J. Bookwalter Winery is a Washington-State wine producer with strong roots, family history, and a reputation for both quality and region-pride.

The Bookwalter family has been farming in America for many generations, but it was Jerry Bookwalter who first shifted toward grapes. After studying at UC-Davis and farming in California’s Central Valley, he moved north to the Tri-Cities in Washington in the mid-1970s. There he got involved managing vineyards and planting some of the early iconic vineyards that would later define Eastern Washington wine.

In 1982 Jerry founded the winery that bears his name. Over time he developed strong connections to some of the best vineyard sources in Washington (Sagemoor, Bacchus, Dionysus, Conner Lee, etc.), which helped him secure fruit that could produce wines with both character and consistency. Eventually his son John came back from a career in sales and marketing to take over leadership, bringing vision for upgrading wine quality, refining branding, and pushing into higher-end varietals.

Bookwalter’s style leans into Washington terroir: bold red wines especially, but also well-crafted whites. The wines express regional warmth, ripe fruit, structure, and often deliver good value because of the strong vineyard sources. The winery also emphasizes visitor experience: their tasting room and restaurant (Fiction) are part of what they do.

As a brand, J. Bookwalter stands for heritage, evolution, and regional leadership. It occupies a space between tradition and modern winemaking, combining family legacy with innovation, and it’s become one of the more recognizable and respected names in Washington wine.