Clearwater Canyon Cellars Blog
University of Idaho Magazine – Reviving the LC Valley Wine Industry!
August 8, 2019
The spring edition of the University of Idaho Magazine featured an article about Karl and me! We have a long history with the University of Idaho. Karl completed his Master’s Degree in Soil Science in 2000 and stayed on as Soil Scientist for 11 years after graduate school. I completed two undergraduate degrees (Microbiology, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry) at UofI that launched me into the PhD program at WSU immediately after. Our experiences at U of I fueled our entrepreneurial spirit! Go Vandals! Check out the full article.
100% Chance of Wine
July 3, 2019
Kristine Walls and her production team from KVEWTV in the Tri-Cities did this interview of Coco to promote our upcoming visit to the Lodge at Columbia Point in Richland, WA. They did a fantastic job of putting together images, footage and commentary. Click here to watch the interview, 100% Chance of Wine: Clearwater Canyon Cellars Come visit us and taste through a selection of our wines on July 4th and July 11th from 5-6;30 at the Lodge at Columbia Point located at 530 Columbia Point Dr, Richland, WA.
Heaps of Gold from The San Francisco Chronicle!
February 1, 2019
During the end-of-the year rush our wines received several truly remarkable accolades! Now that life has settled down we can begin sharing the great news! The first juicy morsels are the results from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition! We came home with a whopping total of 4 double gold & gold medals! This is a heap of gold! Only 4 Pacific Northwest wineries earned 4 or more gold medals at The Chronicle: Clearwater Canyon Cellars, Walla Walla Vintners, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and A to Z Wineworks! The judges are a collection of 60 wine industry professionals that hail…
Sip Northwest Best of the Northwest Competition Results!
December 14, 2018
The results are in and we are proud to say team Clearwater Canyon Cellars did really well…2 gold metals and 2 judge’s picks! Sip Northwest is both a printed and online magazine that focuses exclusively on beverages. If you geek out on all the beautiful liquid assets (wine, craft beer, cider, cocktails, soda, mead, tea, coffee etc.) of the Pacific Northwest then you need to start reading this page turner. Sip Northwest runs one big competition, ‘Best of the Northwest’, each year. The structure of this competition is unique and has lured us back again this year to battle for…
WSU Alumni Achievement Award
March 13, 2018
In 2011, Nicole “Coco” Umiker was bestowed by the Washington State University Alumni Association its highest honor for outstanding achievement in the wine industry and commitment to the community and education. “Your successful winery and vineyard ventures are testaments to your exceptional work ethic, entrepreneurial courage, and intellectual curiosity. You are an inspiration to past, current, and future students. Additionally, your research and publications will help shape the future of viticulture and provide opportunities for further innovation. Your leadership and myriad contributions bring honor to your alma mater. For all that and much more, the WSUAA is honored to present…
King (or Queen) of Platinum!
January 6, 2018
Greetings, fellow wine lovers! We made the King of Platinum list (or Queen of Platinum in our case)! Coco is the first head female winemaker and first Idaho winemaker to accumulate 10 Platinum awards! A winery gets on the King of Platinum list once they receive 10 Platinum medals. Our 2014 Coco’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon received a Platinum in the most recent judging, bringing our number of Platinum medals received to 10! The Platinum Judging is conducted by Wine Press Northwest every October. Wines are only invited if they had previously received a Gold or Double Gold medal in a…
Enthusiast Club Vineyard Dinner
July 1, 2017
Available exclusively to Enthusiast Club members. You can learn more about the club and how to join here. July 27th, 28th & 29th! RSVP by July 14th! Our 5th Annual Enthusiast Club Dinner in the Vineyard is upon us! This event is offered to you, our Enthusiast Club members, as a ‘thank you’ for your loyal support of our winemaking efforts. This year we are celebrating the completion of our new winery building! What a joy to finally bring winemaking operations home to the vineyard! The theme for this momentous occasion is ‘Passport to Your Palate’, inspired by Rachel Riddle, our Sales…
Our Carmenère soared high at the San Francisco Chronicle Competition!
January 26, 2017
Our Phinny Hill Carmenère just earned the distinction of top Carmenère at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the mother of all American wine competitions! It was the only Carmenère to receive a Double Gold medal, adding to its impressive pedigree. Here are the other awards and ratings the 2014 Carmenère has received since its release: #11 on The Seattle Times’ ‘Top 50 Wines of 2016’ 18.5+/20 points, Rand Sealey’s Review of Washington Wines ‘Outstanding!’ (highest rating), Great Northwest Wine Double Platinum, Wine Press Northwest Annual Platinum Judging Double Gold, Idaho Wine Competition Silver, Cascadia Wine Competition Silver, Great Northwest Wine…
CHASING PLATINUM
January 12, 2017
We just won FIVE Double Platinum & Platinum Awards! Eric Degerman, moderator of the Platinum judging, recently congratulated us and commented, “I believe that is an unprecedented batting average for that many qualifiers.” We entered 5 wines and 5 were awarded Double Platinum or Platinum! There were only 4 wineries in the entire northwest (ID, WA, OR, BC) that won more than 5 platinums but none that could match our batting average! The following is a list of our Platinum award winners and their qualifying gold medals. All but one are still available for purchase until…
Our Carmenère made #11 on the Seattle Times ‘Top 50’!
November 16, 2016
Andy Perdue of Great Northwest Wine has rolled out his ‘Top 50 Regional Wines of 2016’ in The Seattle Times. For the third year in a row our Carmenère has made the list! It made #11! It’s great to see how many other Carmenères made the list. The quality of this wine starts in the vineyard! We truly believe that the best Carmenère is being grown at Phinny Hill Vineyard by the Beightol family and their amazing team. To our dear friend, Andy Perdue: stay strong and get better, buddy! Thank you for being such a great supporter for Idaho…
Malbec: Your new favorite Thanksgiving wine.
November 10, 2016
Are you stressing out about which wines you should serve with Thanksgiving dinner? Well, Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman of Great Northwest Wine are helping you out this holiday season with some great ideas for wines to pair with your meal. One of which is our 2014 Malbec, which just received a Gold medal at the Great Northwest Wine Invitational last month and was named ‘Best Malbec’ at the competition of nearly 600 wines that is the sole ‘invite only’ wine competition in the US. Pairing-wise, our Malbec goes great with cranberry sauce and stuffing! The dark fruit character of…
The Eagle Food & Wine Festival will be featuring our wines!
August 25, 2016
Our wines will be featured at the 10th Annual Eagle Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, September 24th at the BanBury Golf Course in Eagle, Idaho. This event is benefitting the Idaho and Utah chapters of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Eagle Community Food Bank. Tickets are just $45! This event will feature local restaurants, wineries and also 10 Barrel Brewing Company. All wines will be paired with culinary delights from local chefs. Clearwater Canyon wines will be paired with hors d’ oeuvres from Jakers Bar & Grill. To find out more information and to purchase tickets, click here!