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Welcome to the circus

Recipe Date: May 4, 2022
Difficulty: Easy
Measurements: Imperial (US)

Hello all, and welcome to the inaugural blog post of Washington’s premier family-owned and operated winery.

A blog… We know, right? Why is Barnard Griffin starting a blog… now?

Well, in our defense there wasn’t much of ‘blog scene’ when we started 36 years ago. Come to think of it there wasn’t much of an ‘internet’, either.

The reason is simple – we want you to know us, beyond what you can extract from a wine bottle.

So, a quick introduction… beyond the brand, Barnard Griffin is a somewhat typical nuclear family:

Rob Griffin – father/winemaker/NoCal transplant – has built his circus and gets to work in it every day.

Deborah Barnard – mother/artist/also from NoCal – because she was the one with a real job 36 years ago… this place is her circus, too. At least she doesn’t have to work on the bottling line for free, anymore.

Elise Jackson – eldest daughter/mother of 2 – when not dazzling guests, Elise spends a good amount of time keeping the third generation of Barnard Griffin (Hi G + Coco!) alive and thriving.

Megan Hughes – youngest daughter/Rob’s mini-me/also a winemaker/the person who’s writing this…

I’m the second-generation winemaker, enologist… but this is my family’s business- so realistically, I go where I’m needed. We all do. A family business is a sort of intimate affair, and while we have wine distributed through-out the country, we run a pretty lean crew at home. Deborah polishes glasses at parties, Rob weeds and picks up trash while he’s on the phone, Elise has served in the restaurant a time or two… and I have been spending the past couple years doing whatever Barnard Griffin needs of me.

That’s what a family-owned and operated winery is… we’re in this for the long haul.

Ultimately we want you to know that when you pick up a bottle of Barnard Griffin, we’re grateful… and… we exist. There are real people that make Barnard Griffin wine. I’m one of them. Hi. Hello. Nice to meet you.

What can you expect from the Barnard Griffin blog? Recipes, behind-the-scenes wine stuff, pairing suggestions, fun printables/activities, the world of wine in general… and some of our favorite things out in the Tri-Cities, this wonderful region we call home. From time to time some of our ‘extended’ family will post- letting you know what’s happening in their departments. If you have something you want to see, let us know in the comments!

Cheers, and until next time!

The Barnard Griffin Family

Directions