Meet Rene Del Rosario, owner and winemaker of Del Rosario Family Vineyards in the Palisades. If you take a drive to this charming winery, enjoy the picturesque valley. At the end of the paved road, you will berewarded with a visit to Del Rosario Family Vineyards. The winery is open Wednesdays-Sundays 11-6 pm.Rene is as personable as he is passionate about his wines. He produces a Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Primitivo andAndrea Riesling, named after his mother. Rene lives on 80 acres, and has 8 acres of grapes planted. He has recently planted Barbera and Pinot Noir grapes to his vineyard, and this year will add Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Rene does almost all the work of the winery and vineyard himself, with occasional help from friends or family. He produces just under 500 cases per year, but Rene is not in any hurry to become a large winery. “I’m just having fun! I’m happy!”Rene, who is part Spanish and Filipino, moved to the Palisades in 2014, after a 25-year career as a bank manager and investment banker in California. He loves wine, and worked part time for several seasons for Viansa Winery in Sonoma. He has sisters in Wenatchee and Ephrata, and his mother lives in Portland, so he decided to move to the Northwest. Rene looked for land to put in a vineyard/winery. He found land in thePalisades, and tested the soil for the best terroir to plant grapes. He had it excavated for grape growing, but was intent to keep the land natural in the way the valley is formed. He opened his tasting room in 2018. The winery name, “Del Rosario”, comes from his Spanish ancestors and means “of the Rosary”. His brother designed his label, which is a drawing of Santa Rosario in a procession. His brother visits and helps every two weeks.Rene will be creating a nice outdoor space outside the production facility for wine tasting. When asked how the pandemic has affected sales, he said that his wine club memberships doubled. He is very upbeat about sales. He relies on word-of-mouth advertising. Many hikers and bikers in the Palisades are finding him. His only other outlet for his wine is the Wenatchee Valley Chamber Tasting Room. Rene is a man following his dream: “Whatever your dream, you can achieve it if you work hard.” Rene Del Rosario is a passionate man. For those of us who enjoy wine, we are thankful that his passion is winemaking.