Reininger Winery

Chuck Reininger grew up in the Bellevue area and went to college at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, where he earned a B.A. in Business and Marketing. For several years he was a climbing guide on Mount Rainier, as well as other mountains in the Cascades, in Alaska and in Argentina. He was thinking about launching a microbrewery when he followed Tracy, a fifth-generation Walla Walla native, to her home town. They moved to the valley in 1992, and after the move he worked at Waterbrook Winery as a cellar hand; in 1993 he made his first home wine, and he also took wine courses at UC Davis. In 1997 Chuck Reininger and his wife Tracy Tucker founded Reininger Winery in Walla Walla. Reininger Winery was run by a team of two for five years before joining forces with Tracy's brothers and parents, fourth and fifth generation wheat farmers in Washington and Oregon. Kelly and Jay Tucker joined Reininger in 2003 and co-founded the Helix brand with their sister, Tracy Tucker, and Chuck Reininger; Terry and Ronnie Tucker also joined Reininger and Helix in 2003. Helix launched in 2004, and Chuck Reininger oversees its winemaking. In a May 2017 announcement, the winery put production across its three labels at 11,000 cases a year, with 15 single varietals and seven red blends.

• 1993: Chuck Reininger makes his first home wine
• 1997: Reininger Winery founded in Walla Walla
• 2003: Kelly and Jay Tucker join and co-found the Helix brand; Terry and Ronnie Tucker join Reininger and Helix
• 2004: Helix launches; first crush at the renovated 12,000-square-foot production facility and tasting room
• 2005: tasting room opens at the renovated buildings

In 1997 there were no wineries at the Walla Walla airport until Reininger set up shop there, in a 1,700-square-foot building that had once been the crash house at the end of the runway. The winery outgrew the airport and found two potato sheds west of downtown Walla Walla. The renovated buildings became a 12,000-square-foot production facility and tasting room; Reininger crushed his first grapes there in 2004 and opened the tasting room in 2005. In the first year Reininger made Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the 1997 Merlot was made from Canoe Ridge fruit because Walla Walla Merlot could not be sourced, the only time this has been the case. From early on Reininger focused on using only Walla Walla Valley grapes, and the winery's own account calls Reininger the first winery to use only Walla Walla fruit. In January 2004 a cold snap devastated the Walla Walla Valley: Reininger expected about 90 tons of fruit from Walla Walla and ended up with a half-ton. That year only one wine was released under the Reininger label, Anomaly, a 118-case blend of that Walla Walla Valley Carménère with Cabernet Sauvignon from Cold Creek Vineyard north of the Yakima Valley.

• 1997: first winery at the Walla Walla airport, in a 1,700-square-foot building
• Found two potato sheds west of downtown; the renovated buildings became a 12,000-square-foot production facility and tasting room
• 1997 Merlot made from Canoe Ridge fruit, the only time Walla Walla Merlot could not be sourced
• January 2004 freeze: a half-ton of Walla Walla fruit instead of about 90 tons; one Reininger wine, Anomaly, 118 cases

Chuck Reininger is Founder and Winemaker and oversees winemaking for the three brands, Reininger, CPR and Helix. Kelly Tucker is Partner and General Manager; a fifth generation farmer, he worked for fifteen years as General Manager of Hogue Ranches. Jay Tucker is Partner and Operations Manager and oversees the Walla Walla and Spokane tasting rooms and general operations at the winery. Terry and Ronnie Tucker are partners who no longer take part in day-to-day operations; they have been involved in the Washington wine industry since 1989, when they joined a local group of investors to create Canoe Ridge Vineyards. Ann Tucker works in marketing and sales. Jeff Cox is National Sales Manager, Ali Sykes is Walla Walla Hospitality Manager and Breanna Maiuri is Wine Club Manager and Marketing Specialist.

