Kiona Vineyards was founded by John and Ann Williams with forer partners in 1972 with the purchase of 86 acres of raw land in the arid climate of Southeastern Washington. Located on Red Mountain, the site would later be an internationally recognized premier wine appellation. The original site was void of roads, utilities or structure. The initial Kiona production in 1980 was 504 cases, compared to the 25,000 cases produced in 2005.