Sweet Valley Winemaker
Our winemaker, Josh McDaniel’s, is an up and coming wine making guru for the new millennium. He credits his growth in the industry to numerous people and events. Don Redman of Mannina Cellars and Chris Figgins of Leonetti Cellar first gave him the exposure needed. He started up through the ranks as a cellar assistant, more commonly known as cellar rat, for Mannina Cellars in Walla Walla. Josh volunteered for Don during crush and asked for advice and help from Chris. Eventually Chris helped him out with his first 25 plant Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard and Don helped him with the winemaking to start Sweet Valley Wines. Today, with the help of his father, a few other family members and close friends, he develops our wines while continuing to work for Leonetti Cellar, and all in conjunction with finishing his studies at the Institute of Enology and Viticulture in Walla Walla.When looking to start a winery he knew it definitely had to be in Walla Walla. Josh has been raised in the Walla Walla Valley, loves the people in the area and has always been attracted to the high quality and competitive lifestyle of the area. He views the vineyards as being carefully thought over as far as their ability to produce quality wine now and will continue to have the potential to produce the same quality wine in the future. Sustainable farming is something very important to the valley and to him personally. Josh believes that the techniques used in sustainable farming are far better for our future, our environment and our wines. Many of our vineyards we source our fruit from, if not all, are farmed using sustainable agricultural practices.
Josh feels that the vineyards in Walla Walla Valley have a lot of attributes that many vineyards located in other appellations are missing. The areas diurnal flux (temperature drops from day to night), numerous soil types (silt loam, loam, loess, cobbles), and the altitude changes from one end of the valley to the other, as well as numerous other characteristics, all contribute to the quality of wine being produced year after year, winery after winery. His first wine that he has felt 100% his own winemaking is our 2007 Viognier. Over the years, Josh heard many winemakers state that you should only make wines that you like. He states, “I never used to be a white wine fan and so edged away from making it. However, after it was finished, I now truly believe that pushing yourself and broadening your ranges is a huge learning opportunity in winemaking as a whole. It was a great learning and very rewarding experience.” In the future, Josh hopes to grow from owning and being a wine maker to owning, managing and farming his own vineyard.
With Josh McDaniel’s help the future of Sweet Valley Wines is showing only quality wines that people can enjoy anywhere and with anyone. So, salute to Josh from your family at Sweet Valley Wines!
To contact our winemaker Josh, email him at Josh@SweetValleyWines.com