The Farm & Family

It was Tom Hedges’ contact in the produce export market that “planted the seeds” for Hedges Cellars. Tom was asked to produce a Washington State table wine for sale in Sweden. A winery was born. The first two vintages (1987 and 1988) of Hedges Cellars Cabernet-Merlot were sold exclusively in Sweden. Today, four different wines including the 1997 vintage of Cabernet-Merlot are sold in 45 states and 15 foreign countries. Hedges Cellars is being hailed as one of the country's “Great Red Meritage Producers.”

Tom Hedges led a career in International Marketing focusing on food commodities. He was employed by Castle & Cooke foods from 1976-1982 heading up offices in Buenos Aires, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Vancouver, Canada. Next, he worked for Pandol Bros., a small dutch trading company in Seattle, importing Chilean produce and exporting fruit to the Far East and India. In 1984 Tom served as President and CEO of McCain Produce Co. in New Brunswick, Canada farming potatoes for export.

Tom met his French wife, Anne-Marie, in Guadalajara, Mexico at the Autonoma University of Guadalajara in 1975. Together they have raised two children.

From an early age Anne-Marie had a sense for adventure. Growing up with stories about the second world war, tales of the French resistance and visits from a British soldier saved by her grandfather from being captured by the enemy, it is no wonder that she wanted to see the world.

After high school, she attended college in England, Germany and Mexico. It was in Mexico that she met her future husband—Tom Hedges. They were married in 1976 in Champagne, France in a 12th century church. The international challenge had begun…

Accent in hand, she adapted to new food but still loved a good coq-au-vin. She tried her beer but her taste for good wine was too strong. Her grandfather, Marcel Dupont, Chevalier du Tastevin, had made sure of that.

Tom's work in international trade resulted in 11 moves for the family in 10 years—from the west coast of the United States to the east. From the west coast of Canada to the east, from warm Arizona where son Christophe was born to exotic Buenos Aires where daughter Sarah was born. Finally in 1986 Anne-Marie and Tom settled in Washington state to start Hedges Cellars.

Anne-Marie stayed behind closed doors doing bookkeeping and sales support while Tom looked for banks and customers. The transition from Finishing School in Paris in 1976 to performing an accounting role in the States was a bit of a stretch. Anne-Marie decided to go back to school and graduated with an AA degree in accounting.

Anne marie still handles some of the vineyard accounting and numerous other administrative tasks necessary for a small business owner. She is active in various non-profit organizations in the state of Washington. Anne-Marie is also a willing ambassador for Hedges Family Estate, the Red Mountain AVA and the Washington state wine industry. Her accent is still there, her french sense of style never left, her food preference is still old world but her taste for wine is distinctly American—Hedges Red Mountain. Naturellement!

Sarah was born in Buenos Aires and spent her early years traveling the globe with her family. In 1986 her parents settled in Seattle to start Hedges Cellars. A vineyard was planted in 1990 in Eastern Washington, Red Mountain area. In the summer Sarah along with her brother Christophe, worked in the vineyard and in later years at the new winery built on that same location. Sarah’s love for the industry would soon turn into a career choice. She attended the University of San Diego and graduated with a degree in business and philosophy. The summer after graduation she moved to Provence and work for Chateau D’Esclans winery. She later attended UC Santa Barbara to study chemistry and at the same time worked for Santa Barbara winery managing the tasting room and helping with harvest. From 2003 to 2005 she worked for Preston Vineyards in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, doing wine production work on the biodynamic and organic property.

In 2005, she decided to move back home and start working for the family winery. She joined the winery full-time in 2006 as Assistant Winemaker and two years later had completed her certificate degree in enology from Washington State University and started the label Goedhart Family with her husband. After her uncle and mentor retired in 2015, Sarah became head winemaker and director of winery operations.

She is involved with getting a hiking trail built on the Red Mountain AVA, working closely with Friends of Badger Mountain. Sarah believes that the Tri-cities is a special place and she wouldn’t want to live or raise her family anywhere else! She enjoys being a mom, hiking, nature, boating on the river, cooking, making jewelry, and gardening. She lives in Richland with her husband, Brent, their sons Lucas and Trevor, their dog Chia and a turtle named Cowboy.

Son to Tom and Anne-Marie Hedges. 2001 Graduate of the University of San Diego with a Business Degree and minor in Theatre Arts

Work history: 1999: Wine Steward, Costco Corporation, Morena Blvd, San Diego CA 2000-2001: Wine buyer, La Tavola Kitchen Summer 2001: Columbia River Circuit PRCA, Bull rider, Bareback Fall 2001: Lab technician, Hedges Family Estate 2001-2004: Hedges Family Estate, special projects, marketing, retail 2004-Present: Hedges Family Estate National Sales/Marketing Director, Farmer: Magdalena Vineyard

Family: Wife: Maggie Hedges Eldest Son: Julian Bergin Hedges Youngest Son: Olivier Liegeois Hedges Dog: Roman Maximillius Hedges

Parents: Tom and Anne-Marie Hedges Sister: Sarah Goedhart

Hobbies: Collecting and drinking wine, eating good food, working outside in the vineyard, masonry/sculpting with stone, traveling.

Organizations: The Guardians of Red Mountain, Red Mountain Vintners Association

Place of Residence: Benton City, WA Red Mountain AVA, Magdalena Vineyard

Citizenship: United States and France

Music: Light Classical, Opera, electronic lounge, European ragtime Jazz

Dislikes: Houses made of wood, high-scoring wines and the rating system, negative attitudes, wines of high price with no history, image margins

Likes: Strong family ties, The old world way of thinking, wines of geographic representation, authenticity, eating the view, fireplaces at night with traditional music, reading on airplanes