Winning Hand Productions

Presents

FIRE AND ICE

A film by Michael Zynda
2015, 32 mins., USA, documentary short

Official Selection:
TBD

EARLY PRESS NOTES

Filmmaker contact:
Michael Zynda
fireandicefilm@gmail.com

http://www.fireandicefilm.com
http://www.facebook.com/fireandicefilm
http://www.twitter.com/fireandicefilm

LOGLINE

Fire and Ice is a 32 minute documentary short film profiling the wine industry in Washington state.

EXTENDED SYNOPSIS

Fire and Ice is a documentary short film that examines the history of the wine industry in Washington state, the variance in climate, styles, and approach across all of the major appellations, and the volcanic activity and glacial ice age floods that helped to create one of the most unique and booming regions in the world today.

FULL LENGTH SYNOPSIS

Fire and Ice is a 32 minute documentary short film that examines the history of the wine industry in Washington state, the variance in climate, styles, and approach across all of the major appellations, and the volcanic activity and glacial ice age floods that helped to create one of the most unique and booming regions in the world today.
Fire and Ice was filmed in July of 2015 at ten wineries all across Washington's major American Viticultural Areas (AVA's) including Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and Rattlesnake Hills.  The documentary features interviews with a well known wine critic and author from Wine Enthusiast Magazine, a renowned local geologist, and ten different winemakers from some of the state's most prestigious wineries including Sheridan Vineyard, Pepper Bridge Winery, Col Solare Winery, Owen Roe Winery, Mercer Estates Winery, Kestrel Vintners, Otis Kenyon Wine, Obelisco Estate, Adams Bench Winery, and Two Mountain Winery.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

MICHAEL ZYNDA (Writer, Producer, Director)
Michael moved to Los Angeles, California after graduating from Texas Christian University with a degree in Film and Television in 2007.  After working at TVG Network for over five years as an Associate Features Producer, Michael founded Winning Hand Productions in 2014 where he currently works as a freelance photographer and video producer.  Fire and Ice is the second documentary from filmmaker Michael Zynda.  His directorial debut, In a Race Against Time, screened at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival, SNOB Film Festival, and Silent River Film Festival in 2012.  The documentary was also available on Amazon.com for instant streaming and download and was signed to a one year television contract with PBS.

ABOUT THE CAST

JEAN-FRANÇOIS PELLET (Himself)
Born and raised in Switzerland, Winemaker Jean-François Pellet is a third-generation wine grower. Working alongside his father, who has managed the same vineyard for 30 years, Jean-François always knew what he wanted to do with his life: make world-class wine.

Jean-François supplemented his experience by earning degrees in both enology and viticulture. As part of his studies, he interned in Switzerland, Germany and the Napa Valley.

After graduating, he managed vineyards and made wine in Switzerland and Spain. Along with making wine in Spain, he was responsible for managing 500 acres of vineyards, designing a new winery and developing a market for the product. 

His experience and reputation for meticulous winemaking brought him to the attention of Heitz Cellars in the Napa Valley, where he worked for four years. Pepper Bridge Winery then recruited him, so he moved to the Walla Walla Valley to become that winery's creative force. His success at Pepper Bridge (where he is still the winemaker, as well) allowed him the opportunity to join the Amavi partnership and to apply his winemaking skills to different grape varietals, particularly Syrah and Semillon.

"This is a great adventure," says Jean-François. "Walla Walla impressed me right away as an extremely unique grape-growing area. Distinctive climate, soils and geography make it different than anywhere else in the world, and now we have the chance to incorporate the latest winery design and techniques with the very high-quality grapes."

In addition to being winemaker, Jean-François plays a key role in the management of the winery's estate vineyards. He is also a founding member and current vice-president of the Walla Walla Valley's sustainable agriculture organization, VINEA.

FLINT NELSON (Himself)
If one is fortunate during their visit to Kestrel Winery they will have the opportunity to encounter one of Washington's most highly acclaimed, yet humble winemakers; Flint Nelson. 

Flint Nelson was raised in the tiny city of Elmer, Washington, which is just above the Grand Coulee Dam.  At the time, the population was around 250 people and even less today. His father was an ironworker, and his mother drove a school bus.  His mother today resides in Elmer having one of the largest Northern Columbian artifact collections.

An artist at heart and currently a master gardener, Flint has worked creatively with many mediums; including painting, writing and three dimensional art.  However, as a young man and visionary, Flint saw the potential in Washington's Wine Industry and believed that he could feed his passion for art and the earth via winemaking.  He attended college at WashingtonStateUniversity and studied Horticulture and Food Science, with the dream of one day making wine.   He graduated with honors and was one of the first to receive the Walter Clore Scholarship.

