It’s an oft-repeated adage that great wine is made in the vineyard. If it’s true, then Marshall Edwards was certainly the best wine maker in Washington last year.

Named 2016 Grower of the Year award by the Washington Winegrowers (formerly the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers), Edwards is the vineyard operations manager for Shaw Vineyards and Northwest Vineyard Management. He oversees Quintessence and Shaw vineyards on Red Mountain, among regarded in the top tier of Washington vineyards. His team also manages Obelisco, a 30-acre vineyard that produces grapes for Doug Long’s Obelisco Estate.

The list of highly acclaimed wines that reflect Edwards’ talent and expertise reads akin to an honor roll of Washington’s best — Col Solare, DeLille, Duckhorn, Fidelitas, Gorman, Guardian, Januik, JM Cellars, Obelisco and Mark Ryan. But big or small, superstar or rising star, each winery receives the attention and devotion to quality that are Edwards’ hallmarks.>>>Read entire article on Great Northwest Wine

[photo by Duval Images]