Manson Chamber of Commerce rang in the New Year on a positive note by welcoming our first, new member of 2022. Vibe Cellars, located at 150 Wapato Way, overlooking Manson Bay, joined the Chamber January 1, 2022.
Debbie Conwell, Executive Director Manson Chamber of Commerce congratulates Vibe Cellars, "We are very excited to welcome Vibe Cellars to the Manson Business Community. The Cooper family's rich winery heritage, influenced by our local wine technicians, and set in the Manson Valley landscape is sure to be a winning combination. They will definitely bring their own unique Vibe to our community. We look forward to a partnership with opportunities to market and grow their business".
Vibe Cellars is owned by two generations of Coopers, identical twins Erik and Michael and their dad, George. George handles all accounting, financial decisions, vineyard contracts, helps with wine making decisions, label compliance, and much more, he lives in Des Moines, Washington.
Eric is the Winemaker, manages wholesale accounts locally, and runs the tasting room.
Erik grew up in Issaquah, Washington, went to college at Arizona State University and lived in Arizona for eight years. Erik moved back to Washington in 2008 and lived in Kirkland, before moving to Chelan in 2016.
Michael handles wholesale accounts on the westside of the mountains and helps in the tasting room when in town. He resides in Kirkland, Washington.
Vibe Cellar’s tasting room opened on September 10, 2021 and although new to our community, the family has a long history of winemaking dating back to Suza, in the Piedmont Region of Northern Italy, near the Italian/French border.
Give me three reasons you like living in the Lake Chelan Valley, I asked Erik. “The people in the Valley! The beauty of the region and surrounding areas, the future of the wine industry in the Valley and community support”.
When asked how the name, Vibe Cellars was chosen Erik said, “All of the Coopers love music! We also love wine! About five years ago we were thinking of names we would like for our wine label. Vibe resonated with my brother, Michael and me. Vibe connotes being down to earth about wine, enjoying time with friends, family and how wine and music are the medias that help us enjoy the things we love”.
After Erik move to the Valley in 2016, he began exploring the possibilities of opening a tasting room. “I knew we didn’t have the capitol to buy a chunk of land, plant a vineyard and build a tasting/production facility. I knew that we would have to start small with a tasting room, rather than an estate. I visited our current location in downtown Manson several times over the last six years and loved the space and most importantly the patio, that has a view of Manson Bay Park and the amazing firework shows on special days. I developed a relationship with the landlord and when the space became available, we jumped at the opportunity,” Erik said.
Vibe Cellars wines are made using Succession Wines production facility in Manson. Like many other local businesses, camaraderie, helpfulness and friendships have aided many new businesses get off on the right foot. Brock Lindsay, owner Succession Wines and Erik met through the Viticulture program at Washington State University in 2016. When time was right, Erik reached out to Brock and the rest is history. Production at Succession began in 2018 with 170 cases, 264 in 2020 and 364 cases produced in 2021.
“Since we do not own a vineyard, we source all varietals from around Washington State. Grapes for our Sangiovese comes from Chandlers Reach Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon from Candy Mountain Vineyard, our amazing Syrah from Stillwater Creek Vineyard, the Merlot grapes are grown at Candy Mountain Vineyard and our Malbec grapes are from Chuckar Vineyard.
Currently, Vibe Cellars produces six red wines, recently procured a sparkling rosé and currently working on one or two white wines for next spring. Be sure to ask about Vibe Cellars wine club as they have two releases a year, spring and fall.
Vibe Cellars offers cheese, crackers, almonds, salami, and fig jams to pair with your favorite wine. “We love to support the local restaurants in town, so we encourage people to bring food into our tasting room, Future plans include entertainment for the summer along with food and ice cream trucks,” Erik went on.
If you are coming to Winterfest in Manson, be sure to add Vibe Cellars to your wine tasting tour. Stop in and say hello to Erik and Michael, if you can tell them apart!
Winter hours in January – Friday and Saturday 1-6pm and Sunday 1-5pm for Winterfest. The Manson Winterfest weekend we open later with fun activities planned. February - February 11-14th 1-6pm and 1-5pm and February 18-20th 1-6pm and 1-5pm. Then close until May. Be sure to visit their website for more information at www.vibecellars.com
By Norm Manly
Community Volunteer
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