We recently connected with Danielle Lafayette and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Freedom of Creativity

Creative freedom in the workplace is not just beneficial to companies in Winemaking, but for all workplaces. Creative freedom gives the mind a safe space to explore potentially successful ideas, and subsequently, products. Creative and artistic freedom allows a person to take risks and seek new, never before realized paths.
If a Winemaker has total artistic freedom, not held down by market preferences or current consumer demands, they’re given permission for unbridled thought processes and realization of innovative techniques and outcomes. Those outcomes are recognized by consumers, encouraged and honestly, welcomed with open arms.
My “aha” moment was when I visited Hiyu Wine Farm in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon side! It’s right outside of Hood River, and it’s totally beautiful out there. Lots of orchards and vineyards and rolling hills, and the Columbia Gorge itself is just stunning.

Hiyu ,“cultivates wildness” in the winery and nurtures the land from which the fruit comes. They craft the most interesting, wild, true, beautiful fermentations by utilizing the blending of hundreds of different varietals, grown in the abundantly unique landscapes of the Columbia Gorge, fermented and aged in ancient, uncommon ways.

I aspire to the intention, uniqueness, and elegance of their wines in my own practices. And I take great pride and humbleness having been able to know, and be so influenced, by their work.

I think the most creativity and ingenuity comes from unbound people who have the resources and freedom to explore their ideas. Success comes from a passion and ability to express creativity. It drives exploration and intrigue!
Wine has been made the same way for thousands of years, but the older techniques of fermentations of white wines on skins, less common and delicious blends of wines, reds with whites, co -fermentations, are less common in commercial winemaking. Not to mention the use of various containers like concrete, amphora and oak, which all lend to an amazing variety of creative options for the Winemaker.

Exploring those options with the best Oregon fruit is the most joyful part of my work. And offering the consumer something exciting and different has been very beneficial to my overall customer satisfaction and sales.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are a boutique label out of McMinnville, Oregon, in the heart of the Willamette Valley! Annual case production varies vintage to vintage, but we average around 400 cases a year. We love to work with aromatic white varietals, dabble in skin contact and method ancestral wines, and love making traditional method sparkling wines! We value creativity and quality above all else and focus on minimal intervention winemaking to create clean and expressive wines in beautiful sustainable packaging.

Danielle worked in fine dining in downtown Portland, Oregon for over a decade recommending, talking about, learning about and serving wine. She has a love for community and building relationships and subsequently pursued a Community Development Bachelor’s Degree from Portland State University. She also has a degree in Winemaking from Chemeketa Community College and has passed two rigorous certification tests for wine and wine knowledge, the Intro Level exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the WSET Level 2 exam. Her love for science and chemistry and the communal, social nature of wine has driven her to pursue a winemaking career where she can create for herself and build relationships in the craft food and beverage industry that is so alive in Oregon.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

We make all of the wines we sell! The manufacture of wine entails grape sourcing, fermentation, aging, bottling and labeling. These techniques were learned through a winemaking program at a local college. Then, we partnered with an existing winery that had an excellent reputation to produce the wines in their facility. It’s called Custom Crush. Essentially, a winemaking client like Lafayette and White Cellars pays a fee to rent out space and equipment at a larger facility. This helps us save money on initial capital needed to process the fruit, like forklifts, a pneumatic press, and large fermentation tanks. Not having to purchase those large pieces of equipment, and being able to rent the use of them, really made it possible for us to begin.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I applied for a business loan through Craft 3. They are an Oregon based lender who focuses on startups and small businesses!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lwcellars.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwcellars/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LafayetteWhiteCellars

Image Credits
Alexis Buechele