Brian Carter is the founder-winemaker at Brian Carter Cellars in Columbia Valley, WA. He has been a defining force in Washington wine since 1980, when the state had just 16 wineries. As a winemaker, consultant, and mentor, he has helped shape the industry’s rise to more than 1,000 wineries and international recognition.
A microbiology graduate of Oregon State University with enology training at UC Davis, Brian honed his craft at Mount Eden Vineyard and Chateau Montelena before returning to Washington. His 1983 Paul Thomas Cabernet famously won first place in a major New York competition, besting Quilceda Creek and Château Lafite-Rothschild.
After consulting for numerous emerging wineries, Brian founded Brian Carter Cellars, officially launching his collection in 2006 as Washington’s first winery dedicated exclusively to blends. A multiple-time “Winemaker of the Year” and recipient of numerous industry honors, Brian remains deeply involved in research, sustainability, and leadership within the Washington wine community. Media Inquiries: Brian Carter Brian@briancartercellars.com | https://briancartercellars.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
When I founded Brian Carter Cellars, I’d already been making wine for 20 years. I asked myself: do I want to be another winery known for Cabernet and Chardonnay? I could do that. But what did I enjoy most? Blending.
So I built the winery around blends, inspired by Europe’s great traditions and crafted with Washington grapes. I began with the 1998 Solesce, a Left Bank–style Cabernet blend. By 2002, I had added a Right Bank–style Merlot blend, a Southern Rhône–inspired Grenache blend, and a Super Tuscan–style Sangiovese blend. Brian Carter Cellars became Washington’s first winery dedicated exclusively to blends.
In 2008, we introduced the ONE label—one variety, one vineyard—because occasionally a wine deserves to stand alone. These wines represent just 5% of our production.
Today, our portfolio also includes a Petit Verdot–based Bordeaux blend, a Tempranillo-based Rioja-style blend, and a traditional Port-style wine. I also created an annual “Heart and Soul” blend, each dedicated to someone meaningful in my life. The first, ACE (2013), was a Cabernet-Syrah blend honoring my grandfather, a World War I fighter pilot.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
This is a bit of a confession: While I still love making wine and blending, I am tired of running a winery. Dealing with personnel, payroll, insurance, banks, compliance etc. wears on you after a while. My dream would be to sell the winery to someone who would take over the business and leave me to make the wine for as long as I can. Unfortunately, the wine business has taken a negative turn in the last couple of years, making selling a winery more challenging.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Not easy, but I think I would have to pick Solesce, the first blend I made under the Brian Carter Cellars label. Solesce is our Flagship Cabernet Sauvignon based blend that has all five classic Bordeaux varieties. The Cabernet is usually dominated by grapes from the Red Mountain AVA where I believe the best Cabernet is grown in Washington.
Solesce is the first wine I blend every year because Solesce gets what Solesce wants. The very best the lots go into Solesce. Solesce is also unique in that it spends 30 months aging in the barrel. Almost no one does that, here, or in Bordeaux. Solesce is a word derived from Sol (sun) and Essence. After all: “Wine is Sunlight trapped in a bottle”. Read the Solesce wine review here.
Bonus Question: What are your wholehearted convictions related to the Wine Business?
Convictions about the wine business feel especially relevant right now. Consumption is down, largely because younger generations are drinking less. What does that mean for the future? I can’t say when the pendulum will swing back—but I’m confident of this: wine isn’t going away.
No other beverage shares wine’s unique characteristics. It can age for decades and become more complex and beautiful over time. It carries a direct connection to the land—true terroir—reflecting place in a way nothing else does. Wine brings family and friends to the table and creates shared experiences that are hard to replicate. And when you consider its history, culture, geography, personalities, sensory depth, and science, there simply isn’t another beverage that compares.