Upon graduation and in the harvest of 1991, Flint's studied under Joy Anderson at Columbia Crest for his first internship.  Consecutively, Flint worked a harvest in New Zealand.  Both experiences cemented his love for crafting wine, grape growing and especially harvest.  In Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Flint spent most of his time in the vineyard, picking grapes, enjoying the friendly culture and unique terroir and enjoying the fruits of his labors in festivities with the lovely people.  It was in New Zealand that Flint first found an appreciation of Sauvignon Blanc. 

For a short period, Flint took a quality control position at a corn dog and orange juice factory in Spokane.  To this day, Flint does not care for corn dogs or orange juice.

In 1992 Flint was hired at Hogue as their "handyman.” From grounds keeping to plumbing; Flint did it all.  Because of his cheerful work ethic, Hogue saw that he would be beneficial to their operation.  In the meantime, he was promoted to compliance and handled book keeping until something became available in production.  Fortunately, he was hired in the Laboratory as Lab Supervisor.  For four years Flint learned winery operations and the importance of the science of winemaking. 

At Hogue, Flint had the opportunity to travel to South Africa.  South Africa proved to be one of his most influential experiences, in fact he traveled there four different times.  This shaped his craft stylistically and is also where he fell completely in love with Sauvignon Blanc, playing options, and talking about wine with his friend the late winemaker Lowe Englebrecht.   "Englebrecht became one of my very best friends and was a very big influence on my craft and on my life in general, he made me want to be that kind of a winemaker; a passion for the artisan craft and a the lifestyle that goes along with it."

In 1996, Flint became a winemaker for Paul Thomas.  At the time, they were importing wine for La Palma of Chile.  Flint traveled to Chile in a winemaker exchange.  Being his third internship in as many countries, this trip helped to really solidify his world view on winemaking.  Most importantly, during his tenure at Paul Thomas, Flint met his wonderful wife Katie Nelson (also a winemaker) who, at the time, worked as a lab supervisor.  They married in 2000, the same year Flint became the winemaker for Apex Cellars.  During his time with Apex, Flint was able to further his studies under the tutelage of Brian Carter, who crafted Kestrel’s earliest vintages.  Flint then joined Kestrel in 2004.  Flint's diverse background paved the way for Kestrel to have one of the best and most revered winemaker's in the Washington State Wine Industry.  Flint gave Kestrel the extra boost to realize the true potential of John Walker's dream.

Also in 2004, Flint and Katie took a last minute, whirlwind vacation to Portugal for a mere four days. They went to Douro and Porto, falling in love with the Ports, especially Tawny Ports.  Today, because of that trip, Kestrel has a very limited Tawny resting in barrel and soon to be released, but only if our team can keep our hands off of it.  We also have a RubyPort as part of our Signature Series.  This Port is one of the best values in the world of RubyPort.  

In 2012, Flint chose Carolina Warwick to be his Assistant Winemaker, boosting us even further.  When asked what Flint finds most beneficial to her skill-set he said, "She's incredibly organized, her follow-through is unbelievable and her technology skills are immense.  She's bright, hungry to learn, educated and hard-working.  She enjoys teaching and is a patient leader.  All those skills, and she's a working mom, which I hold in high regard."    

At the beginning of harvest in 2005 his lovely daughter Madry was born.  In 2009, shortly after harvest, his son Leif was born.  Today, their family resides in Prosser Washington.  Flint is a family-man, a doting husband and wonderful father.  

Proof of Flint's passion for Artisan Winemaking is in each bottle.  "Great fruit makes great wine".   The combination of our premier growing site, a state of the art production facility and Flint’s masterful technique is what makes our wines unlike any other in the state in style, versatility, quality and value. Every bottle represents the artist that carefully designed it; Flint Nelson.  "I craft wines for anniversaries, birthdays and Mondays."  In other words Flint creates wines of superior quality in a range of affordability.  Every grape is tended to and intended to be blended into our Signature Series. This creates the perfect canvas to create the design of a multiple tiered system. 

Today, guests may find him racking wine, topping barrels or fixing the kitchen sink. Despite his busy, jolly work ethic, Flint always has time for guests.  A quick wit and a cheerful disposition are among Flint's most endearing qualities.  And, if you're lucky, you'll get to hear his infectious signature laugh.

