Christina Kelly's
"Wine Tales"

I once had a very prominent Northwest newspaper editor tell me that nothing but grape wine would ever passed his lips.

He was referring to a gift of homemade wine I gave him, made from Shiro plums. The wine was dry and the color of deep yellow straw. I knew he liked wine, so I thought I would score points with him by offering a bottle of my homemade brew.

No dice.

He wasn’t even polite about it. One look at my homemade wine with the too-cute label sent his eyes rolling in the back of his head, pinching his face and forcing a primordial grunt from his lips. He tried to force a smile, but all he could muster was a sneer.

“It is my policy to never drink any wines made from anything other than grape,” he said, recovering from his initial distain. “I am not a fan of homemade wine. People mean well and try to give me bottles of wine they’ve made from apples, weeds, berries and God knows what else.

“I just say NO to it all.”

I looked at the bottle he slapped into my hand as he walked away. Well, the wine wasn’t as clear as it could be. It wasn’t stored in oak. But for my first effort, it wasn’t that bad.

Actually, it wasn’t very good. I still have some of it now, several years later. I didn’t have the heart to give it to anyone else after that incident. I did learn that it is good in a crock-pot with a pork roast, but not for drinking.

In fact, now that I think about it, I fell off the Christmas card list from everyone who received a gift bottle.

However, I was soon to learn that not all homemade winemakers are alike. I was reminded of a story I’d written about Ben Smith, owner/winemaker of Cadence Winery in Seattle (http://www.avalonwine.com/CadenceWinery.htm).

Smith began his career making homemade wines for the Boeing Employees Wine and Beer Makers Club in the early 1990s. His Bordeaux blends consistently won Best of Show awards for WineFest, the annual Boeing Wine Club competition. He was judged by commercial winemakers and in 1997, figured it was time to strike out on his own.

In fact, the Boeing Wine Club is well known for breeding upcoming winemakers.

“Not everyone gets into the club with the idea of becoming a professional winemaker, but we do take it a little more seriously than others,” said Peter Zaches, Vice President of the Boeing Wine Club.

In a recent interview, Zaches acknowledged that many home winemakers from Boeing venture into the commercial aspects of winemaking. Some have second jobs as winemakers or assistant winemakers in Seattle-area wineries. Others, like Smith, start their own commercial label.

One of the most recent Boeing guys-gone-commercial-winemaker is Ron Yabut.

Yabut is the winemaker for Austin Robaire in Seattle. The name was taken from Yabut’s two nephews, Austin and Robaire.

His story begins with a home brewing beer kit. After making home brews, Yabut joined the Boeing Wine and Beer Club, and suddenly became interested in making wine.

“I heard that good beer makers make good wine makers, so I was interested in giving wine a try,” he said.

In his first year as a Boeing Wine Club member, he purchased nearly one ton of grapes, making Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. He even picked 300 pounds of Pinot Noir grapes.

Yabut’s wines won first place at the Boeing WineFest competition. His first commercial release was last September with a 1999 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Boeing Wine Club VP Zaches says another home winemaker, Tim Narby, is in the process of going commercial.

“A lot of people think the wine club is an apprenticeship for future winemakers, but it’s really the social enjoyment of the wine and company,” Zaches said. “We have a lot of fun, provide education for those who are interested and share the ‘oops’ in our winemaking.”

Last year, Boeing club members purchased 80,000 pounds of grapes from Washington’s most prestigious wine grape growers, including Klipsun. Those grapes were split up among the 100 or so most serious club members in both the Seattle and Everett Boeing plants.

Each member goes home with the prize grapes and makes homemade wine. Members pitch in and help each other in blending wines.

When I told Zaches about my Shiro plum wine, he sheepishly acknowledged that some club members make fruit wine. But I could feel his eyes darting and he quickly changed the subject, as though he and my former editor were in cahoots.

“It’s a very small percentage,” he added.

Zaches made 50 gallons of wine last year, totaling about 20 cases. He said he and his wife don’t drink much of their own wine, but once people learn about it, they want to try it.

“In the past, we might have opened two bottles per week,” Zaches said. “But when we have company, they want to taste our wine. Now, we’re opening five or six bottles per week, and my wife and I don’t drink much of it.”

Home winemakers are legally allowed to make up to 200 cases of wine per year. But a federal law, imposed since Prohibition, forbids more than 200 cases unless a commercial license is obtained.

You know, my brother, Bernie, works for Boeing as kind of a CPA in the benefits department. I learned through Boeing Wine Club members that if he joins the wine club, I could join as an associate member. Can’t hold an office, but I can sure obtain all their knowledge, and the grapes.

Bernie kind of owes me anyway. He couldn’t give a rip about wine, but if he doesn’t join the club, I’ll tell everyone what a pansy he was when he was little, and how I had to fight all his fights. That’ll do it. We’ll be signed up by this summer.

Maybe this time next year, I’ll present that former editor with another bottle of home-brewed wine. Only this time, it won’t be fruity plum, or dandelions or tree bark or vegetable, mineral or animal wine.

It’ll be the real stuff. Maybe I’ll get back on the Christmas card list next year.

XXX