Charmat method sparkling wines, but what else does the traditional method bring to the table?
Traditional method wines tend to be slightly lower in alcohol content but higher in carbonation. That results in finer bubbles, and more of them, than in Charmat method wines. While Crowell refers to these qualities as "delicate," they're also a bit dangerous when it comes time to uncork the bottle.
"It does definitely give you a big pop, but you do have to be careful. Flying Champagne corks kill eight people a year," Gerow notes.
While that may seem like a superfluous detail, the pop truly is part of the fun in enjoying a sparkling wine. It's part of the excitement that makes these beverages so popular for celebrating momentous occasions.
"That pop when you open up the bottle — that's a super iconic sound that just instantly garners people's attention — instantly quiets a room and everybody's like, 'Ooh, it's about to be a good time.' It's the only living wine. It literally dances in your glass, it dances on your tongue," Gerow says.
"That lower alcohol content is another reason why it's so good for celebrations. And traditional method sparkling wines, on top of that, holds the carbonation for a long time. So you have that long carbonation, and then you can drink it over a longer period of time," Gerow says.
Tirriddis wines can be found at its tasting room in Prosser and are also available locally at specialty wine shops like Vino, Wanderlust Delicato and Rocket Market.
MORE BUBBLY OPTIONS
Maryhill Winery
Maryhill regularly produces a pair of sparkling wines made from grapes grown on a hillside overlooking the Columbia River in Klickitat County and served at a tasting room overlooking the Spokane River in Kendall Yards. Its sparkling rosé has hints of berries and citrus while the blanc de blanc is a lighter and more traditional sparkling wine.
Treveri Cellars
One of the few sparkling-focused producers in Washington, Wapato's Treveri Cellars produces a variety of sparkling wines. From gewürztraminer to syrah and just about everything in between, Treveri's selection is broad enough to suit any taste, and all are produced using the traditional method of bottle fermentation.
Yellowhawk
In 2020, Walla Walla's Yellowhawk Resort introduced a sparkling wine program under winemaker George-Anne Robertson of Walla Walla Vintners at the former home of Basel Estate Winery. Check out the aptly named "Bubbles" series with equally succinct offerings such as "Red," "White" and "Rosé."
