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| Allen Shoup |
Allen Shoup is widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of the
Washington wine industry. While CEO of Stimson Lane, he garnered worldwide fame
for Washington wines by combining state-of-the art technology with exacting
principles of viticulture and enology. He created exalted reds and whites from
the Columbia Valley, an appellation named and registered under his guidance.
During his tenure, a 4,000 acre region of unsung vineyards in the 1980s was
transformed into 30,000 acres of world-class viniferous grapes by 2000 – now
home to some of the world’s most celebrated wines.
Allen began his career in Modesto, California, where he reported to Ernest
Gallo. In 1979, he joined Chateau Ste. Michelle, then a small, unnoticed winery
in Woodinville, Washington. From that starting point he developed Stimson Lane
Wineries and Estates, and began purchasing and building wineries and vineyards
in the Columbia Valley. These included a second Chateau Ste. Michelle facility
for reds at Canoe Ridge, the State’s largest winery, Columbia Crest, the
nation’s third largest sparkling wine facility, Domaine Ste. Michelle and
Snoqualmie Winery, among others. Under Allen’s direction, Stimson Lane also
acquired California wineries and vineyards, including Villa Mt. Eden and Conn
Creek Wineries in Napa Valley. On the international level, he developed brands
in both Chile and France, as well as the Bridgewater Mill Winery joint venture
with Australia’s Brian Croser, CEO of Petuluma.
Allen initiated joint ventures that brought Tuscany’s Piero Antinori and
Germany’s famed Dr. Ernst Loosen to Washington. Out of these came Col Solare, a
luxury wine shaped in the Bordeaux tradition, and Eroica, which helped spark a
Riesling Renaissance throughout the country. On two separate occasions, five
individual wines crafted under Allen’s tutelage appeared in the Wine
Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year.
Shoup is a founder of the Washington Wine Institute and the Northwest Wine
Auction. He helped create the Washington Wine Commission and was instrumental
in organizing the American Vintners Association. He held seats on the
California Wine Institute Board, The Century Council, The Presidents Forum, and
Copia. Shoup is also the founding chairman of AWARE, (Association for Wine
Accurate Research and Education).
Allen did his graduate work at Eastern Michigan University and his undergraduate
work at the University of Michigan. He currently resides in Seattle with his
wife, Kathleen and son Ryan. He often can be seen accompanied by his two
grandchildren who belong to his son and daughter-in-law, Dane and Sara
Narbaitz, also residents of Seattle.
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