Finding this magical, I climbed onto a chair to stare at
the pot and promptly slipped, burning my elbow on the hot
electric element. In that moment, I was literally branded
a foodie.
By sixteen, I was working the line at a 300-cover Mexican
restaurant, sweating through burns, cuts, and exhaustion - but
grinning like a fool. Over six years and several kitchens, I
learned that fire, pressure, and chaos can make you stronger - and
maybe a little addicted to the rush.
Food led me to Sookmee Hahn (Sumi) - brilliant, fearless, and
a New Orleans restaurant critic for the Times-Picayune. A soulmate.
A soulmate whose passion for cuisine rivaled my own.
Together, we tasted, explored, and dreamed.
Then, a friend asked if I'd help him make wine. I said yes. That
yes became a lifelong obsession. My first solo batch in 1999 hooked
me: how could a simple grape transform into bottled poetry? A 1997
Beringer Cabernet in Napa showed me it could. Thousands of experiments
later, I learned to listen to the grapes, guiding them rather than forcing
them. The best wines, I discovered, were those that captured the
essence of the fruit.
In 2004, the Almquist Family winery was born - Washington State winery
license #306. Small craft became bigger craft: by 2008, I had converted
a 15,620-square-foot warehouse into a modern urban winery with a 15-ton
crusher, 4-ton press, and a 60 BPM bottling line. My first professional
release won Best Grenache at the San Francisco International Wine
Competition - just the start of over 300 medals to come.
When laws changed in 2009, I became the 9th licensed craft distillery in
Washington State. More experiments, more tasting, more discovery. Over
time, those spirits earned 22 medals.
An on-site tasting room led to restaurants. In 2010, Sumi and I
opened to rave reviews, The Book Bindery, followed by two more ventures.
By 2015, we began hosting events at our winery and distillery, extending
our hospitality to a larger community. Life felt like a sequence of
serendipitous steps: the pot that boiled, a friend's question, a
supportive partner, endless curiosity.
As our lives settled into the natural rhythm of the seasons, my wife's
writing (The Mermaid from Jeju)
took her to Jeju Island, South Korea. Inspired by her visits and her
father's childhood memories of the island, we saw an opportunity to
build a distillery there.
Sumi, along with her guide Tony Kim, explored numerous properties before
discovering the ideal location in Seogwipo, following a memorable trip to
Hallasan Mountain. In 2016, we broke ground on our second winery, distillery,
and event venue. Over time, training, and tastings, Tony absorbed my 20+
years of experience and developed from apprentice to master, from friend
to honorary family member, contributing significantly to the development
of our flagship product, TOMORA.
By 2017, I wanted to push further: wander the vineyard, experiment at the
source. That took me to Central Otago, New Zealand, where we planted roots in
organic soils, starting again with every vintage as a new adventure - and our
third (and final?) winery, distillery, event venue.
I still sometimes think about that pot at five, boiling slowly, as if
time itself were teasing me: watch it, learn from it, burn your elbow,
and keep wandering.