Ray McKee, Covey Run
Ray McKee practically grew up in the Washington wine industry. His parents own a small boutique winery in the Yakima Valley - Tefft Cellars - and he remembers helping them out between finishing schoolwork and working at small wineries throughout high school and university. He learned that he had a real interest in wine and that he wanted to make it his career.
McKee got his start at Hyatt Cellars in 1994 and then went on to apprentice at Stewart Vineyards and Claar Cellars before joining Covey Run in 1998. At Covey Run, McKee worked his way up from Cellarmaster to Barrel Program Manager to Production Coordinator and became Assistant Winemaker in July of 2003. As Assistant Winemaker, McKee is responsible for day-to-day production of all wines made at Covey Run's Sunnyside facility. This includes managing the extensive barrel program (approximately 8,000 barrels; 26 different coopers), handling work orders, managing the cellar crew, tasting through the inventory and working with Winemaker Kerry Norton on new blends. This is a big job, considering the facility bottles approximately 450,000 cases a year - but he's up to the challenge.
"I have lived for 19 years in the Yakima Valley and it's great to be here working to help get the word out about Washington State's world-class wines," he says. McKee spent seven weeks at Houghton Winery in Perth, Australia during the 2004 vintage. "This was a great experience for me," says McKee. "I had the chance to see what techniques they're using and explore the different styles of wine. The Australians have a technically sound approach to wine and they use many different winemaking tools well. I brought a few ideas back for things to try to apply at the winery."
An avid wine collector and connoisseur, McKee has a 300 bottle wine cellar filled with wines from Australia, Italy, France and many boutique wines from Washington and California. He uses his cellar as an opportunity to increase his wine knowledge by exploring regions and varietals. McKee attended Gonzaga University, where he majored in Chemistry. He is married and resides with his wife and son in Prosser.
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