Meet the Producer

My name is Cheryl Hansen. I am honored to share with you a chance to experience the wine from the scenic property that has been in my family for multiple generations.

I returned to Stella’s Homestead in 2017 to take care of my elderly mother. While here, I decided to clean up the property and repurpose the aging buildings—beautiful structures with family history dating back to when my parents bought the property in 1947.

Considering my love for antiques and finding new ways to reuse old things, renovating the farm became somewhat of a hobby project for me. Along the way, I’ve found many treasures rich with wonderful stories and nostalgic memories.

It’s my hope to honor my parents and the hard work they’ve invested in creating this space—and I find renewed happiness seeing how others use the property to find peace, connect with nature, and restore a sense of being.

About the Vineyard

A family legacy shines through in the reimagining at Stella's Homestead. In the rolling foothills northeast of Walla Walla, this multi-generational farmland has become an oasis of hospitality—honoring its agricultural heritage while offering a warm welcome for neighbors, old friends and newcomers.

That’s carried through to its boutique vineyard, Dona Stella, nestled into a slice of well-drained ground between the original farmhouse and the South Fork of the lively Coppei Creek.

Love from the land
The terrain of the intimate vineyard slopes gently to meet towering Ponderosa pines along the water’s edge before the ground vigorously rises toward wheatland and sky.

Rows of Riesling grapes are flanked by walking paths for a close-up peek into the start of every bottle. At the perfect moment, wine enthusiasts can help with picking the aromatic grapes destined for a future production. Centered in the cozy vineyard is a heritage pear tree, a marker of the fruit this land grew for previous generations.

Now the soil hosts another kind of harvest, one with historic roots in the state and region.

The single-varietal crop yields a crisp, citrus-forward delight of a Riesling, a nod to Washington’s winemakers’ mastery of the complex white wine. Dona Stella joins the state’s long relationship with Riesling, one of the most prolifically-grown grapes in the Pacific Northwest, thanks to higher elevations and cooler climates.

The same conditions are found in the valleys and summits of South Fork Coppei Road, home of Dona Stella. This part of the Blue Mountains, worked by generations of Hansens, is nutrient-rich with the deep store of silt loam deposited by the wind since time began.

Washington’s dry Rieslings are treasured for their notes of fruit, such as Asian pear and quince, and a sharply-clean finish, making these an ideal wine to partner with almost every menu.

A toast to yesterday and tomorrow
Establishing an estate vineyard has been vital to Cheryl’s heart and mission—in everything done at Stella’s Homestead, she walks a path back to her family’s farming story while forging forward to embrace a sustainable future.

Land that grows crops, including grapes, she says, is meant to serve not just the present, but the future of agriculture and the good of the region. At Dona Stella the soil reaps the blessing of more than seven decades of expert farm management, innovation and a reverence for the earth. Visitors can experience for themselves what this tucked-in slice of heaven offers in limited bottlings of this exclusive drink.

And every wine customer, on-site or online, will savor the delectable taste of passion pursued.