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Chinook Wines

April 14, 2024

Chinook is a Washington winery located in the Yakima Valley AVA. Founded in 1983 by the wife and husband team of Kay Simon and Clay Mackey, Chinook was one of the pioneering wineries that established Prosser, Washington as a major wine-producing region in Washington state.[1][2] Kay Simon, who began her career after graduating in 1976 from University of California-Davis in California's San Joaquin Valley and at Chateau Ste. Michelle, was one of the first female winemaker in Washington State.[3][4] Chinook wines are widely regarded for their quality and help spread recognition for Washington wines. They are considered by wine experts such as Paul Gregutt to be "the classic expression of Yakima Valley fruit".[1] Chinook's work with Cabernet franc, in particular, has garnered the statewide acclaim[5][6] with the dry Cabernet franc rosé often described in wine reviews as a "Washington Chinon".[1]

Chinook wines.

The winery is named after the Chinook wind that blows through the Pacific Northwest rather than the Chinook salmon that is also common to the region.[1]

History edit

 
Kay Simon, winemaker and co-owner of Chinook.

Chinook was founded in 1983 in the Yakima Valley by the wife-husband team of Kay Simon and Clay Mackey who met while both were working at Chateau Ste. Michelle with Simon as a winemaker and Mackey as a viticulturalist.[7] They opened their winery at a time that the Washington wine industry began developing in leaps and bound and Chinook was part of a wave of small "mom and pop" wineries that opened in the 1980s. That same year, the Yakima Valley AVA was established as the first American Viticultural Area in Washington State.[1] Chinook released their first wines from the 1983 harvest, a Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc in August, 1984.[3] In November of that year they released a sparkling Riesling that they also served at their wedding reception.[8]

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Chinook did much to help establish the Prosser area as a major winemaking center in the Yakima Valley, beginning with opening their tasting room off of Interstate 82 in Prosser in 1986.[9] Chinook works with many of the best vineyards in the valley including Boushey Vineyard and Klipsun Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA.[10] Clay Mackey, who began his winemaking career in Napa Valley served as a mentor to Paul Champoux of the notable Horse Heaven Hills AVA vineyard Champoux Vineyard.[1] In 1999, both Simon and Mackey served on the committee of Washington winemakers that established the standards for the Washington Wine Quality Alliance which dictates, among other things, that no more than 10% of a winery's production (or 3000 cases of a single varietal) can be labeled "Reserved"—a practice commonplace in many Old World wine regions such as Europe but less commonly seen in New World wine regions.[11]

Despite their success, Chinook still maintains a relatively low-key operation producing around 3500 cases of wine a year.[5] Kay Simon and Clay Mackey are often pouring at the tasting room themselves or making deliveries of their wines to restaurants and retailers across the state in Seattle.[12]

Kay Simon and Clay Mackey edit

 
Clay Mackey, co-founder of Chinook.

Raised in Northern California, Kay Simon graduated in 1976 from the enology program at University of California-Davis with a degree in fermentation science after originally entering college to become a nutritionist. After studying in Germany, Simon developed an interest in beer making. While studying brewing she took some winemaking courses at Davis and eventually switched to wine because she found it more "interesting".[3] While at UC-Davis, Simon was one of only 3 female winemaking students in a class of 45.[13]

After receiving job offers from American brewer Anheuser-Busch and Washington winery Chateau Ste. Michelle, Simon spent some time working for large producers in California's San Joaquin Valley before moving to Washington State in 1977 to work at Chateau Ste. Michelle where she worked primarily with the Washington producer's red wines. After leaving Chateau Ste. Michelle, Simon did some consulting work with other Washington wineries prior to starting Chinook with her husband Clay Mackey in 1984.[3][8][14]

Among her accomplishments, Simon was elected vice-president of the Washington Wine Institute, one of the main trade associations for the Washington wine industry, in 1985 and in 2008 she received a lifetime achievement award for her contributions to the Washington wine industry at the annual Auction of Washington Wines gala.[15][16]

Clay Mackey came from a vine growing family in California's Napa Valley where he worked at the family vineyard in the early 1970s. In 1979, he headed to Washington State where he served as the Eastern Washington vineyard manager for Chateau Ste. Michelle until 1982. There he met assistant winemaker Kay Simon and the two were married in 1983.[17]

