When a young Penny and Perry Preston met in school four decades ago, they never thought they'd get married, raise a family or, crazy enough, open their own winery. Yet, one night Penny attempted to make a blackberry wine (which didn't turn out that well), and a friendly contest began between the couple as Perry decided to try his hand at wine.

In 1997, Perry entered four cases of Merlot into the Puyallup Fair amateur wine making contest and was awarded second place. At that moment, he knew that he'd not only won their contest, but also found a hobby.  

"It started in the kitchen, then he moved to the back porch and then I relegated him to the garage," said Penny with a laugh. "This is still a hobby, but it has grown."

In 2005, the Prestons acquired their first retail location in University Place and a year later, they'd been licensed to sell wine. Recently, they relocated to a spot three times larger in Lakewood. Despite the time they invest in the wine and operating the winery, Stina's Cellars (9316 Lakeview Avenue SW, Lakewood), it remains more of a moonlighting gig for now, though Perry admits his goal is to retire from his job in the airline industry and just run the winery.

"Working at the winery means getting instant gratification from the customers and instant feedback as a vintner," he said.

Due to her full-time job in the Graduate Medical Education Department at the Madigan Healthcare System,  Penny is not on hand at the winery as much as Perry. But she is the one pouring wine at the nearly 20 festivals in which Stina's participates annually.

In addition to the sales at the winery and in some local grocers and wine shops, Stina's also ships to 17 states nationwide, where state law allows. Their small-batch wines have received excellent reviews in both the Wine Press Northwest and in a tour recap posted on the Washington Wine Tours website, which deals with the more than 13 winery regions across the state.

Currently, Preston puts out approximately 1,000 cases a year in 13 different varietals, including standards like Merlot and Syrah or a customer favorite Montage blend and an atypically dry Rose.

In addition to the discounts the Prestons offer on purchases, they also have a military discount of 10-percent off purchases and a two-for-one deal on tastings.