New from Chinook Wines April 1997 Tasting room opens for the 1997 season We're opening our tasting room for the first weekend of the year on Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, 1997. We'll be open for tasting and sales noon until 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays until December. If you are travelling with a large group, or if you would like to arrange a tour of the winery, please call us ahead: Tel. 509-786-2725. Our garden makes a nice spot for a wine country picnic, and we've planted orchard grass under the cherry trees near our Cabernet Franc vineyard. Bring along a picnic basket and enjoy this shady spot with your friends or family. What's new at Chinook? We're pouring samples of our 1995 Yakima Valley white wines: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonay in the tasting room. In addition, we'll offer tastes of the 1992 Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon until it's sold out. About 50 cases remain for the month of May. In late May, on Memorial Day weekend, the annual release of our Merlot is scheduled. We'll be open 12:00 noon until 5pm from Saturday, May 24 until Monday, May 26 for sampling of our 1994 Yakima Valley Merlot. Future plans and wine releases We're excited about plans to expand our wine production a bit: we're installing a few new tanks and have already upgraded our grape crushing system. We anticipate the 1997 grape crop will be back to normal volume, and we can begin making a little more wine. Our plans include offering three whites and three red wines. Our first Cabernet Franc, a 1995, is in the bottle. Look for news about its release later in the year! If you have any questions about our wines or need information, please call us: 509-786-2725. Kay Simon and Clay Mackey, winemakers, PO Box 387, Prosser WA 99350.