DAVID O’REILLY (Himself)
Owner and winemaker, David O'Reilly started his career in wine like many do--with an unused liberal arts degree (in his case, philosophy). And though he's charted his course through a different field, his Pacific Northwest winery Owen Roe, David is definitely one with ideas. Originally from Belfast, he named his winery with a nod to his roots after the 17th-century Irish activist, Owen Roe O'Neill. O’Neill’s dedication to upholding principles of political equality and freedom makes him an ideal model for Owen Roe winery, for they share his commitment to principle in work. At Owen Roe they do not compromise: only the best is good enough. Since 1999, Owen Roe has garnered a reputation for luscious Oregon Pinots and, increasingly, structured and dynamic Syrahs, Cabernet Francs and red blends from Washington.

After 15 years of operating out of his winery in Newberg, Oregon, O'Reilly has set his sites for the future by building a 7,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art winery in Yakima Valley, with an estate vineyard called Union Gap. The new low-energy facility was built into a metal barn, and it's tricked out with all the bells and whistles that would make any winemaker gush. The pieces of equipment he's dubbed his "geekiest" are two Coquard basket presses that, he says, have surpassed their expectations in the way they improve wine texture. A serendipitous perk is that they're also great for making ice wine. "On a frigid morning we harvested a couple of press loads of frozen Gewurztraminer from Outlook Vineyard and the result was sublime--the steady gentle pressing yielded delicious juice with awesome texture," said O'Reilly. 

Yakima Valley is the oldest AVA in Washington and the source of 40 percent of the state's wine production. Nearly any grape can ripen in this AVA, as it has an immense diversity of microclimates, a long growing season, and great silt-loam soils over a layer of basalt. "The wines that we make from Yakima," explained O'Reilly, "while unmistakably New World, show great acidity and finesse. Here the Bordeaux and Rhone varietals ripen beautifully and the long, dry growing conditions provide for vintage consistency." 

The top Owen Roe wines showcase their signature handprinted photogravure labels. The photogavures are just one example of the exacting attention to detail that Owen Roe is known for. Another is O'Reilly's meticulous approach to winemaking. David O'Reilly works with small family-run operations with an average acreage of only 30 acres. He and the growers work collaboratively to achieve maximum flavor and optimal ripeness with modest sugars to keep the wines in balance. One of the benefits of the easy growing conditions in Washington is that there tends to be a greater emphasis on vineyard or producer to find truly distinctive fruit. Vineyards are contracted by the acre with strict yield controls, and without the use of any herbicides or pesticides. The grapes receive minimal handling and the juice is racked by gravity. All wines are made in tiny lots. The same high principles are found in the winery. Only minimal handling, racking by gravity, and excellent cooperage are employed to ensure that a sense of place truly shines through each and every Owen Roe wine. From the fruit to the bottle, cork, and label, Owen Roe aims for the very best. 

DOUG LONG (Himself)
It is the Red Mountain reputation for quality that brought Doug Long and his partners together to collaborate on a new winery and estate vineyard.   This was the dream location to plant the dream vineyard Doug Long had always wanted to do.  Doug not only brings extensive wine making, wine distribution and business experience to this venture, he has history too.

In 1971, Doug and his two brothers planted their first vineyard high above Napa Valley on a property their father had purchased years earlier without any idea that the property was perfect for grapes.  Doug and his brothers figured it out quickly and with encouragement from nearby wine makers, they began their adventure. By 1980, their reputation for fine grapes was growing quickly and in 1981, they started their first winery called David Arthur that went on to be named "Winery of the Decade" by Spectator in the year 2000.  The 1997 vintage scored 99 points.

Doug attempted to "retire" to Gig Harbor WA.  After two years and a realization that his golfing and fishing skills weren't likely to improve, he got the "itch" to do something else.  With the encouragement of his beautiful wife Betsy (the beauty is not debated, but the "encouragement" might be), he explored and found Red Mountain in Eastern Washington.  By 2004, the vineyard site was purchased and planted.  Doug was able to put his long time theory of intensely planted vines into action.  It is one of the most intensely planted vineyards in the wine world. 

The first vintage was 2007.  The partners were not even sure if it would be bottled.  The vines were still relatively young.  After sampling from the barrels and realizing that there was something special, the first bottling took place.  This first offering was named "Best Cabernet in the State over $20" by Seattle Magazine and also received the esteemed "Double Gold" from the Seattle Wine Awards.  The Obelisco vineyard theory was now a reality.

In 2011, Doug Long bought out his partners and friends, to assume full ownership of Obelisco and continues to strive for the finest grapes in the world.  His philosphy is "that no effort and no expense is too much in growing fine grapes... grapes are 95% of the quality of wine".  His philosophy comes through in the wine.

DAREL ALLWINE (Himself)
For many of us, retirement is a time to pursue hobbies and travel. For Darel Allwine, retirement from the U.S. Air Force led to a new calling in wine.

