Chateau Ste. Michelle Names Wendy Stuckey of Australia as White Winemaker
USA Washington’s founding winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, recently named Wendy Stuckey as its new white winemaker. Stuckey will report to head winemaker Bob Bertheau and manage day to day operations at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s white wine cellar in Woodinville, Washington outside of Seattle. (Chateau Ste. Michelle also has a winery dedicated to red wines located in Eastern Washington.)
Considered one of Australia’s best white winemakers, Wendy Stuckey was with the Fosters Group based at the Wolf Blass Winery for the past 15 years. She was responsible for some of the company’s iconic white wines, most notably the highly regarded Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling.
Chateau Ste. Michelle head winemaker Bob Bertheau originally met Stuckey when she was an intern and he was the assistant winemaker at Chalk Hill Winery in Healdsburg, California in 1993. “We reciprocated the visit in 1995 and have stayed in touch over the years and I have always been a fan of her wines in Australia,” says Bertheau.
“When she attended our Riesling Rendezvous event last June, it led to an unexpected reunion and interesting discussions about Chateau Ste. Michelle and Washington winemaking. I couldn’t be happier to have Wendy’s experience, palate and ideas here at Chateau Ste. Michelle. You could say it’s a marriage of new world and newer world.”
Stuckey is known for her deft ability to make white wines reflective of their origins and true to their variety. Her accolades as a winemaker are prestigious and numerous, winning many gold medals and industry honors, including being a finalist for “winemaker of the year” by Australian Gourmet Traveler WINE magazine.
Wendy’s success as a winemaker is born out of her experience and exceptional technique. Before joining Wolf Blass in 1992, she had worked as a winemaker at Seppelt winery, also in the Barossa Valley. Wendy entered winemaking in her mid-20s and after traveling extensively, she decided to follow a long-standing dream to be a winemaker and progressed from the ground-up, working as a cellar hand and studying at the world renowned Roseworthy College.
