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Upsidedown Wine Roussanne
Grapes — 100% Roussanne
Region — Yakima Valley & Red Mountain, Washington State
Tasting Notes — Pale gold with a luminous depth. Macadamia nut, honeydew melon, ripe pear, and a whisper of baking spice on the nose — rich and inviting without being heavy. The palate is soft and seamlessly textured, with full malolactic fermentation lending a round, creamy mouthfeel and a long, glorious finish with a flinty mineral edge. A Washington white that can stand toe-to-toe with Roussanne from the Northern Rhône.
The Wine — Roussanne sourced from two exceptional sites: Konnowac Vineyard, perched at 1,300 feet in the northern Yakima Valley on ancient flood-deposited granite soils, and WeatherEye Vineyard on Red Mountain. The elevation and dramatic day-to-night temperature swings at Konnowac preserve natural acidity and develop the variety's signature aromatic complexity. Native yeast barrel fermentation, full malolactic fermentation, and ten months aging on lees in neutral oak. Unfiltered.
Farming — Herbicide-free, with every vineyard Upsidedown works with either certified organic or actively pursuing certification. Seth's philosophy is simple and unambiguous: as soon as you start adjusting pH, adding acid or sugar, you lose what the land was trying to give you.
Winemaking — Native yeast fermentation in neutral barrel, full malolactic fermentation for natural stabilization and texture, extended lees aging, unfiltered. Minimal sulfur addition only. No additions, no manipulation — a direct expression of fruit and site.
The Producer — Seth Kitzke is a farmer before he is a winemaker — literally. He grew up pruning vines on his family's Candy Mountain vineyard, spent summers in the dirt, and only came to winemaking after years of working the land. He trained at the Northwest Wine Academy in Seattle before apprenticing under some of Washington's most respected winemakers, then founded Upsidedown Wine with his wife Audrey in 2015. The name reflects a deliberate inversion of wine world conventions: no chemicals, no manipulation, no pretension. Twenty percent of net proceeds from every bottle goes to nonprofit partners. Their tasting room is in Cle Elum, about an hour and a half east of Seattle — worth the drive.
Drink It With — Pan-seared halibut, scallops with brown butter, roasted cauliflower, aged Gruyère, or anything that deserves a wine with as much depth as it has generosity.
Upsidedown Wine Roussanne
Grapes — 100% Roussanne
Region — Yakima Valley & Red Mountain, Washington State
Tasting Notes — Pale gold with a luminous depth. Macadamia nut, honeydew melon, ripe pear, and a whisper of baking spice on the nose — rich and inviting without being heavy. The palate is soft and seamlessly textured, with full malolactic fermentation lending a round, creamy mouthfeel and a long, glorious finish with a flinty mineral edge. A Washington white that can stand toe-to-toe with Roussanne from the Northern Rhône.
The Wine — Roussanne sourced from two exceptional sites: Konnowac Vineyard, perched at 1,300 feet in the northern Yakima Valley on ancient flood-deposited granite soils, and WeatherEye Vineyard on Red Mountain. The elevation and dramatic day-to-night temperature swings at Konnowac preserve natural acidity and develop the variety's signature aromatic complexity. Native yeast barrel fermentation, full malolactic fermentation, and ten months aging on lees in neutral oak. Unfiltered.
Farming — Herbicide-free, with every vineyard Upsidedown works with either certified organic or actively pursuing certification. Seth's philosophy is simple and unambiguous: as soon as you start adjusting pH, adding acid or sugar, you lose what the land was trying to give you.
Winemaking — Native yeast fermentation in neutral barrel, full malolactic fermentation for natural stabilization and texture, extended lees aging, unfiltered. Minimal sulfur addition only. No additions, no manipulation — a direct expression of fruit and site.
The Producer — Seth Kitzke is a farmer before he is a winemaker — literally. He grew up pruning vines on his family's Candy Mountain vineyard, spent summers in the dirt, and only came to winemaking after years of working the land. He trained at the Northwest Wine Academy in Seattle before apprenticing under some of Washington's most respected winemakers, then founded Upsidedown Wine with his wife Audrey in 2015. The name reflects a deliberate inversion of wine world conventions: no chemicals, no manipulation, no pretension. Twenty percent of net proceeds from every bottle goes to nonprofit partners. Their tasting room is in Cle Elum, about an hour and a half east of Seattle — worth the drive.
Drink It With — Pan-seared halibut, scallops with brown butter, roasted cauliflower, aged Gruyère, or anything that deserves a wine with as much depth as it has generosity.