Tildio Winery was the last stop before we finished our wine swinging tour to Lake Chelan wine region. Tasting at 10 wineries during that trip, we were very curious about Tildio wine. It turned out to be a memorable one.
Tildio Winery Story
Katy Pery is into wine since 1986. First, she studied Geology and interned Smithsonian Institute. But then she decided to go back to school for Enology and Viticulture at UC Davis.
Before starting her own winery - Tildio - Katy had a chance to work with such masters of the craft as Robert Mondavi, Stags Leap Wine Cellars, Daryl Groom at Geyser Peak Winery and Chateau Ste Michelle
Her husband and partner Milum took his family all over the world, from Germany to Greece and Thailand. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in economics, Milum focused on a life of outdoor adventure with a focus on competitive cycling and kayaking.
After leading having such a multifaceted and active life, Milum and Katy Perry decided to settle in the Lake Chelan area and founded Tildio Winery in 2001. In the following year, they started planting a vineyard and opened the tasting room in 2005.
Tildio Vineyards
The 8-acre Tildio estate lies on the north shore of Lake Chelan. The soils are sandy loam with decomposed pumice on top of the sand.
They specialize in Tempranillo, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, and Riesling. Tildio's 2 acres of estate Tempranillo was the first Tempranillo ever planted in Washington. "Tempranillo isn't the most cold-hardy vine, and we end up replanting some each year," says Katy.
Today Tildio is a boutique winery with 2000 case production.
Tildio Winery Tasting Room
We liked Tildio cozy tasting room with a terrace overlooking Rose Lake. The lovely sitting area under the trees is perfect for sipping wine on a sunny summer afternoon. During this visit, we spent most of our time inside the tasting room, learning about the winery. Next time we probably will sit under the massive weeping willow and enjoy a glass of wine. Or two.
Tildio Winery Tasting Flight
During our first visit we tasted the following wines:
- 2018 Chula Rosado
- 2018 Estate Sauvignon Blanc
- 2013 Malbec
- 2014 Tres Buhos
- 2014 Syrah Estate Grown
- 2014 Tempranillo Estate Grown
We chose two bottles to take home with us. First, Sauvignon Blanc, because we found it very close to traditional sauvignon blanc we like.
And the second bottle was Tempranillo. We chose it because it is a classic example that everything is possible if you determined to succeed. Everybody said that Tempranillo couldn't be done in this region, and Tildio proved that it CAN.