Wines and winemaking style edit

Chinook wines are made to pair well with food. They are fermented to dryness and then aged in both the barrel and bottle until Simon and Mackey feel that they are ready. Among the grape varieties that Chinook works with are Chardonnay, Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet franc which they produce in both a varietal style and as a dry rosé.[1] While many of Chinook's wines have received acclaim, the dry rosé has garnered a reputation in Washington state as an almost "cult wine" that quickly sells outs and is often only found on select restaurant wine lists.[5][18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g P. Gregutt "Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide" pgs 20, 39, 60-63, 85-90, 152-153 University of California Press 2007 ISBN 0-520-24869-4
  2. ^ Bob Woehler "Chinook celebrates 25th anniversary; Mercer Estates prepares for debut[permanent dead link]" Tri-City Herald, July 9th, 2008
  3. ^ a b c d Carlos A. Pedraza "Winemaking is Prosser Woman's Nectar of Life[permanent dead link]" Tri-City Herald, November 2nd, 1989. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  4. ^ Howard G. Goldberg "Women Are Making Strides in Wine Industry" Lawrence Journal-World, August 7th, 1985. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  5. ^ a b c Cole Danehower "Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest" pgs 46, 80-81 Timber Press, London (2010) ISBN 978-0-88192-966-9
  6. ^ Eric Asimov "TASTINGS; The Other Red Wine Grape" The New York Times, Feb. 6th, 2002
  7. ^ J. Gordon (ed) Opus Vino pg 98, DK Publishing New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-7566-6751-1
  8. ^ a b Bob Woehler "Newlyweds combine their expertise for Chinook Winery[permanent dead link]" Tri-City Herald, October 2nd, 1984. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  9. ^ Bob Woehler "2 Year Old Chinook Winery Opens Prosser Tasting Room[permanent dead link]" The Tri-City Herald, Feb 5th, 1986. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  10. ^ Stephen Brook "Years of living dangerously" Decanter Magazine Feb. 1st, 2000
  11. ^ Linda Ashton "Washington Vintners Set Standards" Lewiston Morning Tribune, August 24th, 1999. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  12. ^ S. Roberts "Wine Trails of Washington" pg 328-329, South Slope Productions 2007 ISBN 0-9792698-0-6
  13. ^ Leslie Kelly "Women & Wine: The United States is Outpacing Europe With Its Bumper Crop of Female Vintners" The Spokesman-Review, September 26th, 1993. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  14. ^ Paul Gregutt "Women in Wine Share Career Advice" The Seattle Times, February 1st, 2006
  15. ^ Ronald and Glenda Holden "Northwest Grapevine" The Spokesman-Review, November 25th, 1985. Accessed: June 8th, 2012
  16. ^ Lindsay Larin "Chateau Ste. Michelle wine auction nets $2.25M for Children's Hospital" Bellevue Reporter, September 4th, 2008
  17. ^ Harvey Steiman "Washington An Open Secret" The Wine Spectator, Dec. 15th, 2010
  18. ^ Richard Kinnsies "On Wine: Drink pink and enjoy the lack of fuss" Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 17th, 2003

External links edit

  • Chinook Wines - Official site
  • The Chinook Winemaking Process-Grape to Bottle

