Covey Run Is Going Strong 10 Years Later

Stand back! Make a wish! Covey Run is blowing out 10 candles on its birthday cake this year.

It doesn't seem like a decade since I stood on the deck of the new Yakima Valley winery at its opening and marveled at the modern facility and unique architecture. The winery high on a bluff in Zillah did look a little stark at the time, with its berm of earth sloping up the sides (very innovative at the time). Today, however, with the maturity of Whiskey Canyon Vineyards gracefully sloping below and the landscaping grown up around the visitor area, the winery has taken on a nice lived-in look.

It was called Quail Run at the time, until a Napa Valley winery by the name of Quail Ridge threatened them with a lawsuit over the name. Changing it quickly to Covey Run, the winery went on with its life and, so far, that's been the only snag in a very successful enterprise.

Covey Run was begun by a group of fruit growers in the valley the year of a big grape glut in the Northwest. The same harvest spawned a number of other wineries including Gordon Brothers and Barnard-Griffin in Washington and Rex Hill in Oregon. For most of these new wineries it was a matter of opening a facility or letting the grapes rot on the vine.

"We literally didn't know what to do with the grapes," remembers Helen Willard who with her late husband, Leon, and their family, were one of the main founders of Covey Run.

The new winery produced 14,000 cases that first year, a gutsy move for such a newcomer. Then they held their collective breath. Would the wine sell? There were already so many labels on the market including Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle and Hogue Cellars. By November, the wine was all gone.

"We found we couldn't make enough wine to keep on the shelf," says Willard.

Covey Run, now at 70,000 cases a year, still has no trouble selling wine. Probably because it is good and it is affordable, that simple but winning combination of any successful winery.

Just last week Covey Run put on its annual spring luncheon to introduce the latest wines. As usual, they were stunning. Dave Crippin and his assistant winemaker, Dennis Neubert, have done an admirable job on both whites and reds. Additionally, they are true Northwest wines with bold fruity flavors along with good structure and balance. Here are the Covey Run wines you will find on local shelves:

Covey Run 1991 Fume Blanc, $8: Fresh, fruity and made entirely without oak. Blended with 22 percent semillon.

Covey Run 1991 Dry Riesling, $7.50: Just coming on the market and a real winner with its charming style and floral character.

Covey Run 1990 Reserve Chardonnay, $13: Forget the regular chardonnay this month and take advantage of May's special price for a complex, spicy/apple kind of wine.

Covey Run 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon, $9: Hints of black cherries and a complexity from both American and French oak make this wine a natural with richer, gamey dishes. It was served here with loin of pork filled with sun-dried cherries, sage and prosciutto.

Covey Run 1991 Merlot, $9: Earthy, brimming with chewy fruit, this wine illustrates why the Northwest is gaining such a great reputation for merlot.

Wine by Tom Stockley appears Wednesday in the Food section of The Times. Now offered on Infoline, Tom Stockley gives weekly tips and advice for choosing wines. To hear the recorded messages, call 464-2000 on a touch-tone phone and punch in category WINE (9463). Calls to Infoline, a telephone information service of The Seattle Times, are free in the greater Seattle area. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tip of the week

Fans of that long-time value, Eshcol White from Trefethen of Napa, will be happy to know that there's a handsome new label on the bottle and the wine's name has gone from generic to chardonnay. Despite all this face-lifting, the wine is still a bargain. It's on special this month for $7.50. It retains that easy drinking style with good fruit and acid backbone.