Washington Wines & Cherries—And the Bees that Sustain Them
Every spring, we watch cherry tree buds unfold into a canopy of white blossoms ready to be pollinated. While we admire the beauty, as former cherry farmers, our thoughts immediately turn to the honeybees and the arduous job that lays ahead of them.
(photo courtesy of NW Cherry Growers)
Cherry trees rely entirely upon honeybees to pollinate the flowers, and we depend on the pollination to produce the crop of juicy cherries that are at the heart of our business.
The temperatures need to be above 65 degrees for the bees to do their work. If it’s too cold or windy during the brief pollination window, the bees will stay in their hive—translating to a light crop.
To acknowledge the bees’ hard work during this short pollination window and what their contribution means to our business, we named our Columbia Valley Chardonnay in their honor: Beelieve Chardonnay. After all, bees also pollinate both the local orchards and local vineyards!
As wine lovers ourselves, our palates start craving crisp white wines at the first sign of spring. And the Beelieve Chardonnay does not disappoint. This classic Washington white wine entices with bright citrus and floral aromas and is accented on the palate by notes of apple pie spice and toast. Grown on sun-facing hills, the wine radiates with all of the intensity of the spring sun.
Our native artist Jim Hays, who has illustrated all of our labels throughout the years, also created the label for Beelieve Chardonnay. We hope you enjoy the flavor, the artwork, and the concept. Cheers!
