Charles Sleicher, the last surviving member of the 10 original founders of Associated Vintners (AV), passed away January 23rd. He was 99 years old.
Sleicher was at AV when the winery purchased the land that would become Harrison Hill Vineyard in Yakima Valley in 1962. He drove cases of the winery’s inaugural releases to QFC in Seattle in 1969. Sleicher later worked alongside renowned AV winemaker David Lake. (Lake passed away in 2009.)
At the time Sleicher joined AV, he was a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Washington. He subsequently became chair of chemical engineering and then professor emeritus. Sleicher retired in 1991.
Associated Vintners was one of Washington’s founding wineries. The winery was subsequently renamed Columbia Winery.
Sleicher was an avid photographer, mostly focusing on wildlife. He retained a lifelong interest in wine, regularly participating in a tasting group that took place at his retirement community in Seattle.
Our condolences to Charles Sleicher’s family and friends. He left an indelible imprint on the Washington wine industry.
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This is particularly sad for me. While I never met professor Sleicher, I very closely followed AV for years because one of the other founders, and the original winemaker before David Lake arrived, was Lloyd Woodburne. Lloyd was a customer of mine in 1974 and I owe my involvement in WA state wine (and wine in general) to him. I worked at what was then the WA State Liquor Store on Sand Point in Seattle, not far from where Lloyd lived. Every time he came to our store, I bombarded him with questions about wine. He encouraged me to the point that we began making wine from eastern WA grapes. I frequently visited the AV winery at two of their original sites…much smaller and nothing like the old Haviland Winery site across from Ch. Ste. Michelle in Woodinville. I would take bread, cheese, and olives (Lloyd’s favorite) and we’d have lunch together which included barrel samples of the wines. So I have an emotional attachment to AV and it hurts to see the last founding member gone. I envision all of them now sitting around their heavenly tasting table, laughing and enjoying each other’s company again. My sympathies go out to the Sleicher family and friends. So happy that he lived such a long and rewarding life!