Buona Notte Wines

Buona Notte Wines is operated by winemaker Graham Markel out of Cascade Locks in the Columbia Gorge. The project began around 2016 when Graham's father Jeffrey Markel provided the initial capital to purchase fruit. Graham spent seven years training under Maggie Harrison at Antica Terra winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley and working with Master Sommelier Nate Ready at Hiyu Wine Farm in Hood River, where he developed his focus on low-intervention winemaking and Italian varietals grown in the Gorge. His mother, Peggy Markel, runs a culinary school in Tuscany, giving Graham a deep connection to Italian food and wine culture that shapes his varietal choices and food-pairing philosophy.

Buona Notte contracts approximately 20 acres of organically or naturally farmed vines from growers across the Columbia Gorge. The winery focuses on Italian varietals including Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, and Syrah, which Graham found to thrive in the volcanic soils and sunny climate of the Gorge in a way that mirrors conditions in parts of Italy. Winemaking and bottling operations are shared with Son of Man Cider and have been since 2018.

Wines are made with no additives beyond a small amount of sulfur and are unfined and unfiltered. Buona Notte uses sustainable packaging: labels printed on 50% post-consumer waste and 50% hemp paper, bottles sourced from recycled glass, and corks sealed with beeswax from local hives. The Chiassoso Pinot Grigio is a Ramato-style wine made with six to eight days of skin maceration on organically farmed Pinot Grigio from the Cliffs of Underwood at approximately 1,500 feet elevation.