Matt Reilly (left) and Jay Krutulis, Prospice Wines

Prospice Wines in Walla Walla, Washington has decided to wind down its operations. The winery’s tasting room, located in the airport region, will remain open through the end of 2025, and the winery will continue to release club wines into 2026.

“We’re so proud of the wines we’ve made,” says co-owner/winemaker Jay Krutulis. “This is a family decision about lifestyle and balance.”

Krutulis and co-owner/winemaker Matt Reilly started production at Prospice in 2017. The two met as students at Walla Walla Community College’s enology and viticulture program. (Full disclosure, I have been an adjunct instructor at the college since 2020.) Krutulis was transitioning from a career as a lawyer and Reilly as an architect. They quickly found that their palates and perspectives aligned. Krutulis and Reilly opened the Prospice tasting room together 2019.

Both say that the decision to close the winery was a difficult one and that the winery, generally speaking, has been successful. “We’ve been profitable as a business for five years in a row, but it’s a little illusory because we haven’t been drawing a salary,” Krutulis says.

As with any small winery, the demands have been high. Staffing the tasting room has often meant working nearly every weekend, off-schedule with their families. Reilly, meanwhile, has also been raising young children.

“Raising two kids and missing out on all kinds of events and family things has been difficult,” he says.

Throughout Prospice’s existence, Krutulis and Reilly have been vigilant about not taking on excessive debt. Prospice waited until 2022 to hire its first employee. That has meant, however, that the two have been responsible for every aspect of running the business.

“This is some of the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life,” Krutulis says.

In the end, the decision to close Prospice came after extensive internal conversations and evaluation of options. Krutulis and Reilly ultimately concluded that continuing to run the winery no longer felt sustainable.

Prospice has been one of the brightest stars to come onto the Washington wine scene in the last decade. The wines have been high quality with a clear voice. Prospice has also been one of a number of new producers in Washington who have made high quality red and white wines from the get go. The latter, historically, has been uncommon in the state for young vintners.

In terms of new wines, Prospice released its 2024 Viognier and rosé on Spring Kickoff weekend. The remaining 2022 vintage reds will be offered at Spring Release next month. The winery did not make red wines in 2024. The intent is to sell through its 2022 vintage (and earlier) red wines, offer 2023 red wines exclusively to club members, and then wind down, closing in 2026.

While Prospice is coming to an end, Reilly intends to continue working in the wine industry in some fashion. “I’m not done with the industry by any means,” he says. “I’m still excited by the notion of continuing to build on what Jay and I have experienced together and see where that takes me, while offering a better balance for my family.”

Krutulis, meanwhile, is more circumspect about what the future holds, though he intends to remain in Walla Walla. “For me, it’ll be a time to step back, gather myself, and then decide what comes next.”

Image courtesy of Prospice Wines.

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