Chinook Wines
Chinook makes
great wine. It's a very small production, family winery, highly regarded
and very hard to come by- Chinook sell almost everything out
of the tasting room and at very prestigious restaurants in the Seattle
area.
Kay and Clay, Chinook's owners and winemakers,
have a very loyal following, and many of their fans go to the famous
Memorial Day food and wine spectacular at the winery. Memorial Day is
the day Chinook traditionally release their flagship Merlot.
Chinook owners Kay Simon and husband Clay Mackey have a
deep appreciation of viticulture and cuisine, and a visit to the tiny
Chinook tasting room is a must for serious wine lovers.
We are so privileged to now offer Chinook wines in our
store and on our website! Kay Simon is the winemaker and she really knows
her stuff. Their Merlot is always a rave but their Cabernet,
Cab Franc, Chardonnay, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc are also worth a try.
Kay Simon
and Clay Mackey combined their extensive experience in winemaking and
viticulture to begin Chinook Wines in 1983. Since then,Chinook has become
synonymous with a limited amount of highly acclaimed dry wines produced
from Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Clay, who helped his father plant a Napa Valley
vineyard in the early 1970s, and Kay, a graduate in enology from the
University of California at Davis, are making wines intended to complement
Northwest cuisine. Their Sauvignon blanc is an ideal
accompaniment to the native oysters and pink scallops of Puget Sound.
Chinook's flavorful Chardonnay heightens the richness
of Pacific salmon, and their Merlot is a perfect match for Eastern Washington
spring lamb.
After beginning his career as a vineyard manager
for a handful of highly regarded wineries in the Napa Valley, Clay headed
north in 1979, attracted by the pioneering spirit of the budding Yakima
Valley wine industry. Kay, who has worked for large wine producers in
California's San Joaquin Valley and in Washington state, has established
herself as a winemaker of high standards; she participates actively in
professional organizations which encourage research and enhancement of
food and wine quality. Kay and Clay were married and released their first
wine in August 1984.
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