Returning to his native Washington state after 20 years traveling the globe for the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, including a stint in Germany where he first became interested in wine after touring the Mosel and the Rheingau, Allwine answered an ad for a cellar worker at Columbia Crest winery, where he quickly rose through the ranks. After his first harvest he was given the responsibility of overseeing all fermenting, racking, topping, and bottling for the winery’s Reserve wine program. Under Allwine’s care, the reserve program at Columbia Crest grew from 100 barrels to over 2000 barrels. The winery’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was also ranked #1 on Wine Spectator’s annual list of the Top 100 wines of the world in 2009.

During this time, Allwine also met and began working with Marcus Notaro, then red winemaker at Columbia Crest. Both began working with Col Solare during the production of the 2003 vintage. In 2006, the pair assumed full responsibility for winemaking at Col Solare and oversaw planting of the estate vineyard and construction of the estate winery on Red Mountain, which opened for crush that year. In 2012, Allwine and Notaro celebrated their 17th harvest together in Washington state and their 8th on Red Mountain. In 2013, Allwine was appointed winemaker for Col Solare by the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates-Marchesi Antinori partnership, after Notaro became winemaker for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the iconic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon producer, also a Ste. Michelle-Antinori joint venture.

At Col Solare, Allwine collaborates closely with Renzo Cotarella, chief enologist for the Antinori estates in Italy, to bring their collective expertise to bear on a shared vision – to craft Washington State’s premier Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine using fruit from the region’s best vineyards. As the Col Solare estate vineyard has matured, the vision of the partners has evolved to focus on the Cabernet Sauvignon of the renowned Red Mountain appellation and, ultimately, the specific fruit of their unique vineyard site. With the 2009 vintage, fruit from the estate vineyard plays an important role in the Col Solare blend for the first time and, beginning with the 2011 vintage, all future vintages of Col Solare will carry the Red Mountain designation.

In addition to learning about and drinking new wines, Allwine is an avid golfer who also enjoys participating in outdoor activities with his family. He lives with his wife in Richland, Washington.

PAUL GREGUTT (Himself)
In addition to reviewing Pacific Northwest wines for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Seattle-based Contributing Editor Paul Gregutt writes about wine for Seattle Times, Yakima Herald-Republic, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and Spokane Spokesman-Review. He contributes the Pacific Northwest section to Tom Stevenson's annual Wine Report. Gregutt's book, Washington Wines & Wineries: the Essential Guide, is now in its fourth printing and was the top selling wine book of 2008 for the University of California Press.

PATRICK RAWN (Himself)
Patrick Rawn manages finances and daily operations for Two Mountain Winery and Copeland Vineyard and shares vineyard management duties with his brother, Matt. After completing college, Patrick traveled the globe and spent extensive time in Europe. 

He returned to the U.S. with plans to enter law school, but a six-month stint working for the family wine business took his career path in a new direction. Patrick’s passion for wine blossomed at Two Mountain Winery and quickly grew into a full-fledged love affair. Patrick truly believes in the potential of the Yakima Valley and Washington State as whole, serving as a Yakima County Planning Commissioner, a member of the Yakima County Wine Tourism Consortium as well as a sitting on the board for the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. Patrick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a focus in economics/international finance from the University of Washington in Seattle.

BRUCE BJORNSTAD (Himself)
Bruce Bjornstad holds a M.S. in Geology from Eastern Washington University.  A resident of Richland, WA, Bruce is also the author of On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: A geological field guide to the Mid-Columbia Basin and On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: A geological field guide to northern Idaho and the Channeled Scabland.

TIM BLUE (Himself)
Tim and Erica Blue are the owner/winemakers of Adams Bench Winery. The Blue’s winery and home are located on 3.5 acres on Hollywood Hill about one mile up the hill from the Old Hollywood Schoolhouse. On that site, overlooking pastures, trees and the Olympic Mountains, Adams Bench produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Blends, 1000 cases a year. Tim grew up on a farm in Indiana, and came to Seattle after law school to practice law as a trial lawyer. Erica is an ObGyn trained doctor who attended the University of Washington for medical school and residency, after undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Boise State University. They founded Adams Bench in 2005, and moved to their present home on Hollywood Hill in June 2006. Chris Camarda, Andrew Will Winery, served as their consultant in the beginning. Adams Bench is generally open by appointment several Saturday’s a month or for special events for its “Collector’s Club”.

BIG JOHN CAUDILL (Himself)
Chef Big John's relationship with Sheridan began in 2003. Since that time he has designed and executed numerous multi-course menus and meals featuring the exquisite wines of Sheridan. This relationship has grown over the years with Big John now providing his invaluable culinary talent and marketing know-how. He currently serves as the Marketing & Sales Manager for Sheridan Vineyard.

