Some folks came into the winery the
other day wondering if there were any wineries left in the Yakima Valley.
Granted, they chose very well in finding those who no longer exist or are on
very limited hours, but it got me thinking about bygone wineries; ones who are
no longer with us. Everyone is focused on the new wineries (ones of a thousand)
and forget those bygone ones. Let's have a quick review:
Stewart Vineyards Winery was
started by Dr. Stewart and his wife Martha. After he and Martha separated, the
Doc lost interest in the winery. After
Mike Januik left as winemaker, the quality of the wine went downhill pretty
fast. I first met Mike at the winery, admired his work and hired him as a
consultant to start Bonair Winery. Some things you do right in the wine
business. Mike consulted for us for about a year before moving to Idaho.
Stewart Vineyards Winery closed in 1997.
Who remembers M. Taylor Moore,
known to his friends as Mike, who operated Blackwood Canyon? When Mike died,
the winery died with him although I think it was closed prior to his death.
People still tell stories of him pouring them vinegar as a last sample before
sending them off to another winery. I miss people like Mike. Most of the people
in the business today are here to make a fast buck (i.e. turn a large fortune
into a small one) or to make 'award-winning, hand-crafted, ultra-premium
over-priced wine; oh and yes did I mention they have a passion. These people
are not a story.
Then there was Quail Run Vintners
owned by some Yakima businessmen and a grape growing family. They got sued for trademark
infringement by Quail Ridge Winery of California and decided it wasn't worth
the fight and changed their name to Covey Run. That label exists today, but the
tasting room is now occupied by Silver Lake Winery. Quail Ridge is now defunct,
but Bronco bought the brand - you know Bronco - Fred Franzia of Two Buck Chuck
fame.
Staton Hills is gone. Started in
1985 by Dave Staton with the help of local investors. It may be one of the
wineries that actually sold for a profit. After selling, the name was changed
to Sagelands, locally known as Sagebrush. The building is now occupied by
Treveri Cellars.
Two of Yakima Valley's iconic
wineries are now closed, Hinzerling and Yakima River. I remember sitting in
meetings with Mike and John when the Yakima Valley AVA was formed. Mike Wallace
was the father of the AVA and John Rauner was his chief competitor at that time.
Mike passed away and John, I suppose, is off shooting animals. Both had stories
to tell.
Remember Oakwood Cellars, operated
by Bob and Evelyn Skelton? They were excluded from the boundaries of the Red
Mountain AVA. Maybe that was their demise. Bob died and Evelyn eventually
closed the winery.
Speaking of Red Mountain, remember
Seth Ryan? It was started by Jo Brodzinski and her husband, Ron, in 1986. After
Ron's death, Jo continued to operate the winery with the help of family.
Eventually, like many of the first generation, she gave up.
Eaton Hill Winery was started by Ed
and JoAnn Stear in 1987. Upon wanting to retire, as most of the first
generation want to do, it finally sold to the Chinese in 2012. Marketing in
China turned out to be more difficult than expected. When their winemaker,
Marty Johnson, left, production stopped and they put it up for sale. It remains
for sale.
And then there is Piety Flats. It
never was a real winery. It started out as a mercantile selling wine when the
owner, Jim Russi, decided to put a barrel in the back room and call it a
winery. The wine was made by various real wineries. When his wife Chris' health
started to deteriorate, the winery went up for sale. Eventually, it just
closed. The building now houses a pizza joint.
Tefft Cellars is an interesting
story. Started by Joel and Pam Tefft in 1991, it was one to the 'go to'
wineries in the valley. Joel and Pam separated and later divorced. Joel wanted
to move on to better things and sold the winery, name and all. The new
operators were not as adept as Joel at making wine and selling it. After
opening a second tasting room in Woodinville (a very expensive proposition), they
ended up in bankruptcy. The Homestreet Bank is still trying to sell the property. (Last I
heard the property did sell at auction. No word on the new owners.)
Linda and David Lowe established
Wineglass Cellars in 1994. They were mid to late comers to the Yakima Valley. They
had hopes that David's son would take over, but that didn't work out.
Eventually they sold down their inventory and vacated their license. The
building is being leased as a production facility, but the tasting room is
closed.
Zillah Oakes Winery was an offshoot
of Quail Run Vintners. The building was built at exit 52 from I-82 hoping to
draw visitors off the freeway. It was bonded around 1982 as a warehouse, but
opened later with a tasting room. After Zillah Oakes went away, the building was
purchased by Claar Cellars in hopes of having a visible tasting room in the
Yakima Valley. Claar Cellars has since retreated to White Bluffs.
Still hanging in there is Windy
Point. The property is for sale and I hear there are some good buys on close-out
wine.
Well, that's quite a list. I'm sure
next year I can add a few more names to this list. The interesting note is that
wineries in the Yakima Valley do not seem to have a life beyond the original
owners. The exceptions being Washington Hills and Covey Run - both of which
were larger operations.
What advice can I give the new
startup wineries? Have fun and have an exit plan that doesn't involve selling
the winery.
