Man, I Feel Like a Woman--Winemaker
by Lisa Allen

What happens when home-economics meets mad-scientist? You can get a very talented winemaker. A woman winemaker. That's not to say that men don't like home-ec, but you may be more likely to find those men starring in "Queer Eye for the Stay-At-Home Mom" rather than being the star in the cellar of a winery.

But when you visit the cellar at the Chinook Winery in Prosser, Washington in the Yakima Valley you will find a star winemaker. And her name is Kay Simon.

So just how did Kay find herself as the winemaker of Chinook Winery. Almost 30 years ago, she was studying at the University of California in Davis where most of our country's most acclaimed winemakers are trained. But Kay did not start out studying winemaking. Because she enjoyed foods and nutrition subjects, she enrolled at U.C. Davis in hopes of becoming a nutritionist but soon made the transition to earning a degree in Fermentation Science.

On Being a Woman Winemaker
If you were wondering how Kay went from studying nutrition to winemaking, it is not such a mystery when you learn that her family always enjoyed cooking and eating together. She notes that paying attention to flavors and aromas of cooking in the kitchen spills over directly into winemaking in the cellar. And finally, a winemaker must also be aware of the world of wines (i.e. taste wines from around the world), and learn about how grape vines react to their microclimate in terms of flavor development.

The latter attribute reminds us of the scientific nature of winemaking. Since this is the case, I had to ask Kay what she thought about the recent comments by Larry Summers, President of Harvard University, regarding the low numbers of women in the sciences. If you need a little background on this issue, in January of this year, Summers proposed that: innate genetic differences between the sexes may be one explanation for why fewer women succeed in math and science careers.

Kay's response was not unlike that from a lot of women, "I think that he over-simplified the relationship of gender to scientific 'abilities' and intelligence. I just finished reading an analysis of these comments and the real topics surrounding the subject of gender and differences in the way we learn. I would say that there is far more that we don't know, than what we have learned so far about how males and females differ in these respects."

Since the playing field appears to be a bit more even, or at least somewhat undefined at this time, I had to ask if she felt that it's always been this way. So we started talking about if there are any advantages or disadvantages to being a woman in the wine industry. She says, "not any more. When I first began my career [almost 30 years ago], there were a few obstacles, that were mainly related to the fact that women, up until that time, were rarely in the cellar." She continued, "because of the scarcity factor, not all men knew how to relate to women on the job in a pleasant way. The only part some folks might not realize is that, especially in a small winery like Chinook, the job is very physical. So it is important to stay in reasonable shape and know your limits."

So, besides a good background in the natural sciences, what else does it take to be a successful winemaker? The remainder of the attributes she mentioned as important to success in the cellar has absolutely nothing to do with science per se. She mentioned the importance of attention to detail - especially in sanitation and smells. There is also the need of a desire to make flavorful wines that appeal to consumers (that's you and me). Can I get an 'amen' here?

Chinook Wines
With wine, as in with many things, it can be all about location, location, location. So, at Chinook, they purchase and grow grapes for all of the within a 15-mile radius of the winery in the Yakima Valley. This allows the wines to have more of a 'local flavor' and reflect the people and the place that are unique to the winery and vineyards. Kay says, "I like to think that our wines reflect our attention to detail; both in our selection of grapes and in the cleanliness of the winery." Many people remark how clean the wines are. And that is a great compliment for a winemaker. At Chinook, they pay attention to the way their wines go with food. The winemaking decisions always take into account that too much tannin, oak, or other 'winemaking influences' such as malolactic fermentation can overwhelm a wine and sometimes make it incompatible with food. So they try not to overwhelm the fruit characteristics with winemaking.

Enjoying wines
If you want to learn more about grape growing, wine making and wines, you should take Kay Simon's advice to "visit wineries and talk with winemakers." There is no better place to do this that at small, family-run wineries like Chinook. She thinks that it's the role of the small winery "to connect consumers with the product, at the place where it's made." So, it is my hope that you will have a change to get connected with some of the award-winning wines of Washington State, the wineries of the Yakima Valley, and especially wines made by Kay Simon at Chinook Winery.

But if you cannot afford the time away for traveling, then Kay suggests reading books and attending consumer tastings in wine shops and restaurants. Her favorite book is The Oxford Companion to Wine edited by Jancis Robinson.

But most importantly, as you are enjoying wine, remember to trust in your own sense of taste & what you like!

About Lisa Allen Lisa Allen, Chief Wine Officer, founded Wine Insite in May 2001 after earning her MBA. An introduction to the wine industry came through a position with the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. While at the association, Ms. Allen learned the wine industry from vine to wine. This industry knowledge allowed her to direct marketing, education and legislative efforts for this statewide organization. From there, Ms. Allen took a position with eatZi's Market & Bakery in Dallas, TX. Ms. Allen consulted on pricing models, product mix, merchandising, POS, and shelf sets. Additionally, she developed and implemented customer-service training program for 50 employees, including upper management, retail staff and culinary professionals. With trade and retail experience, Ms. Allen accepted a brand management internship with Beringer Wine Estates in Napa, CA. Now, Lisa leads Wine Insite in bringing a knowledge and love of wine to restaurants, retailers and wine lovers nationwide. You may contact Lisa at: lallen@wineinsite.com or by phone at 678-427-6152