An expert in all things coffee and a Seattle native, Christian Chandler celebrates what makes the Northwest special. Christian’s 25-year career in the coffee industry equipped him with the technical expertise and refined palate that seamlessly translated into the realm of winemaking. The meticulous attention to detail, quality, and the understanding of factors like microclimate and harvest timing, instilled in him through coffee roasting, became the cornerstones of his winemaking philosophy. After studying viticulture and enology at Washington State University (painful for a University of Washington alumni!) and 10 years of experimenting and exploring winemaking, Christian and his wife Kim created Caelestis Cellars, a small, family-run, urban neighborhood winery sourcing the finest grapes from throughout the Northwest.
Media Inquiries: christian@caelestiscellars.com | https://www.caelestiscellars.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, memorable about your brand?
My passion for wine was born of a passion for coffee. I got started in coffee in 1994 in the coffee capital of the world, Seattle, Washington. The specialty coffee industry was just beginning to emerge. Starbucks was not yet a household brand, and the industry had a definite buzz (pun intended). I quickly fell in love with everything about coffee…the wonderful and distinct differences in varietals from all over the world; the interesting and creative ways to roast, brew, and experience the beverage; the storytelling that could paint beautiful imagery of every aspect from the farm to the cup; and the way a cup of coffee could bring people together over conversation. Fast forward 25 years and following a long tenure with Starbucks in many different roles I still have both passion and respect for the many different elements and people that make the coffee experience special.
My love for wine is, in many ways, a perfect complement to my love for coffee. Great wine, like great coffee is a result of similar factors…microclimate, soil nutrition, and makeup, farm practices, harvest timing, fruit processing, attention to quality and food safety, and of course, the art and science of the craft of coffee roasting and winemaking. Additionally, both have great stories to tell which weave these similarities together. So in a very real way, my passion for coffee helped define and inspire my passion for wine.
After years of visits to wineries big and small, I decided to formalize my wine education through Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology program. Upon completion in 2013, I made it a goal of mine to one day operate my own winery making wines that can tell their own stories and prioritizing personal individual relationships with other small local businesses, our customers, and our members. Caelestis Cellars is this dream coming to life.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained. Sky’s the limit!
Caelestis Cellars is a working winery, not a tourist destination and I like it that way. I have always dreamed of having a space so that Caelestis Cellars can also be winemaking theater and education. This would still be a small, intimate winery where I can oversee every aspect of the process, but that can also allow people can watch the entire winemaking process as it is happening. I like to call it the Willy Wonka experience. From crush and fermentation to bottling and labeling, visitors would learn about each piece of the process and even participate. Winemaking can sometimes feel mystical. I want people to see that this artisanal craft is a creative way to honor the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Such a place that is deeply embedded in the community, where neighbors know they will be warmly welcomed when they arrive is a place that every neighborhood needs.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Eclipse, our red blend is the wine most emblematic of our brand and winemaking style.
I’ve always had an affection for Bordeaux blend wines so jumped at the chance to secure grapes from two of our favorite vineyardists. The Merlot grapes are from Horse Heaven Hills AVA and the Syrah grapes are from Yakima Naches Heights AVA. When I realized that the Syrah plants didn’t produce as many grapes as I expected, on my long drive home, I began formulating my own version of a Bordeaux blend. Individually, both of these grape varietals are among my favorites and I was eager to find the right balance to make bring them together in a fantastic marriage.
Because the grapes had their own soil, micro-climate, and growing practices, I crushed, fermented, and aged them separately. I wanted to able to get to the know each wine on its own, what made it special and how they could be brought together as one. I was instantly transported back to my days in coffee, selecting varietals to blend, determining the most appropriate roasting spectrum to enhance each then creating something special by bringing them together.
What are your wholehearted convictions related to the wine business?
Caelestis Cellars is proud to be an urban boutique micro-winery. We have no aspirations to compete with the big wineries. Instead, we aim to offer an intimate connection for our members that cannot be replicated on a large scale, a fundamental value of community.
To my wife and co-owner Kim and I, community means respectfully engaging with our neighbors and supporting other local businesses, including other local wineries. Community also means appreciating and honoring our natural environment and the people within it by using responsible manufacturing practices, sourcing grapes from growers who share these values, and eventually becoming a zero-landfill producer. Our commitment to our community guided us to becoming an urban winery, making and sharing wine where we live.
Most of Caelestis Cellars wine is shared in an intimate and personal way – by the two of us in private parties at people’s homes or at our private club. People love this format. They get uninterrupted access to an expert winemaker in small groups for 2 hours and in a relaxed atmosphere where they are comfortable enough to ask all sorts of questions. It is a luxury to enjoy wine slowly and fully experience what it has to offer one’s senses. Our own beautiful Portland needs that opportunity.