Olympic Cellars will continue its French connection in MuratÂ’s absence with consulting winemaker Virginie Bourgue taking over the reins. A native of Provence, France, Bourgue is the owner and winemaker at Lullaby, a boutique winery located in Walla Walla, and provides consulting services in the areas of viticulture and winemaking. Murat introduced Bourgue to Olympic Cellars Owner Kathy Charlton, knowing that he would be leaving the winery in excellent hands.
“The Working Girls of Olympic Cellars are going to miss Benoit,” says Charlton. “He has truly come into his own as a winemaker over the past six years, building a strong consumer and industry reputation. His wines have received many awards and accolades, and brought broad recognition to the winery. We wish Benoit well as he takes this next important step in his career.”
“At the same time, we look forward to working with Virginie,” Charlton continues. “She is an exacting winemaker with extensive vineyard experience, and her winemaking talent is known throughout the industry. Our wines in the cellar and this year’s harvest are in very good hands. While saying goodbye to Benoit is very difficult, I am very happy to welcome Virginie to the Olympic Cellars team.”
Fall Harvest
Bourgue will start taking over for Murat this month while he is available to help with the transition. Her first task as Olympic Cellars’ new winemaker will be to direct a fall “custom crush,” at Artifex Wine Company in Walla Walla. Artifex is a dedicated custom crush facility that provides winemaking services from crushing through bottling. Clients provide their own winemakers, barrels, bottles and other supplies. The Artifex crew works under the direction of the client’s winemaker.
“We usually crush our grapes at the winery in Port Angeles,” says Charlton, “but Virginie will be in Walla Walla during harvest, so doing a custom crush at Artifex makes sense for both of us.”
“My top priority is to produce wines that both Olympic Cellars and I are proud of and that the winery’s customers will continue to enjoy,” says Bourgue. “I look forward to this new opportunity.”
About Olympic Cellars
Olympic Cellars is a boutique winery housed in an historic century-old barn between Port Angeles and Sequim on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. The winery annually produces approximately 3,500 cases of handcrafted wines on site, including the premium La Dolce Vida label, the Working Girl® series, and the Dungeness Heritage series. Olympic Cellars is strongly committed to supporting the physical and emotional well-being of women through its Charity of Choice and 2X Success initiatives.
Find out more about Olympic Cellars and its upcoming events by visiting the winery’s website at www.olympiccellars.com, or by calling 360-452-0160. For information pertaining specifically to the Working Girl® series of wines and associated philanthropic programs, visit www.workinggirlwines.com.
Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau
CONTACT: Mary Brelsford
TEL: (360) 452-8552
E-MAIL: mary.brelsford123@gmail.com
WEB: www.olympicpeninsula.org.
