Mike Januik Looks Back on 25 Years of Washington Winemaking

The Washington Wine Commission is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2012, and to mark the occasion the Commission is profiling 25 Washington State wine industry groundbreakers who have been at the forefront of Washington wine over the last quarter-century.  Leslie Kelly interviewed with Mike Januik to learn more about his career in Washington winemaking and gain insight on how his winemaking style has evolved over the years.

Mike Januik, Januik and Novelty Hill Wineries

Mike Januik’s been called “the king of Merlot”, but that’s not a crown he’s much interested in wearing.

“I don’t want to be the king of anything,” said the soft-spoken native of California who has been making wine in Washington State since 1984. “As much as I love making wine and drinking wine, there are more important things in life. Like spending time with family, traveling and hiking on the Olympic Pennisula.”

Not that he’s crowing, but Januik has much to be proud of over the course of his long career, which began with a chance meeting on the campus at University of California-Davis, where he got his masters in enology and viticulture.