Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkling winemaker Rick Casqueiro s first exposure to wine was from his grandfather, who had emigrated from Lisbon, Portugal to the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1900 s. Rick recalls listening to the many stories of how his grandparents came to America and adapted to their new culture, but never forgot their Portuguese heritage of making wine. In Portugal, the art of winemaking was passed on from one generation of Casqueiros to the next. Every fall Rick s grandfather would travel to nearby Santa Clara or Livermore Valleys to purchase grapes, and then have a big crush party. The interaction of people, food, and wine left a lasting impression on Rick. Rick earned his bachelor s degree in chemistry at California State University in 1973. After graduation, he joined Villa Armando Winery in Pleasanton, California. During his tenure as the winery s analytical chemist of enology, Rick began studying winemaking at the University of California, Davis. Fascinated by sparkling wine, in 1978 he joined Weibel Champagne Vineyards, and two years later was named winemaker and charged with production of sparkling, table and dessert wines. At Weibel, Rick studied under the masters Oscar Hableutzel and Julius Fessler, who taught him the patience and creativity necessary for blending and studying the nuances of the initial sparkling wine blend. Rick honed his craft at Weibel and later at Coventry Vale Winery in Grandview, Washington before joining Domaine Ste. Michelle in 1996. Rick s wines exhibit delicate varietal aromas and flavors that are nicely balanced by natural fruit acidity and complexity from aging. He learned early on that patience to age, blend and reblend, was the vehicle to producing award-winning wines. Combining Northwest grapes that exhibit superior flavor profiles and natural acids with his winemaking philosophy, Rick created new assemblages for Domaine Ste. Michelle s Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, and Extra Dry Cuveés. Rick constantly strives to produce outstanding wines exhibiting consistency from vintage to vintage in hopes of bringing great joy to his consumers.