Pierce County winemaker clears 20 acres for new vineyard, farm and tasting room
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- David Williams and family bought 20 acres north of Vaughn in January to start a vineyard.
- They plan to plant 10 grape varietals plus native botanicals and cover crops.
- They plan to plant the first vineyard block in spring 2027.
It might look like an empty field, but David Williams and his family have big plans for the land they’ve purchased north of Vaughn.
He says it was the soil that got him.
Studying viticulture at UC Davis, Williams quickly learned that “everything starts with the soils,” he told The News Tribune in an interview May 6. The Gig Harbor-area resident and certified winemaker said he was drawn to the glacial till in the Key Peninsula area, formed as glaciers brought rocks and dirt from mountain ranges down to the Puget Sound.
“And I thought, that uniqueness of the soil combined with the marine climate, and the volcanic ash within the soil, is an opportunity to have kind of a distinct regional identity when it comes to winemaking,” he said.
In January, Williams and his family bought two parcels spanning 20 acres at the corner of East Victor Road and 144th Street Northwest to turn into a vineyard, winery and farm. They plan to grow not just grapevines, but also native botanicals, herbs and a cover crop consisting of rye grass, clover and other plants to add nutrients to the soil, he explained. Led by Williams, his wife and her parents, the family-owned farm will produce wine and non-alcoholic beverages such as tea.
The plan is to grow 10 grape varietals in their initial planting, he told The News Tribune. The list includes familiar types like Chardonnay and others that are lesser-known, like Zweigelt — a dark purple grape commonly grown in Austria with what Williams described as a “robust grape without that bitter aftertaste” with a “juicy fruit flavor.”
Eventually, they envision having a small tasting room where visitors can enjoy their locally-grown wines, as well as their non-alcoholic beverages and teas, and hosting some tours and events, Williams said.
The winery will be called Hooper Winery, after his wife’s surname (also a name of English origin that referred to people who fitted the hoops around barrels, such as for wine). Their non-alcoholic brand, Nuage, will nod to the French in Williams’ Cajun heritage: nuage is the French word for “cloud,” which “we have a lot of in the Pacific Northwest,” he said.
Williams emphasized that the family is committed to being a “good neighbor” and respecting the area’s rural environment.
“ ... we respect and value the community that we are going to be operating in, and that’s our focus,” he said.
Rather than stripping the land to plant a single crop species, Williams said he’s “clearing the land that has been choked off by invasives, planting a sustainable vineyard that (he plans) on being as eco-friendly as possible.”
The family plans to avoid using any chemical pesticides on their crops. Luckily, their property gets plenty of wind blowing across Henderson Bay and North Bay, which reduces the risk of fungal rot, according to Williams.
They plan to have their first vineyard block planted in spring 2027, and prepare other areas for planting in the following seasons, he said. The tasting room would follow. They hope to open it to the public in 2030.
In the meantime, they’ve been working on mapping out where to plant hedgerows, native plant species and other botanicals based on input from local experts. They are working with the Pierce Conservation District to establish pollinator hedgerows and zones where wildlife can safely pass through the property, he said.
Pierce County staff have had preliminary discussions with the family about their plans and how “a potential agricultural operation would align with current County zoning code for agricultural use and agritourism,” spokesperson Christina Rohila wrote in an email Friday.
Separate from any land use or development permits, the two parcels are classified as Farm and Agricultural land for property tax purposes through the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer’s Office, she wrote. The parcels were previously classified as Designated Forest Land. Williams and his family applied for the change in designation this spring.
“Based on the property’s zoning, crop production is generally an allowed use,” she wrote. “Current code also allows certain agritourism activities as accessory uses to commercial agriculture, provided agriculture remains the primary use of the property. That said, any construction or site improvements would require applicable permits.”
The permits that would be required depend on the specific details of the project and could include building, fire, health, forest practices, or other approvals, she wrote. The property owners don’t have development permit applications open at this time.
Williams said residents have approached him several times, asking him if the land will become a housing development. To support transparency and engage the community on their journey, the family has been documenting their work on the property via Instagram, Facebook and TikTok under the account name “Trouble On The Sound,” a nod to idea that “anything worth building is hard to do and it comes with a little bit of trouble,” he said. They’re also planning full-length episodes to be released on YouTube.
