MANSON, Wash. — Katy Perry doesn’t seem in need of any advice at her tiny winery in the Chelan Valley, and that’s no surprise considering her resumé, background and education.
She’s yet another member of the elite Chateau Ste. Michelle alumni association, and the “University of CSM” can be proud that Perry’s Tildio Winery has earned our 2008 Washington Winery to Watch award.
Some of her former co-workers might even be a bit jealous of the 8-acre lake-view estate and 2,000-case operation she and husband, Milum, grew from the ground up in Manson.
“We planted it; we farm it, and we live at the winery,” she said. “We’re not winery ‘owners.’ We’re on the tractor, pruning, picking and working every facet of the winery. It’s more like a European lifestyle — living like peasants and doing it in a modern world. For us, it’s the whole package. Making great wine is something that we are completely immersed in.”
The Perrys have established that. The Tildio 2005 Sauvignon Blanc grabbed our attention to the extent that we featured it in a Match Maker food/wine pairing project in 2006.
Last year, the Tildio 2004 Zinfandel from the Columbia Valley picked up a gold medal at the Northwest Wine Summit.
In double-blind judgings, the wines by Perry, 49, also shine. The 2006 Viognier and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon received Excellent ratings. Her 2006 Chardonnay earned an Outstanding. Her 2005 Malbec, 2005 Estate Syrah and 2005 Profundo — a red blend — also got our top rating.
Grapes from her vineyard sources don’t make a long journey. The Sauvignon Blanc comes from Evergreen near George and the Homestead Chardonnay is from Quincy. Merlot arrives from Weinbau and Cabernet Sauvignon from RiverBend, both off the Wahluke Slope. There’s also her prized acre of Malbec from Stillwater Creek in the Frenchman Hills. The rest is from their Roses Lake estate.
“The Stillwater Creek Malbec I won’t give up for anything,” she said. “When Mike Januik said I need to buy their fruit, I wrote that down in ink.”
Her trust in Januik began in 2000 during her three-year career at Ste. Michelle. That job made travel to family functions much easier for Perry, who grew up on Seattle’s Phinney Ridge before a family move to California.
The University of California-Davis alum then worked 14 years in California at Robert Mondavi, Geyser Peak, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and finally MacRostie.
“Ste. Michelle gave me the opportunity to come home,” Perry said. “Kendall Mix (Canoe Ridge, now at Corliss Estates in Walla Walla), Erik Olsen (Clos du Bois in Sonoma) and I worked side by side,” she said. “There was Ron Bunnell and Bob Betz, and Mike Januik was across the street.”
Along the way, Perry (née Smith) met Milum on a chair lift at Stevens Pass. The courtship prompted her to spend two years as Tsillan Cellars’ winemaker, getting the wines ready for the Chelan destination winery’s grand opening in 2004.
By 2005, the Perrys opened Tildio.
“There were hundreds of killdeer breeding on the property, and I was dealing with the nesting killdeer,” Milum said. “It seemed appropriate to name the winery after them, but ‘killdeer’ is a terrible sounding name. So I went online and surfed for ‘killdeer.’ I found the Spanish name for the bird — tildio. And it had a nice ring to it.”
The nearby lakes explain why tourists flock to the area and why grapes fare well in the pending American Viticultural Area.
“We have a petition with the federal government for a Chelan Valley AVA, and there are enough distinctive qualities about the valley to support it,” she said. “I’m all for pointing these out because it points out the diversity of Washington.”
Her portfolio includes Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and Tempranillo, with Grenache in the future. Despite her high scores with Zinfandel, which she deemed “really challenging,” it won’t be back.
“We are pretty much where we want to stay, and we don’t see any need to grow larger. Otherwise, we’d have to pay to have our vineyard picked,” she said. “Besides, I don’t run across a lot of people doing the same thing we are.”
* Tildio Winery, 70 E. Wapato Lake Rd, Manson, WA, 509-687-8463, tildio.com.
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