A Washington winemaker friend passes away

[Roy Hersh]

I just received an email from a good friend who was one of our "groupies" on the old AOL wine message boards circa the mid-1990s. He let me know that a friend of ours from the the boards, Dr. Michael Manz, passed away and he sent me an article, which I will include below.

Michael was a really passionate winemaker and a ton of fun. His winery is Mountain Dome and it was so named for the geodesic dome he and his brother built there. Having a long and relaxing dinner with Michael and the Manz family at their home in 2003, (beside their winery which sits on a bluff in a rural area outside of Spokane, WA), one had to be impressed with the deep knowledge of wine ... even in his younger children. But even more importantly, both Michael and his wife and brother were all involved in "other" significant careers in which they spent their lives dedicated to helping other people. A very impressive family.

Not only was Michael one of the most talented sparkling winemakers in WA State, but certainly one of the very best in the entire Pacific NW if not the USA. His Blanc de Noir is as good as any made in America, IMO. It is the only bubbly I would buy from WA State

It is hard to believe he is gone, at only a mere 58 years old. To end this on a bright and light note, when visiting the very laid back winery that he and his brother built by hand, there are small gnomes set out in front of the winery on the knoll which showed his great sense of humor and they found their way onto at least one of his labels as well. But one of the things Michael was really into was music. He had these huge and I mean enormous speakers mounted way up high in the winery on various walls and he would crank those suckers and play some fine music. He'd ask you what you wanted to listen to and had quite a collection! Michael was a throwback for sure and he will be missed.

http://www.avalonwine.com/Mountain-...aves-Legacy.php