LINDSEY PONZO (Herself)
Lindsey Ponzo is a Regional Sales Director for Mercer Estates Winery in Prosser, WA.

MURIEL KENYON (Herself)
Muriel Kenyon is the General Manager at Otis Kenyon Wine in Walla Walla, WA.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

For as long as I can remember, I have always been incredibly passionate about wine.  In my hometown in Oklahoma, my father still owns a wine, beer, and spirits store named The Market.  When I was a teenager, he would often bring home wine from the shop for us to try in the evenings with dinner.  Long after my mother and sister left the table, my dad and I would still be sitting together and talking about why we liked or disliked certain varietals.  Some of my earliest passions for Australian Shiraz, Pomerol, and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in particular, were borne out of these discussions.  In 2014, I began taking classes at UCLA’s Wine Education and Management Certificate Program while working in television in Los Angeles.  The various courses on winemaking, viticulture, and the history of Bordeaux opened up a whole new world for me and further ignited my love for wine.

The origin of Fire and Ice began with very modest expectations.  My original intention was simply to create a short three minute or under piece for a video contest on WineSpectator.com.  At the time, I had just recently read Paul Gregutt’s book, Washington Wines & Wineries: the Essential Guide, which was very influential to me.  I had always loved wines from Washington, but it wasn’t until Jean-François Pellet, the winemaker at Pepper Bridge Winery in Walla Walla, appeared as a guest lecturer in one of my UCLA wine courses that I began to learn more about the region and its unique terroir.  Paul’s book revealed many new layers of richness that I saw as potential for an intriguing narrative and it became clear to me that this was the story that I wanted to tell.

Beginning with my former acquaintance Jean-François, I began sending out emails to various winemakers across the state, requesting time to conduct an interview.  Unsure of the response that I would receive, I was blown away by how friendly and supportive each of them were.  Before I knew it, I had lined up interviews with ten different winemakers and knew that I would have far too much footage than I could squeeze into a short three minute timeframe and thus the idea of a short film was born.  I then reached out to Paul Gregutt, informing him of how much I loved his book and how instrumental of a tool it had been throughout my research process while developing the documentary.  He agreed to be in the film as well, along with a local geologist that I had recently brokered a friendship with regarding a collection of incredible aerial footage that he had shot over the canyons near the Washington/Oregon border.

After comparing schedules with my 12 interview subjects, I booked a flight from California to Washington in early July and spent four days shooting all over Yakima, Wapato, Zillah, Prosser, Benton City, Walla Walla, Richland, Woodinville, and Seattle.  Standouts from my amazing trip include Merlot barrel tastings with brothers Patrick and Matt Rawn at Two Mountain Winery, the scenic drive through Mount Baker National Forest, private golf cart tours of the property at Owen Roe Winery and Sheridan Vineyard, and the stunning views from the top of the Two Sisters Hike at Wallula Gap on the Columbia River.  Aside from the film’s production, which went virtually flawless from start to finish, my time there spent meeting great people and telling their story remains one of the better life experiences that I’ve had to date as well.   -Michael Zynda

CREDITS

FIRE AND ICE

Written, Directed, and Edited by
Michael Zynda

Produced by
Winning Hand Productions
Michael Zynda
Tom Zynda

Director of Photography
Michael Zynda

Aerial Cinematography by
Bruce Bjornstad
Steven Mack

Additional Footage provided by
National Science Foundation
Mercer Estates Winery
USDA Forest Service
Col Solare Winery
Blip.tv

Original Music by
Chris Davey

Sound Editing by
Justin Lebens

Cast
Jean-François Pellet
Flint Nelson
David O’Reilly
Doug Long
Darel Allwine
Paul Gregutt
Patrick Rawn
Bruce Bjornstad
Tim Blue
Big John Caudill
Lindsey Ponzo
Muriel Kenyon

Photos courtesy of
Andrea Johnson Photography
Washington State Wine
Kathryn Schmidt Rawn
Bruce Bjornstad
NASA Images

Artwork created by
Ricardo Netro

Stock Media provided by
Freesound.org
Freesfx.co.uk

Special thanks to 
Mercer Estates Winery
Two Mountain Winery
Pepper Bridge Winery
Adams Bench Winery
Col Solare Winery
Sheridan Vineyard
Kestrel Vintners
Otis Kenyon Wine
Owen Roe Winery
Obelisco Estate
Julie H. Case
Marcus Whitman Hotel
J. Bookwalter Winery