Man Full of Surprises: David O'Reilly of Owen Roe

One cold fall evening sometime last year, I got a bottle of left over sample from one of wine sales people. Since I was too tired to taste that evening, I put the bottle in a fridge when I got home from work and decided to taste it on the next day. Before the alarm clock hit 5 AM, I woke up and headed to the kitchen, grabbed the bottle, and tasted the wine while I was still trying to open my eyes. I took a sip of this unknown wine and I felt like someone hit me in the head. "What is this?" I looked at the label. A simple front label had a drawing of a castle and a word "Pinot Gris". I looked at the back label and it said,

"Each Owen Roe wine is crafted from exceptional vineyard sites throughout the Pacific Northwest. The vineyards are carefully tended to prove high quality concentrated fruit through low yields and sensible stewardship. Minimal handling in the winery guarantees that vineyard expression shines though every wine."

I was smacked two more times; this amazing wine was Pinot Gris, a variety I had never taken it seriously until this point and it was made in the United States. Since I did not know much about Owen Roe, the producer of this wine, I continued my research on the Internet. Another surprise; the man behind this amazing bottle is an Irish man. "How did an Irish man learn to make such an amazing wine?"

Since then, I have been trying to solve the mysterious connection of "wine" and "Irish man". Then on the St.Patrick's Day this year, I had an opportunity to meet David O'Reilly of Owen Roe. 

Soft spoken and passionate David was born as No. 7 of 12 children in Belfast, Ireland. The family moved to Canada and then to America's Pacific Northwest, when David was 13 years old. After studying in Santa Barbara, California, he realized what he wanted in his life was to make something. The two options came up were: cheese making and winemaking. He chose the later. Instead of heading straight to the famous oenology program at UC Davis, he worked at several wineries to make sure winemaking was what he really wanted. Knocking on the doors of wineries asking for jobs, he's got hands on experience in every aspect of winemaking, including kind of jobs not everyone wanted. "I got my hands dirty. I mean literally." he commented with a smile. If he had gone to UC Davis, I wonder he would be making the types of wine he makes today.

Seven wines I tasted with him were:
2008 O'Reilly's Pinot Gris
2009 Sharecropper's Pinot Noir
2009 Sinister Hand
2008 Ex Umbris Syrah
2008 Sharecropper's Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Owen Roe Yakima Valley Red
2008 Owen Roe Red Willow Vineyard Block 73


Each wine presented great concentration, pure expression of grape variety/varieties, its terroir, and individual personality. David added, "Each label, each wine has its own story behind it."

This genuine, talented, and passionate Irish man's titles include: founder, wine-maker, and co-owner of the Owen Roe winery, and father of eight children. He also grows cherries and export to Japan, where these first-rate cherries are meticulously put into a small box and sells for around $100.

Meeting and tasting with David, I was finally able to connect the dots of "wine" and "Irish man". I must say David O'Reilly of Owen Roe is a man full of surprises.



P.S. Owen Roe was named for Owen Roe O'Neill, a great Irish Patriot, seen on the left.