Guy Barnes is the Head Winemaker for Liquid Light Wine and Columbia Crest Winery, a leading producer of premium wine in Washington State, and part of the Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Group. Since finishing an internship at the winery over 25 years ago, he has been drawn to the art and science of winemaking. In 1998, Barnes graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Biology. The following year, Barnes worked as a lab technician at Columbia Crest for the 1999 harvest.
Barnes continued his work in the industry, later returning to Columbia Crest in 2010. After four years of laboratory work, he joined the winemaking team as a white wine enologist. His many years of dedicated work in the lab gave him valuable experiences, eventually earning him a promotion to Assistant White Winemaker in 2016. In 2017, Barnes was promoted to White Winemaker, and in March of 2024 was promoted to Head Winemaker, where he also lead the winemaking team for Liquid Light Wine. Barnes is inspired by the endless possibilities of working with grapes and crafting a variety of wines. Media Inquiries: Katie Jaeger katie.jaeger@smwe.com | https://www.smwe.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
As a winemaking team, we found we could achieve lower calorie wines by harvesting grapes early in the season in a warm growing site, with no other manipulations to the winemaking process. The fruit had amazing acidity, intense varietal aromatics and bright fruit flavors on the pallet, and resulted in a lower calorie wine that was still very distinct and flavorful. Thus, Liquid Light Wine was born! Each varietal in the lineup is only 95 calories per 5oz glass and no added sugar. Our first vintage of Liquid Light was 2018, which was before the “better for you” category really took off – so it’s exciting to be one of the first brands ahead of the trend. Because we achieve lower calories by nothing other than early harvesting, it’s critical for our winemaker team to be out in the vineyard early in the season and ready to make picking calls as soon as the fruit is tasting ready. They’re really fun wines to make, and even better to drink.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
I love so many parts of the winemaking process that if I led an unconstrained winery, I would blend a lot of unique, small-lot wines alongside much larger production wines. The challenges of both small and large-lot winemaking are an ever-evolving puzzle that I enjoy piecing together. Taking a wine from good to amazing happens by paying attention to the details, and I really love the challenge. The wines I would make would be a mix of aromatic whites to showcase the individuality of each blend, alongside rich and concentrated reds that spoke to a specific place or winemaking process.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
The Liquid Light Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect example of how paying attention to the little details can pay off. Early scouting in the vineyard, early morning harvesting and closely monitored stainless steel ferments are just a few of those details, and help contribute to an amazing wine each year.
The grapes are sourced predominantly from the Horse Heaven Hills, which is known for its ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. To achieve 95 calories per glass, we typically harvest the Sauvignon Blanc for Liquid Light during the 3rd or 4th week of August, which is about 2-3 weeks before other Sauvignon Blancs. To top off the blend, we add in some fruit from a cooler and later ripening in the Yakima Valley, creating a well-rounded and delicious blend that is considered “guilt-free” because it’s also lower in calories. All of these meticulous details help the wine come together beautifully. This wine review has landed here.
Bonus Question: Why Winemaking?
Winemaking is a perfect balance of artistic expression and science behind the entire winemaking process. Adding in the variability of each vintage, each vineyard, and the decisions inside the winery creates an almost endless array of possibilities. This ever-changing, detailed puzzle is a fantastic challenge that has kept me going for over 18 years. At the end of the day, Winemaking allows me to end up with a bottle of wine to share with friends, family, or strangers – and tell the story behind the wine to paint a picture of its greatness.