April 14, 2024
chinook, wines, chinook, washington, winery, located, yakima, valley, founded, 1983, wife, husband, team, simon, clay, mackey, chinook, pioneering, wineries, that, established, prosser, washington, major, wine, producing, region, washington, state, simon, bega. Chinook is a Washington winery located in the Yakima Valley AVA Founded in 1983 by the wife and husband team of Kay Simon and Clay Mackey Chinook was one of the pioneering wineries that established Prosser Washington as a major wine producing region in Washington state 1 2 Kay Simon who began her career after graduating in 1976 from University of California Davis in California s San Joaquin Valley and at Chateau Ste Michelle was one of the first female winemaker in Washington State 3 4 Chinook wines are widely regarded for their quality and help spread recognition for Washington wines They are considered by wine experts such as Paul Gregutt to be the classic expression of Yakima Valley fruit 1 Chinook s work with Cabernet franc in particular has garnered the statewide acclaim 5 6 with the dry Cabernet franc rose often described in wine reviews as a Washington Chinon 1 Chinook wines The winery is named after the Chinook wind that blows through the Pacific Northwest rather than the Chinook salmon that is also common to the region 1 Contents 1 History 2 Kay Simon and Clay Mackey 3 Wines and winemaking style 4 References 5 External linksHistory edit nbsp Kay Simon winemaker and co owner of Chinook Chinook was founded in 1983 in the Yakima Valley by the wife husband team of Kay Simon and Clay Mackey who met while both were working at Chateau Ste Michelle with Simon as a winemaker and Mackey as a viticulturalist 7 They opened their winery at a time that the Washington wine industry began developing in leaps and bound and Chinook was part of a wave of small mom and pop wineries that opened in the 1980s That same year the Yakima Valley AVA was established as the first American Viticultural Area in Washington State 1 Chinook released their first wines from the 1983 harvest a Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc in August 1984 3 In November of that year they released a sparkling Riesling that they also served at their wedding reception 8 Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Chinook did much to help establish the Prosser area as a major winemaking center in the Yakima Valley beginning with opening their tasting room off of Interstate 82 in Prosser in 1986 9 Chinook works with many of the best vineyards in the valley including Boushey Vineyard and Klipsun Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA 10 Clay Mackey who began his winemaking career in Napa Valley served as a mentor to Paul Champoux of the notable Horse Heaven Hills AVA vineyard Champoux Vineyard 1 In 1999 both Simon and Mackey served on the committee of Washington winemakers that established the standards for the Washington Wine Quality Alliance which dictates among other things that no more than 10 of a winery s production or 3000 cases of a single varietal can be labeled Reserved a practice commonplace in many Old World wine regions such as Europe but less commonly seen in New World wine regions 11 Despite their success Chinook still maintains a relatively low key operation producing around 3500 cases of wine a year 5 Kay Simon and Clay Mackey are often pouring at the tasting room themselves or making deliveries of their wines to restaurants and retailers across the state in Seattle 12 Kay Simon and Clay Mackey edit nbsp Clay Mackey co founder of Chinook Raised in Northern California Kay Simon graduated in 1976 from the enology program at University of California Davis with a degree in fermentation science after originally entering college to become a nutritionist After studying in Germany Simon developed an interest in beer making While studying brewing she took some winemaking courses at Davis and eventually switched to wine because she found it more interesting 3 While at UC Davis Simon was one of only 3 female winemaking students in a class of 45 13 After receiving job offers from American brewer Anheuser Busch and Washington winery Chateau Ste Michelle Simon spent some time working for large producers in California s San Joaquin Valley before moving to Washington State in 1977 to work at Chateau Ste Michelle where she worked primarily with the Washington producer s red wines After leaving Chateau Ste Michelle Simon did some consulting work with other Washington wineries prior to starting Chinook with her husband Clay Mackey in 1984 3 8 14 Among her accomplishments Simon was elected vice president of the Washington Wine Institute one of the main trade associations for the Washington wine industry in 1985 and in 2008 she received a lifetime achievement award for her contributions to the Washington wine industry at the annual Auction of Washington Wines gala 15 16 Clay Mackey came from a vine growing family in California s Napa Valley where he worked at the family vineyard in the early 1970s In 1979 he headed to Washington State where he served as the Eastern Washington vineyard manager for Chateau Ste Michelle until 1982 There he met assistant winemaker Kay Simon and the two were married in 1983 17 Wines and winemaking style editChinook wines are made to pair well with food They are fermented to dryness and then aged in both the barrel and bottle until Simon and Mackey feel that they are ready Among the grape varieties that Chinook works with are Chardonnay Semillon Sauvignon blanc Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet franc which they produce in both a varietal style and as a dry rose 1 While many of Chinook s wines have received acclaim the dry rose has garnered a reputation in Washington state as an almost cult wine that quickly sells outs and is often only found on select restaurant wine lists 5 18 References edit a b c d e f g P Gregutt Washington Wines and Wineries The Essential Guide pgs 20 39 60 63 85 90 152 153 University of California Press 2007 ISBN 0 520 24869 4 Bob Woehler Chinook celebrates 25th anniversary Mercer Estates prepares for debut permanent dead link Tri City Herald July 9th 2008 a b c d Carlos A Pedraza Winemaking is Prosser Woman s Nectar of Life permanent dead link Tri City Herald November 2nd 1989 Accessed June 8th 2012 Howard G Goldberg Women Are Making Strides in Wine Industry Lawrence Journal World August 7th 1985 Accessed June 8th 2012 a b c Cole Danehower Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest pgs 46 80 81 Timber Press London 2010 ISBN 978 0 88192 966 9 Eric Asimov TASTINGS The Other Red Wine Grape The New York Times Feb 6th 2002 J Gordon ed Opus Vino pg 98 DK Publishing New York 2010 ISBN 978 0 7566 6751 1 a b Bob Woehler Newlyweds combine their expertise for Chinook Winery permanent dead link Tri City Herald October 2nd 1984 Accessed June 8th 2012 Bob Woehler 2 Year Old Chinook Winery Opens Prosser Tasting Room permanent dead link The Tri City Herald Feb 5th 1986 Accessed June 8th 2012 Stephen Brook Years of living dangerously Decanter Magazine Feb 1st 2000 Linda Ashton Washington Vintners Set Standards Lewiston Morning Tribune August 24th 1999 Accessed June 8th 2012 S Roberts Wine Trails of Washington pg 328 329 South Slope Productions 2007 ISBN 0 9792698 0 6 Leslie Kelly Women amp Wine The United States is Outpacing Europe With Its Bumper Crop of Female Vintners The Spokesman Review September 26th 1993 Accessed June 8th 2012 Paul Gregutt Women in Wine Share Career Advice The Seattle Times February 1st 2006 Ronald and Glenda Holden Northwest Grapevine The Spokesman Review November 25th 1985 Accessed June 8th 2012 Lindsay Larin Chateau Ste Michelle wine auction nets 2 25M for Children s Hospital Bellevue Reporter September 4th 2008 Harvey Steiman Washington An Open Secret The Wine Spectator Dec 15th 2010 Richard Kinnsies On Wine Drink pink and enjoy the lack of fuss Seattle Post Intelligencer June 17th 2003External links editChinook Wines Official site The Chinook Winemaking Process Grape to Bottle Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chinook Wines amp oldid 1188196079, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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