Most of us know (and are quite proud) of Washington's booming wine industry; last time I checked the Washington Wine Commission, the number of wineries had increased to an impressive 580! While we refill our wine glasses and raise them in celebration, let's throw in one more celebratory fact; how many of these Washington wineries boast a female winemaker?
This idea crept into my head when I read Suzi Beerman's article about female winemakers. Aptly called From Grape to Glass, Women Make Washington Wine, the writer provides interesting background information about the people behind some of the popular Washington wines, stressing on gender mainly because in the traditionally winemaking has been hyped as a best-done-with-muscular-arms-on-a-man sort of profession.
And thus I came up with this list. Do note there is an impressive number of female winemakers but for this article I am writing about a few noteworthy ones who are making waves in the wine industry. A few of them are winemakers featured in Beerman's article but a number of them are names I came across via the Washington Wine Commission website.
1. Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla. Marie-Eve Gilla, who is part owner and winemaker, definitely seems to have found her life's calling when she turned to winemaking. As it is, her name has been espoused by those who compare Walla Walla to "the next Napa"!
2. Chinook Wines in Prosser. Twenty-five years of winemaking means this winery is in a genre all by itself. Kay Simon and Clay Mackey are the experts behind this popular brand; Simon is the winemaker whilst Mackey is the viticulturist where their love for the profession blends with their vast expertise to bring us some rather delightful wines like the Chinook Wines Cabernet Franc Rosé which recently won the 2008 Washington Wine Award for best Rosé.
3. Nefarious Cellars in Chelan. Another husband and wife team. Dean Neff is the brains behind the red wines while Heather Neff adds the know-how to the white wines. Incidentally, Heather's 2006 Viognier was in the spotlight in the 2008 Washington Wine Awards; it was a tie with Rulo Winery's delicious Viognier.
4. aMaurice Cellars in Walla Walla. An excellent winery run by the Schafer family. Anna Schafer is the winemaker in this team where they pool together their knowledge and expertise to produce some of the tantalizing Washington wines. Interesting news bit - in 2007 Seattle Magazine referred to her as "Washington's hottest young winemakers who are changing the face of Washington wine ...".
Ami K.