The real winemaker isn't always on label

Q: When is a winery not a winemaker? Last Sunday we tasted wines at Sparkman Cellars. Signs in the parking lot directed us down the row to Mark Ryan's tasting room, where the assistant was wearing a Sparkman Cellars T-shirt. I couldn't help but ask how that came to be, and she said, Mark is the winemaker for Sparkman Cellars. I've heard of similar relationships between other wineries. Could you please tell me how this works?

A: It is quite common for small, start-up wineries to share production facilities and wine-making talent with more established wineries. There are many variations on this theme; no "standard" approach.

Winemaking can be studied in school, but it must also be learned by apprenticeship.

In Washington state, dozens of wineries have been started by someone working at a slightly older winery, working as a cellar master (or cellar rat, as they are known) and making a few barrels of their own wine under the watchful eye of the winemaker.

If well-known, well-credentialed winemaker Mark McNeilly, who founded Mark Ryan Winery, decides to work with a start-up winery, it's generally a sign of good things to come.

Paul Gregutt answers questions weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.