Sunday, Jun. 15, 2008

Washington winery delivers with green pedal power

By Andy Perdue, Wine Press Northwest

The rising price of gasoline is not having much of an effect on Martin-Scott Winery.

Chris Scott, youngest son of owners Mike and Judi Scott, oversees sales and marketing for the East Wenatchee, Wash., winery. And now he has a new title: wine peddler.

Earlier this year, Scott approached his parents about delivering wines around the Wenatchee Valley on a bicycle.

"Since we are such a small winery and all of our customers are in the Wenatchee Valley, I thought it would be a good idea to skip out on this sky-rising gas prices and do it the old-fashioned way," Scott said.

He turned to Free Ranch Cycles in Seattle, which set him up with a custom-built "Big Dummy" bicycle from Surly Bikes in Bloomington, Minn. The bike can haul up to 200 pounds, and Scott can carry five 35-pound cases of wine per trip.

He had a jersey printed with his new title, "The Wine Peddler," on the back and now delivers wine anywhere within "a reasonable distance" from the winery.

"How far really depends on the day's orders," he said. "Typically, it's a 40- to 50-mile round trip. If I have to deliver more than five cases of wine, it can be a full day."

With the Wenatchee Valley's typically beautiful weather from spring through autumn, Scott doesn't mind the ride one bit. And it can even be a bit of a thrill ride for him.

"The bike really wants to boogie on the downhill parts of the trip," he said with a grin.

For more information on Martin-Scott Winery, call 509-886-4596 or go to martinscottwinery.com.