BENTON CITY, Wash. — JJ Williams and his brother, Tyler, are the third generation operating the family’s wine business on Red Mountain, near Benton City, Wash.

“Our grandparents, John and Ann Williams, planted the first vineyards with their friends, Jim and Pat Holmes, in 1975,” said JJ Williams. “They saw potential where everyone else saw just an expanse of desert on the edge of town.”

The Washington wine industry was in its infancy. There were not many wineries yet, and they were not making any red wine.

“My grandpa and Jim worked as scientists in North Richland. Between the two households there were seven kids at home, high school-age and younger,” JJ said. “Planting a vineyard in the middle of nowhere wasn’t considered very smart!

“When my grandpa decided Red Mountain might be a great place to grow grapes, people thought he was nuts — but now people call Red Mountain the premier grape-growing region in the New World,” JJ Williams said.

Most vineyards in Washington were originally farmland — crops or orchards. On the desert, there was no power, no water and no access.

“Our grandparents had to lay the groundwork before they could plant vines. There was a lot of effort and expenditure before that could happen,” he said.

They planted equal parts Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and at that point nobody was buying Cabernet,” JJ Williams said.

Now, 50 years later, Red Mountain is well-known around the world as one of the best places to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, he said.

“In 1976 we planted a little Chenin blanc, Merlot and Lemberger,” JJ said.

Fast forward to today. The family farms 272 acres on Red Mountain spread across five estate vineyards.

“We grow wine grapes for our own winery plus more than 60 other wineries,” he said. “Our fruit is shipped all over the Pacific Northwest.”

His parents moved to Red Mountain in the early 1980s to join the business.

“My folks helped turn an idea into a viable business. They still live here on Red Mountain and have spent several decades growing high-end grapes and building the reputation of our wines,” JJ Williams said. “My brother and I grew up here. He has been the winemaker since 2019. We make a good team and we also like each other, which helps.”

Their business is a unique structure for the Pacific Northwest.

“We are a vineyard operation that also runs a well-respected nationally distributed independent winery,” he said. “Most wineries are not farming. They pay for those services or contract farms to grow their grapes. We are the opposite, doing the farming, with the institutional knowledge to provide high-end fruits to high-end discerning customers.

“We’ve done that without investors or debts and are not owned by a hedge fund, so we are independent,” he said.

Working with the product from start to finish, from planting to the consumer, is an advantage, he said.

“The wine industry faces many challenges, and it’s nice to be in charge of our own supply chain. I run the business, my brother makes the wine and it is distributed in 40 states and several countries. We are a big, little winery — small enough to be independently owned and operated.”

They can be flexible and realistic with working schedules, which is not as easy with a big company.

“Everyone here is part of the team,” JJ Williams said.

“My dad says this region and Kiona have been an overnight 50-year success,” JJ Williams said. “In the world of wines, people tend to think of California first. Not to diminish what goes on in California — since they create delicious wines —but I’d like to see a little change among the distributors and the wine tasters so they’d be willing to try wines from our side.

“When they do, they will realize that ours is really good, too!” JJ Williams said.