Meet the Winemakers: Sheridan Vineyard's Fall Full-Bodied Reds
Join fellow Harvard Alumni for a Members Only afternoon with Scott and Karen Greer, the founders of Sheridan Vineyard, at their Woodinville location. The husband-and-wife team will lead a guided tasting of Sheridan's acclaimed estate-grown red wines, paired with light appetizers, while sharing the story behind one of Washington's most respected wineries.
Founded in 1999 in the Yakima Valley, Sheridan Vineyard is known for producing small-lot wines that reflect the character of one of Washington's premier wine-growing regions. Steeped in the best traditions of Napa Valley, Scott's philosophy is simple: great wines begin with great vineyards. He learned directly from some of Napa's finest winemakers before bringing those lessons to Washington, where more than two decades of farming his estate vineyard have given him the perspective that only a grower can have.
Limited to 20 HCS Members and their Guests
Registration ends Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 23:59pm PT
Meet the Winemakers: Sheridan Vineyard's Fall Full-Bodied Reds
• Socializing, wine tasting, viniculture
• Harvard Club Members Only
Saturday, October 17, 2026
1:00pm - 3:00pm PT
Cost:
• $60.00 per person Members and their guests
• Limited to 20 HCS Members and their Guests
• Registration ends Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 23:59pm PT
• Are you a Harvard alumnus? Become a member here - individual membership is only $70 per year.
Woodinville, WA
• Exact location will be emailed 2 days before to registered Harvard Alumni and guests
Hosted by Patrik Johansson, MPH '01, HCS Board Member
We look forward to seeing you at our event!
Established in 1983, the Yakima Valley holds the distinction of being Washington State's first federally recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) - a fact that carries more weight than a mere historical footnote. The valley is home to roughly 40 percent of Washington's total planted vineyard acreage, making it the engine room of the state's wine industry.
The Yakima Valley AVA stretches approximately 70 miles from the lower Kittitas County foothills in the northwest down through Yakima County and into the eastern portion of Benton County in the southeast. The designated area encompasses roughly 665,000 acres, though planted vineyard land accounts for a fraction of that total -concentrated primarily on the south-facing slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills, the Yakima Ridge, and the valley floor near the Yakima River. The AVA sits almost entirely east of the Cascade Range, inside the broader Columbia Valley AVA, which means any wine labeled Yakima Valley also qualifies for the larger Columbia Valley designation.
The Yakima Valley's defining viticultural logic comes down to three interlocking factors: elevation, diurnal temperature swing, and the Yakima River as a water source in an otherwise semi-arid basin.
The valley floor sits at elevations ranging from roughly 700 to 1,500 feet above sea level. During the growing season, daytime temperatures regularly climb into the 90s Fahrenheit, while nights drop by 40 to 50 degrees - a swing that preserves natural acidity in grapes even as sugars accumulate under the intense summer sun. The region receives fewer than 8 inches of annual rainfall, placing virtually all viticulture under drip irrigation sourced from the Yakima River system, managed in part through the Bureau of Reclamation's Yakima Project infrastructure.
Soils are predominantly Missoula Flood deposits: layered loess, sandy loam, and cobble-rich river terraces that drain quickly and force vines to develop deep root systems. This stress, managed carefully, concentrates flavors without tipping into overripeness. The region produces compelling and structured Cabernet Sauvignons (the most planted grape in Washington State), Merlots, Syrahs, Cabernet Francs, and Bordeaux blends.
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Current Full-time Student Membership price $0.00.
Most Recent Graduate Membership price $0.00.
Recent Graduate Membership price $35.00.
Individual Membership price $70.00.
https://hcseattle.clubs.harvard.edu/memsub.html
We look forward to seeing you at future events!