Nestled in the Nisqually Valley, Medicine Creek Winery is a gem of a winery with even more incredible owners. Any wine enthusiast owes it to themselves to taste their robust red wines, visit their beautiful tasting room and what I’m convinced is the highlight, meet the owners, Jim and Liz Myers. Jim is a force of nature. Pride and passion are just 2 words I would use to describe Jim. Humorous and humble are two others. From the moment the grapes are picked, Jim takes care of the fruit from transport to bottling, carefully blending vineyards and grapes to make the best wine he can. Liz immediately makes visitors feel welcome in the tasting room. And the hand crafted reds coming from Medicine Creek have a hand crafted tasting room in which to be showcased.
Started in the early 2000s, Jim first got the bug to make wine while making beer with a friend. He quickly discovered he had a knack, winning best of show at the Thurston County Fair with their first try. Beer making got too predictable for them, however, so they started off a new adventure in the fickle world of wine making. A couple of years, several tons of grapes, and many oak barrels later, the two decided to make a business of it when they were making too much wine for them to drink. “Proceeded down the path of enlightenment” as Jim puts it. Thurston County and Washington wine enthusiasts definitely won out on that deal. Having ensured their children wouldn’t move back in by turning their bedrooms into aging rooms, a passion was born. It is with contagious enthusiasm Jim recounts the story of learning to make quality wine, and if he’s gonna do it, he might as well make the best he possibly can.
That ethic carries on through the tasting room. Featuring a beautifully crafted bar, ancient pine floors salvaged from a New Orleans building destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, antique Scottish pub doors, and many other touches, the facility is a Thurston County must see. Patterned on a late 1800’s saloon, it was built by Jim in his “spare” time- Jim is also a full time dentist. It is evident, however, that his talents are many. Ask him to show you his hand made recreated stage coach, or the iron castings he made himself for bar rails and drink holders. Once inside the tasting room, you will be in the capable hands of the winery’s gracious hostess, Liz Myers. As Liz guides you through a tasting you will feel like you are catching up with an old friend. And that’s just the atmosphere they strive for. “It doesn’t get any more quaint or real than this” was the Myers favorite way to describe their operation. That couldn’t be more true. Part of the fun of visiting the Winery is seeing the playful conversation between Liz and Jim. “We have a perfect marriage and agree on everything” Jim wryly notes, “except when she’s wrong”. Liz adds “We want a place where people can come, bring their friends and hang out”. Perfect.
The wine that Medicine Creek crafts is made from grapes sourced from outstanding vineyards in the Columbia Valley such as Goose Ridge and Kiona, among others. They make reds and a desert wine. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon was just released and is a classic Washington Cab. With balanced tannin and acidity, it’s a big, bold wine. It has a great cherry core with nice herbal streaks and a huge nose. The oak is well integrated, allowing the fruit to shine and contributing to a lovely finish. Perfect for a Valentine’s day meal of beef tenderloin. The winery also bottles a slightly more earthy Merlot, a Cabernet Franc, Syrah, a Bordeaux style blend named “Stagecoach Red” and desert wine, Fini. Several of their wines have won awards from the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition, regarded as the most influential in America, and the Riverside International. This is a true locavore product. Sourced from Washington grapes, trucked, crushed and bottled by the winemaker, you couldn’t get any more local. The Myers’ winemaking philosophy is simple; Jim explains it best: “good winemakers know how to give the wine the best chance to become great, but the truth of the matter is, I think only God and nature make it great”. He adds “there is a mystical, magical aspect to it, which is kinda cool; if you had control of everything, wouldn’t it be boring?”
One thing I guarantee to not be boring is a visit to Medicine Creek Winery. With the fantastic tasting room, fine wine, and the company of Jim and Liz Myers, it will be a visit fondly remembered. Medicine Creek is located in the Nisqually Valley east of Olympia, and the tasting room is open Saturday and Sundays noon to 5pm.
Medicine Creek Winery
947 Old Pacific Hwy SE
Olympia, WA 98513
http://www.medicinecreekwinery.com
About the Author:
Shawn O’Neill is a native Washingtonian who loves what the Northwest has to offer. You can find him sampling wine and food, hiking the mountains and beaches, and rooting on his beloved Mariners. He realizes that one of these hobbies could be an exercise in futility.
