From Risk to Risqué: Celebrating 20 Years of Hard Row to Hoe
Twenty years ago this July, we unlocked the doors to a small tasting room on Ivan Morse Road in Manson and poured our first glasses of wine to the public.
The tasting room was modest, just a folding table in the warehouse and a lot of enthusiasm. In fact, when our very first customers walked through the door, we discovered we didn't even own a corkscrew. Fortunately, they did. They kindly returned from their hotel room with one so we could open our own wine.
It seemed like a fitting beginning for a winery built on equal parts determination, optimism, and a willingness to figure things out as we went.
At the time, Don was tending young vines that had gone into the ground only the year before, while Judy was in the winery working through the first vintage. Opening the tasting room changed everything. Suddenly, we weren't just planting vineyards and making wine—we were welcoming guests.
Opening day in the warehouse.
Neither of us had any retail experience. We had never run a cash register, made change for customers, or thought much about receipts. Like so many things in those early years, we learned by doing.
Back then, we were known as Balsamroot Winery. Lake Chelan's wine industry was still in its infancy, and we were finding our footing right alongside it. The vineyards were young, the wineries were few, and most people had no idea that the region would someday become one of Washington's most exciting wine destinations.
Then came one of the boldest decisions we ever made: renaming the winery Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards.
Many people thought we were crazy.
The name was memorable, a little risqué, and certainly not subtle. But it captured exactly who we were. Farming these steep slopes is hard work. Building a winery from scratch is no easy row. The name also tipped its hat to one of Lake Chelan's more colorful stories, a rowboat taxi service that once ferried miners across the lake to a notorious lakeside destination.
What began as the risk of pioneering in a young wine region evolved into the confidence to embrace a name that reflected both our sense of humor and our belief that wine should never take itself too seriously.
Twenty years later, thousands of visitors have walked through our doors.
Our estate vineyards have matured. Cabernet Franc has become our flagship wine. Pinot Noir, Syrah, Malbec, Riesling, and many other varieties have proven that Lake Chelan's unique combination of elevation, climate, and soils can produce wines with distinctive character and sense of place.
Young vines just planted in Glacial Gravels vineyard
The winery has evolved as well. Amphorae and oak foudres now stand alongside stainless steel tanks and traditional barrels. We've experimented, learned, succeeded, failed, and learned some more. Through it all, we've remained family-owned, estate-driven, and committed to expressing the character of the Lake Chelan AVA in every bottle we produce.
Most importantly, we've had the privilege of sharing the journey with all of you.
Thank you for walking through our doors. Thank you for filling our tables, joining our wine club, bringing your friends, and believing in what Lake Chelan wine could become.
As we celebrate twenty years, we're also looking ahead. Our son, Julian Shaver, is stepping forward to take his place among the vines and help guide Hard Row to Hoe into its third decade. It is both a continuation of the story and the beginning of a new chapter.
This July 4th, while fireworks light up the skies above Chelan and Manson, we'll be celebrating our own kind of independence: twenty years of estate-grown wine, hard work, a little mischief, and doing things our way.
We hope you will join us for music, dancing & dinner, fireworks to follow at Manson Bay, tickets for dinner available on the website
Don and Judy Phelps
Recognize this place?