Waimea Canyon to be wine country? By PAUL C. CURTIS – TGI Staff Writer KALAHEO – When Amy E. Awtrey first plants grapevines along the rim of Waimea Canyon, it’ll be a homecoming of sorts. The Waimea native, who was
Waimea Canyon to be wine country?
By PAUL C. CURTIS – TGI Staff Writer
KALAHEO – When Amy E. Awtrey first plants grapevines along the rim of Waimea Canyon, it’ll be a homecoming of sorts.
The Waimea native, who was born Amy Munechika, will also plant her vision for the island and state as wine country.
And she has gathered around her, as usual, lots of capable people to assist in the vision-to-reality process.
“We’re going to fill this island with vineyards,” said Darrin DePeralta, who is actually growing Isabella grapes on land at Lawa’i that will eventually be grafted onto vines soon to be planted at Waimea.
DePeralta’s idea is to plant grapes on all the available agriculture-zoned lands on the island, so that there won’t be attempts made to change the zoning, he said.
Awtrey’s Wines of Kauai partnership is a family business, with her brother and former County Councilmember Joe Munechika, and with her cousin Kenneth Yasutake, who will serve as farm manager.
The family plans to grow grapes, for eating and eventually wine-making, and also construct a processing facility.
A blessing ceremony at the Lawa’i vineyard moved inside the Kalaheo Missionary Church hall due to Tuesday’s heavy rain. At the service, many of the 35 people in attendance hailed the vision of the late Ray Awtrey, a successful wine-maker in California’s Napa Valley, and the vision and perseverance of Amy Awtrey, his widow.
“I want Amy to see her dream fulfilled,” said Mayor Maryanne Kusaka, a self-proclaimed “wine-fancier” who looks forward to the day when Kaua’i wine is available.
“Amy has such resilience,” taking her husband’s strength and spirit and moving forward with their shared dream, Kusaka said.
State Sen. Jonathan Chun (D, east, south and west Kaua’i, Ni’ihau) got the most excited, looking forward to the day when Kaua’i leads the state and nation not only in production of taro and coffee, but grapes for eating and wine as well.
“We will very soon have our own orchards and vineyards. Go, Kaua’i, go,” Chun said.
Awtrey said she hopes her family partnership is launching what will grow to be a viable industry, a provider of jobs, and something to involve the entire community. Further, she sees vineyard potential expanding beyond Waimea and Kaua’i and going statewide.
If Gov. Ben Cayetano signs a bill authorizing the issuance of $3 million in special purpose revenue bonds, the family will move to build a processing facility on a potential vineyard site of over 400 acres in Waimea Canyon.
Kusaka said she hopes Cayetano will sign that bill and many others which will she called “critical” to the island.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources acreage the vineyard would be planted on ranges from 1,000 feet to 2,500 feet above sea level. Munechika said negotiations are underway to secure a lease.
The blessing would not have been scheduled had it not been for state Rep. Ezra Kanoho (D, Waipouli, Lihu’e, Puhi), said Awtrey. Kanoho, Awtrey said, pushed Munechika to lobby for the bill for the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds.
Entrepreneurs, said Kanoho, are the “key ingredient to American life,” and the special purpose revenue bonds are designed to encourage entrepreneurial ventures by being tax-exempt and offering low interest rates. The bonds do not cost taxpayers a penny.
Early on in Awtrey’s vineyard vision process, she approached Roy Oyama of the Kauai County Farm Bureau. Together, they went to see Kusaka. Oyama said diversifying the island economy and variety of crops is critical, and with former Kekaha Sugar Company lands available from the state, there is a “huge opportunity.”
If the two existing hydroelectric plants in Kekaha can be repaired, they could provide enough electricity to pump irrigation water to sugar fields and vineyards on the Kekaha mauka acreage, and also pump water away from the flood-prone Kekaha lowland areas, making the area’s irrigation systems self-sufficient, said Oyama.
Owen Moe, whom Awtrey called “the mayor of Kekaha,” is working with the state Agribusiness Development Corporation to help small farmers get on former Kekaha Sugar Company lands leased from the state.
Moe said he hopes the Westside farmers’ cooperative will be able to effectively manage the water and drainage systems so that farmers can use the land to grow papaya, sugar, grapes, seed corn, and other diversified crops. He said if the plan is successful it would help offset job losses experienced when Amfac Sugar Kauai closed Kekaha Sugar nearly two years ago.
The County Council understands the economy needs several legs to stand on, and that diversified agriculture is one of them, said Councilmember Bryan Baptiste. That leads to a diversified economy, which creates new jobs, he added.
The byproducts and value-added products associated with a grape industry hold great promise for the island, Baptiste said.
This fall, a home wine-making class will be held at Kaua’i Community College, which may also offer its farm acreage and classes in support of training farmers interested in participating in the new venture. Ray Awtrey used to teach a wine-tasting course at the college, and it was very popular, according to a college spokeswoman.
“All of Kauai Community College is rooting for Amy,” said Barbara “Bobbie” Bulatao-Franklin, director of the Office of Continuing Education and Training.
Apparently, that support goes up the University of Hawaii chain, as Dr. Terry Sekioka, administrator and horticulturist with the UH extension service office in Lihu’e, said he is interested in working with Awtrey and other farmers, possibly partnering in training programs.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
