The Vineyard Owners
Stuart & Mary Ellen hail from Edinburgh, Scotland and Pittsburgh, PA respectively. Fate brought them together in Seattle in 2011. Stuart's journey from the U.K. took him through South Africa and Florida, finally settling in the Seattle area in 2006. Mary Ellen has been in Seattle a wee bit longer, since 1997. Married in December of 2012, Stuart & Mary Ellen at last fulfilled their dream of owning and operating their own business. Neither one knew a vineyard and winery would be in their future!
"We are thrilled and blessed to be in this idyllic location and look forward to a long, healthy and successful stay on the Kitsap Peninsula!" - Stuart & Mary Ellen.
Our Vineyard
Olalla Vineyard & Winery has been open to the public since 2008. It is a small, family owned winery with a deep, Croatian heritage.
The vineyard was previously owned, operated and lovingly tended by Joe & Konnie Serka. Joe and Konnie poured their hearts into creating and developing the vineyard into the beautiful oasis it is today. The new owners, husband & wife team, Stuart & Mary Ellen plan to continue the wine-making tradition of old as well as evolve the winery into a unique, boutique destination vineyard and winery, with a focus on agricultural tourism.
Our Wines
Olalla Vineyard & Winery proudly presents fine estate wines from grapes grown and nurtured right on the premises as well as grapes grown in Eastern Washington. At the vineyard in Olalla, several red and white varietals are grown including Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Madeleine Angevine and Olalla's flagship wine, Golubok, a deep purple varietal reminiscent of a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Golubok, which hails from Eastern Europe, is particularly well suited to the Puget Sound climate, producing delicious, sweet dark bluish-purple grapes which become the body and soul of the Golubok wines.
Gallery of Photos
Our Winemaker - Matthew Loso
We are excited that renowned Master Winemaker and original owner of Matthews Cellars in Woodinville, one of the most well-known and well respected wineries in Washington State, is bringing his extensive wine-making experience and expertise to Olalla Vineyard & Winery..
Nicholas O’Connell, Northwest palate writes, “Loso exemplifies the energy, creativity, and camaraderie of the next wave of winemakers.”
Mathew's passion is wine-making and his goal has always been to bring the best that the wine industry has to offer from around the world to our region and it's with great pleasure that we are able to say, to our front door too.
Our Artist - Carol Virak
We are thrilled to have commissioned local Gig Harbor artist, Carol Virak for a painting of our back vineyard with sweeping views of Vashon Island, Puget Sound and Olalla Bay. We are very happy to say that Carol's stunningly beautiful painting is now the wine label representing our estate wines (pictured above).
More about Carol:
Carol Virak’s art education began at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles as a teenager and continued with a BA in Fine Art from California Lutheran University in California, an MFA from the University of Puget Sound. She became the Director of Education at the Tacoma Art Museum and was appointed to the Tacoma Art Commission. Carol earned a “Time Magazine Person of the Year Award” and was appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts as a “Fellow” to study funding process for Arts Organizations around the country. Carol’s life-long interest in Art includes owner/curator for the Contemporary Craft Gallery in Tacoma and she maintains a working studio/gallery at her home in Gig Harbor.