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CapitalPress.com
Friday, September 9, 2022
Clearwater Canyon Wines: Using science to create ‘liquid art’
By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
For the Capital Press
LEWISTON, Idaho —
Family roots run deep in
this vineyard and winery in
northern Idaho.
“My family purchased
this ground in 1916. I am
fourth generation and our
daughter is fifth genera-
tion. I grew up in Boise but
spent summers here with my
grandparents, aunts, uncles
and cousins on the farm and
loved it,” said Coco Umiker,
who with her husband, Karl,
owns Clearwater Canyon
wines.
“Four years after my
great grandpa purchased this
farm, he died and left my
great grandmother with four
kids and a big mortgage,”
she said. “She was a tough
lady; she ran the farm, raised
the kids and never remar-
ried. She stayed here until
she died at age 93.”
She had 3 girls and a boy
— Coco’s grandfather.
“She put them all through
college, and they all got
teaching certificates,” Coco
said.
“My grandparents had
four kids, none of whom
were interested in farming
as a career, but my mom
and aunt helped oversee the
operations after he retired,”
she said.
“Then my husband and I
came along and started ask-
ing Grandpa if we could
convert some of the land
Clearwater Canyon wine.
Richard Duval
Karl and Coco Umiker of Clearwater Canyon Cellars near Lewiston, Idaho.
into a vineyard,” Coco said.
He rented them a quar-
ter-acre to give it a try.
“Karl and I planted vines
in 2003 and started Clearwa-
ter Canyon Cellars in 2004,”
she said. “We initially used
fruit from Phinny Hill in
the Horse Heaven Hills of
Washington, and slowly
grew our business.”
Their first vintage was
four barrels, in 2004. Coco
juggled winemaking and
working 100 miles away
as an enologist at Whit-
man Cellars in Walla Walla,
Wash.
Each year they made
more wine and slowly
expanded. Now they pro-
duce about 5,000 cases a
year, and the vineyard is
about 7 acres.
“We made wine in a
garage for three years. Then
we moved the operation to
the Port of Lewiston. We
rented space there for nine
years and eventually got
enough money together to
build a facility here, next to
the vineyard and our house,”
Coco said.
It’s been a long road, but
a good one, as they grew the
business and finished their
educations.
Karl finished his mas-
ter’s degree in soils at the
University of Idaho. He
has an undergrad degree in
chemistry.
Coco finished a degree
in microbiology, molecu-
lar biology and biochem-
istry and started working
on her Ph.D. in 2005. She
received her doctorate at
Washington State Univer-
sity within the enology and
viticulture program.
She is a wine microbiolo-
gist who specializes in wine
spoilage microorganisms.
Her doctoral research was
on the factors affecting cul-
turability, viability and fil-
terability of Dekkera brux-
ellensis, a spoilage yeast, in
red wine.
She also considers her-
self an artist who uses the
natural environment and an
understanding of wine sci-
ence to craft grapes into
“liquid art.” She sees each
vintage as an opportunity to
explore wine characteristics
that are unique to that year.
She met Karl at the Uni-
versity of Idaho.
“We met because we
shared a love for bicycles
and only later realized we
had a lot of other things in
common — as we were ped-
dling around and going to
bike races,” Coco said.
Karl grew up in Arkansas
racing mountain bikes.
Karl and Coco now have
three full-time employees.
Sara Wilson is a lifelong
friend who is now their wine
club manager — which is
how 90% of their wine is
sold.
Mike Haberman is their
cellar master and viticultur-
ist, and Karen Schmidt is the
tasting room and wholesale
manager.
“She’s new to the team
but not new to our lives, as
she’s been a friend for a long
time,” said Coco.