Meet the Family Behind Whatcom’s Most Exciting New Winery Van Vino Winery

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY COCOA LANEY

PERCHED ON A steep, four-acre hillside just south of Canada is a vineyard that’s both familyowned and community-minded. The Delooff and Van Wingerden families transformed what was once a dairy farm into a full-fledged winery, even renovating an old milking parlor into a tasting room but although the property itself is picturesque, the quality of the wines is what makes Van Vino Winery truly memorable.

Van Vino started as a hobby for Dave Van Wingerden, who established the vineyard between the upper and lower greenhouses of Pacific Growers (which he also owns). While the first batch of wine was “mediocre at best,” the product started to improve once his daughter and son-in-law, Barb Delooff and Winemaker Zach Delooff, came on board.

“Learning to make wine has been a challenge. With no schooling or experience, I learned the basics from a family friend who made wine in his garage for his friends and family,” Zach says. “I have learned a lot through trial and error. We have had some wines that didn’t turn out and then others that have turned out astonishingly well.”

Despite the lack of experience, it became clear that Zach’s combination of drive and raw talent was a recipe for success and what began as a hobby quickly blossomed into a fullfledged business.

Van Wingerden initially asked Cloud Mountain Farm Center to recommend grapes that would thrive in Blaine’s unique climate, and so many of Van Vino’s wines are made with estategrown fruit. Other popular grapes (such as merlot and grenache) don’t grow well west of the Cascades, so Delooff sources them from Red Mountain.

“Our climate is quite like that of France, Germany, and Austria, so we grow varietals that originated and do well in those countries,” says Zach. “Our most popular varieties that we grow are pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and Madeleine Angevine from France, Zweigelt and Gruner Veltliner from Austria, and Siegerrebe from Germany.”

Zach hopes to increase this focus on estate-grown wine, noting that quality fruit usually translates to superior wine. Right now he’s most proud of Van Vino’s pinot noir, which also happens to be one of the winery’s most popular bottles. Pinot noir is a difficult grape to grow and requires more time to ripen when compared to other grapes at the vineyard; however, if this year’s crop is balanced, Zach says the grape has “serious potential.”

Other standout bottles include the estate-grown Madeleine Angevine, which is citrusy, lightly floral, and perfect for a summer picnic. In terms of whites, I was also a big fan of the bright, crisp Gruner Veltliner as well as the chardonnay, which was lightly oaky without being heavy. As far as reds go, both the Red Mountain-grown malbec and merlot were fruity, balanced, and surprisingly complex.

Van Vino’s tasting room is currently only open by appointment, but Zach hopes to change this in the near future. In the meantime, however, their wines are available online and at the Green Barn, Appel Farms, and Herb Niemann’s Steakhouse in Everson.

“Our main goal for 2023 is to get name recognition and wines into stores and restaurants,” Zach says. “Equally as important to that is continuing to learn and grow in the art of winemaking and make better wines each year. … You are never done learning when it comes to winemaking and growing grapes.” Blaine, vanvinovineyard.com 