Darel Allwine, Assistant Winemaker, Col Solare Ca.

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  For many of us, retirement is a time to pursue hobbies and travel after a long career. For Darel Allwine, retirement from the U.S. Air Force has led to a new calling in the world of wine.

  Returning to his native Washington state after 20 years traveling the globe for the Air Force’s Air Transport division, including a stint in Germany where he first became interested in wine after touring the Mosel and Rheingau wine regions, Allwine came across an ad for a cellar worker at Columbia Crest winery in Paterson, Washington. After meeting Columbia Crest winemaker Ray Einberger, he decided to take the job.

  As Cellarmaster, Allwine oversees the blending, racking, and topping of all wines in the Col Solare cellar, and works closely with Notaro and the cellar team on every stage of the wines’ development. “That’s one of the best things about working here – the ability to be “hands on” from vineyard to bottle,” he says. “Between the small, state-of-the-art cellar and the ability to work closely with Renzo Cotarella from Antinori and learn aspects of Italian winemaking style that we can apply to the Col Solare wines, my days usually start with me pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming!”