EnologistMeryl Rickey

From early in his life, Snoqualmie Enologist Meryl Rickey has had a passion for grape growing and winemaking that led him through the cellars of many of Washington’s top wineries before he came to Snoqualmie in 2005.

While growing up along the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon, Meryl’s first wine memory involves crushing Yakima Valley grapes at home with his father at age 8. Later, he attended Seattle University and, in the absence of any viticultural courses being offered in the Northwest at the time, chose classes, projects, and research he believed would help him excel as a winemaker, and eventually graduated with a degree in Natural Science.

“My senior year in college, I applied to all the wineries in Oregon and Washington – there were only a few wineries at that time, unlike the hundreds around today,” he remembers. He began his first wine industry job, as an Assistant Vineyard Manager at Cold Creek Vineyard, that July, and worked in the labs at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Grandview and Seattle wineries. He moved to the new Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville in 1976 while it was under construction.

In 2002, after 26 years at Chateau Ste. Michelle (the last several as Cellar Master), Meryl moved back to Eastern Washington to become the Cellar Master at Northstar Winery in Walla Walla before moving to Snoqualmie as Enologist in 2005.

Meryl’s history in Washington makes him uniquely qualified to track Snoqualmie’s library of wines. “We constantly evaluate and compare lots and vintages, and I enjoy frequent opportunities to taste the wines and learn more,” he says.

In addition to his work in the lab and the vineyards, Meryl has taken a leading role in Snoqualmie’s sustainable and organic programs, including investigation and implementation of water-saving methods that have reduced winery water use by over 20%. He is currently working on projects to further reduce water usage in the vineyards, where research shows that water reduction to vines can significantly improve wine quality.

In addition to viticulture and winemaking, Meryl enjoys hiking, canoeing, astronomy, travel, and spending time with his grandchildren.