A Flip of Fate
by Angela Miller
After months of disagreement over whose hometown would be best to move to, Shae and Greg Frichette left it to fate and flipped a coin. Fourteen years later, they own a thriving winery, among the greats, on Red Mountain in Benton City.
New beginnings
While living in sunny southern California, Greg and Shae Frichette met and married while maintaining their successful careers in IT and Corporate Training. As the idea of children started to bloom, so did conversations of their own childhood– both recalling fond memories of being near their grandparents while growing up. They knew it was time to move home. The question was, however, whose home? After countless discussions and indecisions, Greg suggested a coin flip. Heads was Washington, tails was South Carolina. To Shae’s shock, it was heads when the coin went still.
While perusing the internet for new job perspectives, Shae had a realization that she could completely start over if she wanted to. She didn’t have to go into the same corporate training type position that she’d always had. Because they were starting out in a new place, why not start something completely new?! “Let’s do something that gives us goosebumps,” Shae recalls saying to her husband. Upon further research, coupled with Greg’s experience working with his grandfather growing up, something in agriculture seemed the most appropriate choice. The couple found that wine grapes were one of the most popular Washington grown crops, thus sparking the idea of a winery.
A Winery Is Born
Having old friendship connections with the local Katie and Marc Nelson of Gordon Estate, Greg and Shae received helpful recommendations in terms of growing their own grapes. Upon returning to Tri-Cities, another friend recommended that they check out Red Mountain, specifically Fidelitas. Shae recalls the wine being fantastic and the landscape breathtaking. “This is where we needed to be,” she shares. The Frichette’s hit the ground running in 2011 with the guidance and mentoring of Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas, graciously offering his equipment and advice to Greg while he completed WSU’s V & E Certificate Program.
Frichette opened their doors for the first time in 2013 with four wines: a merlot, a cabernet sauvignon, a red blend, and a white wine. The shop on their property was converted into their tasting room with a vision of informal yet professional, welcoming of all people. The vision of starting something new and giving their son, Jayden, an opportunity to grow up near his grandparents, was in full swing.
“Sashay, girl, Sashay!”
After a particularly tough winter, Shae, in need of a refresh, sought out a women’s retreat and stumbled upon an event in Miami called Celebration of Black Women and Wine (now called Women In Wine Celebration Dinner), put on by Urban Connoisseurs– a group whose goal is to create and grow a community of American winemakers of African descent. Without a moment's hesitation, Shae booked her ticket. Attending this event filled Shae with butterflies; she couldn't believe there were so many women who looked like her in the wine industry. Returning home refreshed and inspired, Shae wanted to empower women and create an approachable wine that represented herself. Chance Watt, a local artist, beautifully executed Shae’s vision of the label, while also creating two huge canvas pieces of the stunning women from the bottle, adding a touch of grace and elegance to the tasting room. The Sashay wine series made its debut with a 2018 rosé, followed by a 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, then later added Syrah exclusively to the Sashay brand. While the name Sashay might sound like a play on Shae’s own name, she actually chose it as a nod to her southern roots. She fondly remembers her mother and grandmother using this word to mean playful or fun. Perhaps best described by the Sashay Wines FaceBook page, “a wine that reflects the tastes and style of the women she grew up with, the ones who'd sashay into a room, head high, smelling of sweet perfume and were heard.” Shae’s own words adorn the back of the Sashay wine bottles, written from the heart and meant to inspire:
SASHAY - BY FRICHETTE
“You are strong.
You are courageous.
You are fierce.
You have the ability to create positive change in this world.
So lift your chin, push your shoulders back and sashay, girl, sashay.”
Dreams that Give You Goosebumps
In eleven years, Frichette Winery has gone from four wine offerings to about 14-17 each year, 650 cases to 3,500, and have more than quadrupled the seating in their tasting room. They offer a cheese plate for two that includes their legendary cheese ball, a secret recipe they refuse to reveal but guaranteed will leave you yearning to crack the code on its ingredients. Your experience at Frichette will be casual, friendly, and relaxing whether you’re sipping on their wines inside the cozy tasting room or out on the patio overlooking the plush green grass, rows of wine grapes, and ambiance of Red Mountain. “We are in awe of where we live,” Shae says, referencing the community and growth of Red Mountain. Greg and Shae Frichette have not only cultivated a fantastic dream of their own, but have graced the Tri-Cities area with a delicious and picturesque winery rooted in family values, love and empowerment.
To read the featured article in the Fall/Winter 2024 magazine, click here.