Decanting Scholarships

An EWU-licensed wine, Eagle Red, made its debut this spring.

In recent years, licensed collegiate wine has quietly become its own genre, sharing a tailgate table with branded barbecue sauce and the logoed golf towel. A long list of universities — Big Ten stalwarts, SEC powerhouses, the occasional Ivy — have pinots and cabernets labeled in school colors.

Beginning this spring, Eastern took its first step into this crowded cellar. It did so with a big advantage over its peers: Our grads actually make some of the world’s best wine.

At this year’s Alumni Awards Gala, the university debuted Eagle Red, the first-ever EWU-licensed wine. Made in partnership with McKinley Springs Winery, where winemaker Reid Klei ’05 works his vinification magic using some of Horse Heaven Hills’ finest fruit, the wine is a bold custom cuvée crafted with Eagle pride.

A portion of each bottle sold will go to EWU’s Alumni Legacy Scholarship, meaning, for the first time, that a student’s education may be subsidized in part by an Eagle alum having a special bottle at dinner. “I think it represents the Eastern alumni well,” Klei says. “Everyone is bringing their own strengths to the table, but together we’re stronger.”

The collaboration is the fruit of a two-year effort led by Kelsey Hatch-Brecek, Eastern’s director of alumni relations, who worked closely with Klei on the blend and its distinctive packaging. Bottles are dressed in matte black, with a sleek Eagle4Life logo alongside the EWU insignia — more boutique Walla Walla than Eagle Store.

Eagle Red’s first run is limited to 200 cases. The wine will also appear in the fall shipment for the Eagle Flights Wine Club, and will be available for a time in the McKinley Springs tasting room in Prosser, Washington.

“I’m super excited to roll out this bold new wine, and to raise our profile among the state’s community of wine connoisseurs.” Hatch-Brecek says.