Dunham Cellars winemaker Eric Dunham dies at 44

WALLA WALLA – Highly celebrated local winemaker, philanthropist, artist and foodie Eric Dunham, 44, died Thursday. He was the owner of Walla Walla’s Dunham Cellars.

His body was discovered in a Cannon Beach, Oregon, motel room.

“The Walla Walla and Washington state wine industry and me, personally, have experienced a tremendous loss,” Sleight of Hand Cellars winemaker Trey Busch said Saturday.

Busch was one of many local residents who credited his success to Dunham’s encouragement and, in his case, drive to relocate to Walla Walla and become part of the wine industry.

“Eric was essentially responsible for changing my life,” he said.

On Friday, the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance issued a statement that described Dunham as a gifted winemaker who, when he started two decades ago, was the youngest winemaker in Washington.

Dunham was originally from the Walla Walla Valley. In 1993, he worked a short time at Hogue Cellars and then returned to the Valley to work at L’Ecole No. 41, Dunham Cellars office manager Barbara Mosher said.

While at L’Ecole, winemaker Martin Clubb encouraged and allowed Dunham to use his facilities to experiment with making his own premium wines.

The first batch saw a production of 200 cases of cabernet sauvignon. Today, Dunham Cellars annually produces about 25,000 cases of wine that range from $19 to $75 per bottle, Mosher said.

By 1995, Dunham and his parents, Mike and Joanne, had established Dunham Cellars. About four years later they opened a winery near the airport.

Over the years, Dunham won numerous accolades for his wine. Mosher said a year hasn’t gone by where a Dunham wine hasn’t won an award.