Saint Laurent Winery - Wenatchee-Wines & Vineyard

The first European-American settler in the Malaga area was John “Dutch” Galler. He was born around 1813 in Baden, Germany. In 1849, John moved to America, living in Philadelphia. After the death of his wife, John left his two children with his sister headed west. Moving through the western territories, he settled in Ellensburg in 1867, as one the first settlers. John soon traveled over the Colockum Pass (then an Indian trail) from Ellensburg, finally settling down permanently south of Wenatchee along the Columbia River. John became friends with many of the local Indians. During the winter of 1870, John fell into the frigid waters of the Columbia River, he was abandoned by his Indian friends because they could not cure him, however, Chief Phillip’s daughter Mary stayed with John nursing him back to health. Later that spring, they were married, the couple homesteaded on eighty acres. Their homestead, didn't have much of a water supply to farm through the long hot summers. John dug a large ditch from his home to the old Joe Miller farm, a few miles away, in order to direct the flow to his property. The Galler ditch is still in operation today serving growers in the area. John was the first settler to irrigate. 

Pictured is a view of our Malaga vineyards

One of John’s passions was wine. He planted a vineyard in 1873 on his homestead, to produce wine like he remembered from his homeland. The grape John selected was a variety that originated from Malaga, Spain. A neighbor recalled that John had 20 acres of grapes and that he made 15 to 20 barrels of “sour German wine” a year. The family and the vineyards flourished, John and Mary had eight children and the wine sold very well. It was said that John had reported making $2,000 a year from the sale of his wine. By 1890 the Galler Ranch which was popular with trading travelers brought the new wagon trail near the farm as it lead fm the Kittitas Valley to the Wenatchee Valley. During the 1890’s the Great Northern Railroad Company came through and built a local depot. It was the workingmen of the railroad crew who tacked up a sign with the words Malaga, designating the town after John’s Malaga wine. John moved from the homestead sometime after the turn of the century to the Colville Indian Reservation. He died in 1921,reportedly, at the vintage age of 108. A block of John Galler’s vineyard is still producing grapes and are enjoyed by a local Malaga family.

This pinkish red grape today is used typically as a blend with other varieties. Saint Laurent will continue John’s tradition of grape growing in Malaga with plantings throughout our landscaped grounds. So when you’re strolling through the gardens, step back in time and envision John’s mighty accomplishments of wine grape growing in the foothills of Malaga, Washington.