Four questions with winemaker Doug Brazil

NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON

AWARDS

Double Gold 2019 Patio White – Best of Class (white blend)

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon – Best of Class

Gold 2017 Merlot

2015 Cabernet Franc – Best of Class

6 Silver Meals

Don Seabrook photo Errant Cellars wines earned two Double Gold and two Gold medals in the 2020 North Central Washington Wine Awards judging.

Errant Cellars’

Megan Couture sets the bar high

After years of wandering through life, Megan Couture found herself working for a winery in Quincy, and dreaming of owning a winery.

She has spent 10 years making that dream come true.

Her winery, Errant Cellars in Quincy, salutes those peripatetic early years.

“Errant means to wander without cause or reason,” Couture said “When I was trying to decide on a name for the winery, I came across that word and it seemed really fitting.”

It’s been a decade, and Couture does not see herself going anywhere. The winery recently added storage space and a commercial kitchen, both longtime goals of Couture’s.

Megan Couture runs a one-woman show at Errant Cellars. She’s seen here at her Quincy production facility/tasting room with husband Rob and Daisy, a chocolate lab.

At least five wineries sit near Errant, and Couture relishes the closeness, which goes beyond geography

“It’s helpful that all the wineries in the Quincy area work so well together,” she said, describing their relationship as highly team-oriented.

Couture’s winery is a one-womanshow. If it were a tough environment, she added, it would not be as fun to go to work. Instead, area wineries have formed a loose alliance and recommend one another. Couture herself got her start working at nearby Beaumont Cellars.

It’s still a struggle to get people to know about Errant, she says, so that camaraderie helps.

Conversely, flying solo has its pluses. When she first tried to make dessert wines, she just did it, no need to consult with anyone beforehand. Still, she visits tasting rooms near and far, in order to avoid getting tunnel vision. A winemaker friend recommended those trips, so she takes at least one summer weekend off a month and checks out wineries. “That was good advice,” she says. Errant has become known for its blends, including Patio White and Henry’s Red. Henry was Couture’s grandfather, who died in November. “He would come down every year when we bottled it and watch it be bottled,” she said. They bottled the latest Henry’s Red in late May, and one could feel Henry’s absence, she said. “It was kind of a tough one,” Couture said of that day. “He loved to tell people that his granddaughter was a winemaker and that there was a wine named after Provided photo him.” Patio White is one of Errant’s top sellers, but since it’s sweet, it’s one of Couture’s least favorites. “I still know how I want it to taste, and it’s not like I think it’s disgusting,” she said, laughing. Errant makes seven varietals and six other blends. But for Couture, winemaking is more than a job. “I put so much of myself into making this wine, and to be able to share that with people, it’s incredible,” she said. F