Iconic Winemaker Charles Smith Announces REAL WINE COLLECTIVE – A New Collaboration with Evergreen Family Wines

June 30, 2026 - SEATTLE, WA – Visionary winemaker Charles Smith today announced REAL WINE COLLECTIVE, a collaboration with Evergreen Family Wines and its leaders, Jerry Milbrandt and Brandon Rice. REAL WINE COLLECTIVE emerges as the powerhouse umbrella for House of Smith’s iconic brands: REAL Wine, Blossom Fury, and SEX Rosé—vertically integrating these House of Smith brands with Evergreen Family Wines’ dynamic infrastructure. Combining Smith’s iconic marketing, sales, and winemaking with the vineyards and wineries of Milbrandt and Rice, REAL WINE COLLECTIVE will focus on the production, sales, distribution, and growth of these House of Smith brands, as well as the sales and distribution of K Vintners in the United States. Smith will continue to lead as the creative force and winemaker for all House of Smith brands as they expand in the U.S. and internationally.

REAL WINE COLLECTIVE formalizes a 20+ year personal working relationship between Smith and Milbrandt that is built on a shared obsession with purity and quality from the vineyard to the glass.

“REAL WINE COLLECTIVE sets Ancient Lakes up to be the most important commercial-volume region of white and pink wines in the U.S.,” said Smith. “I have always made wines that meet the moment and this partnership does just that. It doubles down on quality and purity while leveraging Jerry and Brandon’s expertise in vineyards and production to deliver these incredible wines to even more people. This frees me up to do what I do best: innovation, traditional winemaking, and communicating the language of wine.”

“I am dedicated to the Ancient Lakes region and believe it produces the greatest aromatic white wines in the U.S.,” said Milbrandt, the champion of the Ancient Lakes wine region. “By officially partnering with Charles after all of these years, we are amplifying that belief on a national and international stage.”

“Consumers are demanding purity, transparency, and wines with a real point of view,” said Brandon Rice, CEO of Evergreen Family Wines. “We’re here to give them that and more. With Charles’ creativity and Evergreen’s commitment to consumer needs, we will build excitement, accelerate growth, and bring these amazing wines to more people around the world.”

About the Wines

REAL WINE COLLECTIVE will ensure every bottle of REAL Wine Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Blossom Fury Riesling, and SEX Rosé adheres to the highest standards of production, with a continued commitment to full transparency, sustainably farmed grapes, and 100% native fermentation.

• Blossom Fury Riesling: The dry, fresh, and electric sequel to the iconic KungFu Girl, sourced from Milbrandt's Evergreen Vineyard in Ancient Lakes.

• REAL Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay made with just grapes and minimal sulfites, with ingredients clearly listed on the label for transparency.

• SEX Rosé: A wine so good Charles didn't want people to miss it, so he named it SEX. A spectacular, silky 100% Pinot Noir Rosé.

Follow along @realwinecollective on Instagram and Facebook.

International Growth

In 2025, Charles Smith launched a partnership with the Pasqua family of Verona, Italy as the global international distributor for the House of Smith brands, including K Vintners, SEX Rosé, Blossom Fury, and REAL WINE. This year, the partnership gave life to a new disruptive project, Pasqua + Smith Pinot Noir, a multi-vintage wine bridging the Old and the New World.

About House of Smith

Founded in 1999 by Charles Smith, House of Smith is one of North America’s most celebrated producers. Over his 25-year history, Smith has created iconic brands (House Wine, KungFu Girl, Wines of Substance) that have sold more bottles of Washington wine than anyone else in the history of Washington state, other than Chateau Ste. Michelle. With four 100-point scores, 310 scores of 95+ points, and 1,632 scores of 90+, the portfolio includes K Vintners and Casa Smith. House of Smith is committed to making wine for the people—bold, joyful, and unapologetically authentic. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook: @realhouseofsmithwines, and visit House of Smith tasting rooms in Walla Walla and Seattle, WA.

About Evergreen Family Wines

Evergreen Family Wines is one of Washington’s largest family-owned grape-to-bottle wine companies with over 3,000 acres of estate vineyards farmed in the Wahluke Slope and Ancient Lakes AVAs. Wine brands including Milbrandt, Ryan Patrick, LUKE, Simply…, Alkí, French for Water, Caliche Estate, Evergreen, and 1889 are a purpose-driven collection of award-winning wines. Founded by Jerry Milbrandt and Brandon Rice, this portfolio has been meticulously crafted to share the naturally unmatched quality of WA State wine with the world. Rooted in our sustainably grown estate vineyards, we produce wines with sublime mineral character and refreshing acidity, allowing wine to be exactly what it should be: fun, delicious, and approachable. Know what’s in your glass and learn about the EFW Way on Instagram and Facebook: @evergreenfamilywines, and visit Evergreen Family Wines tasting rooms in Prosser, Leavenworth, and Woodinville, WA.