Tsillan Cellars earns top honors at nation’s largest wine competition

CHELAN — Tsillan Cellars once again earned top honors at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, with results announced in January.

The competition, the largest judging of wines in North America, recognized Tsillan Cellars as the most awarded Washington winery this year. All nine Double Gold and Gold medals awarded to the Chelan winery were for varietal wines sourced from grapes grown in its estate vineyards on the south shore of Lake Chelan.

The sweep highlights not only the winery’s production but also the distinct growing conditions of the Lake Chelan region.

Behind the award-winning wines are Head Winemaker Garrett Grubbs and Vineyard Manager and Assistant Winemaker Nic Stevens, both Chelan County natives. Born in Wenatchee and graduates of Eastmont High School, the two remained close friends even as their careers diverged for two decades before reuniting at Tsillan Cellars in 2020.

Grubbs said his agricultural roots run deep.

“I grew up in the tree fruit business,” Grubbs said. “My family still farms orchards in the Entiat Valley. The lure of wine pulled me from tree fruit to a journey of adventure learning the art and science of winemaking. With a degree in Business Management and Enology from WSU I became a wine nomad, spending a decade being mentored by some of Washington’s best winemakers.”

“When Nic called to inform me the head winemaker position at Tsillan Cellars was open in 2020 it was like a call from heaven,” he said. 

“Thirty years ago, my father farmed Red Delicious apples on the property that is now the Tsillan Cellars estate,” he said. “What a gift. I could now work with my long-time friend and make wine from an iconic property I once roamed as a kid while having support from owner, Dr. Bob, to once again raise the bar even higher for Lake Chelan wine.”

Stevens said his path to wine also began in agriculture.

“I was raised in Entiat and East Wenatchee,” Stevens said. “After detours in the workforce, the wine passion grabbed both my wife and I. About 2017 we started taking date-days out to visit local wineries and I fell in love with everything wine. My grandparents had a small orchard in the Entiat Valley and farming is in my blood.”

“In 2019 I was accepted into the Viticulture and Enology program at WSU,” he said. “I took a harvest internship at Tsillan Cellars and was promoted to Vineyard Manager and Assistant Winemaker the following year. 

“I thank Dr. Bob for trusting my new vineyard management ideas and giving me the resources to apply them in the estate vineyards,” Stevens said. “It is an honor working with my friend Garrett, our dedicated vineyard crew, and Dr. Bob to provide the grapes that continue to win national accolades.”

Tsillan Cellars officials said the continued success in major national and international wine competitions reflects a focus on world-class vineyards, vineyard management and winemaking rooted in Lake Chelan’s estate-grown fruit.