High in the hills above Manson sits a slice of Germany that is Atam Winery. As owners Denis and Irmi Atam proudly note, the wines are bilingual, projecting the distinct Chelan terrior via classic German winemaking techniques.
Five miles and 1,800 feet up from the lake, Atam Winery seems plucked from a German winery tourbook. Vast grounds contain a growing estate vineyard, and a pasture occupied by Hungarian-Arabian horses they brought over from Europe, all anchored by the classic Bavarian log style home that also houses the winery and tasting room.
With views of the lake and the surrounding mountains that make your jaw ache from open mouthed awe, and a glass of Atam’s unabashed German style white wine in hand, this is a winery that urges you to sit, sip and see.
From their home in Munich, the Atams learned their wine craft but chafed at the formidable restrictions to opening their own winery so they began to study wine regions in America. Meticulous research resulted in a list of 50 specific factors they wanted in a wine region, including the capability to raise horses. Visits to California wine country fell short of their requirements. Washington showed promise — and a tip brought them to Chelan in 1998, checklist in hand.
Chelan’s 300 days of sunny weather, offset by the steady cooling breeze from the lake, sold Denis on the potential to do wines his way. “I always wanted to grow my own grapes and make wines in an organic approach,” says Denis. “Chelan soil, climate and weather fit all my requirements.” And as Irmi adds, Chelan had the necessary infrastructure in place and friendly wine colleagues who greeted them warmly.
In 2002, they planted their first Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Barbera, which they initially sold off, and started building the house and winery production area. By 2009, the winery was in full swing and visitors were drawn to the meticulous grounds and distinct wines that Denis was crafting.
“People say our wines are intense and this is true,” said Denis. “We make wines with strong characteristics that speak about how we grow our grapes: pure and natural.”
Organic growing methods are their forte, avoiding all fertilizers and insecticides. After 12 years, Denis says he’s still learning his vineyard. “You can’t buy time with a vineyard. Each year, you have to learn the lessons it wants to teach with great patience.”
Atam’s wines reflect his dedication to natural winemaking practices, eschewing additives and chemicals like clarifying agents, stabilizing agents, aroma additives, or enzymes. “I don’t want to chemically engineer my wine,” he says.
Stored in oak barrels and cold stabilized much in the classic German tradition, the spicy flavors in the flagship Gewürztraminer are distinctively different from its American styled counterparts. His beloved Riesling also speaks of the successful combination of German winemaking and Chelan grapes.
Irmi’s love of horses is reflected in Atam’s wine labels which feature her fine art drawing of a stallion.
Weddings dominate the summer season, drawn by the grounds and that magnificent house which includes stylized dressing rooms for bride and groom.
Atam’s appeal stems from the bit of German culture balanced by day-to-day life in Chelan. “We brought a piece of the old world here,” said Irmi, “and combined it with this land that represents the new world. You can taste both in our wines.”
Atam Winery 2009 Gewürztraminer, $16.95
Editor’s Choice – Excellent
A outstanding example of Denis Atam’s meticulous attention that starts in the organic estate vineyard and carries into the winery, using no additives or chemicals.
Nose: Perfumed, heady scents of lychee, orange bitters, crushed rose petals, apple slice and cashew.
Taste: Pure and silky textured, showing complex layers of poached pear, passion fruit, rose water, hazelnut and piquant spice notes that linger on the finish.
Alcohol: 15.5%
Atam Winery 2011 Riesling, $16.95
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding
Crafted in a crisp and dry German style from organic estate-grown Lake Chelan AVA grapes.
Nose: Floral and aromatic with fresh-cut apple, pear and alluring scents of lime blossom and honeycomb.
Taste: Zesty, crisp and balanced with refreshing flavors and fine-tuned acidity. Showing kiwi, grapefruit, lemon-lime citrus and exotic orange curacao braced with steely-cut minerality on the clean finish.
Alcohol: 12.6%
Website: www.atam-winery.com