Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Waitsburg's Dona Stella Riesling is home grown
Hansen's crew of volunteers bottling her new wine. (back l-r): Kari Arns videotaping, Eric Arns placing bottles on the table, Allen Huwe spraying nitrogen, Cheryl Hansen filling bottles , and Chris Loeliger at checking the tank. (front l-r): Kerry Valentine packing cases, Amy Paolino corking and Rob Wohr refilling cork container.
WAITSBURG - Cheryl Hansen and her crew of friends harvested the first crop of Riesling grapes grown at Stella's Homestead in September 2024. Hansen contracted Truth Teller Winery to provide Custom Crush, winemaking, and maintenance services to help her create the single-varietal wine, Dona Stella. After harvest, the grapes went to the Walla Walla winery to be processed, sorted, pressed, and slowly fermented by owners and winemakers Rob Wohr and Chris Loeliger.
On February 7, Hansen and her crew were back at Truth Teller's Walla Walla facility to bottle the new wine. After Wohr and Loeliger explained the bottling process, Hansen, Kerry Valentine, Eric Arns, Allen Huwe, and Amy Paolino got to work.
First, a case of clean, empty bottles was placed on a table where Huwe sprayed the bottles with nitrogen. The nitrogen regulates the wine's exposure to oxygen and helps prevent oxidation.
Arn placed the prepared bottles onto the automated line to be filled. Paolino used a corker to compress and insert the corks into the bottles before handing them to Valentine to dry and put in a case. Worh and Loeliger were involved throughout the process, and Hansen took turns at all the stations.
Kari Arns is Stella's Homestead's web designer and videotaped the bottling process; Karen Huwe photographed the event.
After an hour and a half, 35.7 gallons, 180 bottles in fifteen cases, were filled, corked, and packed. Truth Teller ordered the colorful labels, and Hansen and her team should be able to apply them to complete production by the end of February.
Distribution will begin Walla Walla's Spring Release weekend on May 2 through 4 at Stella's Homestead. In addition, the Royal Block Wine Bar will host a "Dona Stella Riesling Release Party" on May 18 during Waitsburg Celebration Days.
"I was just approved by WSLCB for internet sales in the State of Washington. Interested parties, 21 or older, will be able to go to Stella's Homestead's website and purchase online," said Hansen.
For more information about Stella's Homestead and Dona Stella Riesling, visit http://www.stellashomestead.com and http://www.donastella.wine.
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