Dame Kari Leitch
“Everyone in the wine industry has something they love,” says Dame Kari Leitch. “For me, it’s the agricultural side of the business.” This green connection is no doubt linked to her childhood growing up in Illinois where summer rituals included husking, slicing, peeling, plus pickle and jam-making celebrating the bounty from her grandmother’s garden. “There was a wonderful sense of community sitting on a stool in her kitchen, and I also credit her with my love of baking,” Kari says fondly, “along with all those PBS cooking shows I saw growing up.”
A move from Illinois to the Pacific Northwest for a job in the non-profit side of healthcare soon led Kari to new adventures. In 1996, she joined Ste. Michelle Wine Estates where she is Senior Vice President of Communications and Corporate Affairs. In this role, she manages corporate communications, community relations, and branded public relations programs for all wineries in the Ste. Michelle portfolio. She serves on the board of the Auction of Washington Wines and has also served on the board of the Washington State Wine Commission. In 2013, Kari was welcomed as a member of Les Dames Seattle.
Kari’s time at the winery marks an era of stunning growth for Washington wine. The state is now the second largest wine producer in the U.S. with more than 1,000 wineries and brands joining Chateau Ste. Michelle, which is recognized at Washington’s oldest winery and has an impressive list of award-winning varietals. The current pandemic is creating challenges for the wine-making industry.
“People are drinking differently,” Kari says, “and we’re doing our best to adapt to circumstances.”
She mentions an uptick in e-commerce ordering, outreach to wine club members, along with innovations such as Chateau Ste. Michelle’s curbside pick-ups, cabana rentals, and picnic fare. The winery’s Woodinville tasting room is also open for outdoor seated tastings; check the website for tasting times by appointment. Aware of consumer trends, the forward-thinking winery also recently introduced single-serving aluminum bottles in 2-pack cartons, designed to appeal to millennials. “‘Cork just doesn’t have the same cachet for this group as it does for Boomers,” Kari says.
As a gardener and an avid cook, growing tomatoes this summer on her condo balcony is proving a bonus to working at home. “The influences of my grandmother and mother in the kitchen will always be with me,” Kari says with a smile. “I’m not making fried chicken or doughnuts, but my childhood memories are still distinct.” We’ll raise a glass to enjoying delicious memories and creating new ones every day!
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