Jason Domanico, Winemaker
Growing up in an Italian family, wine was always around. Dinners, special occasions, it was part of the experience; in fact Champagne always put a smile on my moms face. After moving to Yakima in 1992 to work as an accountant, I met Jill and we experienced the Washington wine scene together. In 1994 at the Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting, Mr. Williams of Kiona, took us to the barrel room and walked us though a few wines. The one that sticks out in my mind was a Chardonnay. As we moved the wine around our mouth Mr. Williams said "do you taste pear"... I did! I was fascinated and have been hooked since. Over the years Jill and I have tasted many wines from all over the world, visited many wineries and it seemed like most of our vacations revolved around going to wine regions. Then in 2003 I met a guy at Costco, as I was picking up the last 2 bottles of 2000 Pavie. He asked about the wine and as we chatted (yea I gave him one of them) he mentioned he was a winemaker. The conversation turned from him asking me questions about the Bordeaux to me asking about winemaking. The next thing I knew I was helping out and then all of a sudden I had 1100 lbs of Cabernet. Since then we have made a number of wines and I have volunteered at many wineries doing everything from sorting grapes, to cleaning barrels, to working the bottling line. It is all hard work, but some of the most rewarding I have been involved with. Every fall brings a new excitement and as the grapes start to ripen, new challenges and of course new surprises.

Jill Domanico
Growing up in Eastern Washington, Jill has always been fond of Washington fruit and wines. However, it wasn't until living in Yakima that she was exposed to and truly began to appreciate the entire art and process of wine making. Ironically, she and Jason's second date was attending the '94 Yakima Barrel tasting. She recalls thinking some day she would love to be in the wine industry; but she never dreamed that day would come when she and Jason would begin their own winery. While Jill will always retain her position as the stem and sorting queen at the crusher she is also using her expertise in the production, distribution and marketing of Domanico Cellars (of course, when she's not trying to keep Anna out of climbing in the bins of grapes!).

Jill's favorite quote from an avid wine drinker - "there are 4 types of wines - red, white, yum or yuck ". She likes to pass this along to anyone who thinks they don't know how to "appreciate" good wine.

Bob Albert
There is a rumor that winemaking is in Bob's blood. It appears that his great grandfather was a vintner as this occupation was listed on his grandfather's birth certificate. It is also said that his family worked for the Rothschilds on their vineyards in the late 1800's in Palestine. But Bob's career in winemaking started in earnest with a simple conversation with Jason one night:
Jason: "Are you busy tomorrow?"
Bob: "Nope, not doing anything really."
Jason: "Want to help me crush 4 tons of grapes?"
Bob: "Sure!"
Thus a cellar rat was born.

Along with assisting Jason with all aspects of winemaking from crushing, pressing, racking, blending and bottling, Bob is also the web master for the web site and created our logo and labels.

Robin Haglund, Certified Professional Horticulturist
Robin, our resident horticulturist, brings the plant-enthusiast's perspective to our team. Robin grew up farming in the red clay of Virginia, ranching in the mountains of Northern California, and cultivating ornamental gardens all along the West Coast. Today, she designs "right plant: right place", award-winning gardens from Los Angeles to Seattle. Robin's various experiences working with diverse soil and plants has initiated her in the subtle art of characterizing earthy minerals, distinguishing delicate floral essences, recognizing individual fruits overtones, and evaluating the merits of each within a vintage.

We often hear the statement "great wines are grown, not made". However, what Robin has come to understand is from the moment the Vitis comes to life until the instant you take a sip, there exists a blending of art and science among a collaborative team of growers and wine makers, without which no great wine would be possible. To Robin a fine wine is the result of what the earth, the plant, and the people all bring in a vintage year -- each is equally important in cultivating the right wine to meet our high standards.

Anna Domanico, Cellar Rat in Training
Anna is relatively new to wine making, coming on to the scene a couple of years ago. We had hoped she would quickly fall for wine but from the look on her face when he got her first sip she is still a juice girl.

Anna loves to play in the winery while dad works... as long as she gets her own Petzl headlamp.

Dave "The Mayor" Haavik
Dave is the King of the volunteers! Always there when we need a helping hand. Dave gets more done before 8AM than anyone else in Seattle.