• Chuck Reininger: Founder and Winemaker
• Kelly Tucker: Partner and General Manager
• Jay Tucker: Partner and Operations Manager
• Terry and Ronnie Tucker: Partners
• Ann Tucker: Marketing and Sales
• Jeff Cox: National Sales Manager
• Ali Sykes: Walla Walla Hospitality Manager
• Breanna Maiuri: Wine Club Manager and Marketing Specialist

Reininger sources fruit from a number of Walla Walla vineyards, including Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills, Birch Creek and XL Vineyards, and Chuck Reininger blends fruit from them for complexity. From Pepper Bridge the winery uses Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Malbec; from Seven Hills, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Syrah; from XL Vineyards, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon; and from Birch Creek, Sémillon. For Helix, Reininger works with grapes from the Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope and greater Columbia Valley.

• Pepper Bridge: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec
• Seven Hills: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah
• XL Vineyards: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
• Birch Creek: Sémillon
• Helix: Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope and greater Columbia Valley fruit

Reininger's first release of Walla Walla Valley Syrah was the 1999 vintage, and a Walla Walla Valley Syrah has been released every year since, except 2004. The 2013 Syrah came from Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards, and 324 cases were made. It won a Platinum as Best USA Red Rhône Varietal at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards. Reininger has specialized in Carmenère since 2002, from a block it purchased at Seven Hills Vineyard. The Walla Walla Valley Carmenère is released each spring to the wine club. The Merlot has been a blend of Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge Vineyard fruit. Tech sheets on the winery's trade page cover Reininger Cabernet Sauvignon, Precipice and BDX, and Helix Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tucker Red and Tucker Legacy Red. The first wine released under CPR was a blend of six grape varieties from six different vintages; Reininger bottled 18 percent of it and replaced that 18 percent with two more vintages of another grape variety.

• Walla Walla Valley Syrah: first release 1999 vintage; released every year since except 2004
• 2013 Syrah: Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills fruit, 324 cases
• Carmenère: Seven Hills Vineyard, since 2002; released each spring to the wine club
• Merlot: Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge fruit
• Reininger: Cabernet Sauvignon, Precipice, BDX; Helix: Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tucker Red, Tucker Legacy Red
• CPR: first release a blend of six grape varieties from six vintages

In the winery's own words, Reininger wines are “sophisticated yet restrained” and “lovely upon release and age well for many years.” Chuck Reininger has called his Northern Rhône style Syrah a “merging of Old World style and techniques with the hidden depths of New World fruit,” and the winery has written: “We never want to mask the identity of the Syrah under layers of new, angular spicy oak.”

The Reininger tasting room and winery is at 5858 Old Highway 12, Walla Walla, and as of October 2026 is open 11 am to 5 pm daily. The Helix Tasting Room is at 824 W. Sprague Avenue in Spokane.

• Walla Walla: 5858 Old Highway 12, 11 am to 5 pm daily
• Spokane: Helix Tasting Room, 824 W. Sprague Avenue

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://reiningerwinery.com/about-reininger, https://reiningerwinery.com/about-walla-walla, https://reiningerwinery.com/news-and-events/decanter-13-syrah, https://reiningerwinery.com/news-and-events/the-lost-bordeaux-an-exploration-into-carmen%C3%A8re, https://reiningerwinery.com/visit-us, https://reiningerwinery.com/trade, https://reiningerwinery.com/collection, https://reiningerwinery.com/news-and-events/recipe-rosemary-steak-tips-with-gorgonzola-polenta, https://reiningerwinery.com/news-and-events/recipe-blue-cheese-rosemary-chicken, https://reiningerwinery.com/news-and-events/recipe-blueberry-syrah-reduction-sauce-for-grilled-meats. Secondary sources: Great Northwest Wine (Andy Perdue, 10 March 2016), https://greatnorthwestwine.com/2016/03/10/walla-walla-reininger-winery-podcast/; Great Northwest Wine (Eric Degerman, 10 June 2017), https://greatnorthwestwine.com/2017/06/10/reininger-domaine-serene-mission-hill-go-platinum-decanter-world-wine-awards/; Northwest Wine Report (Sean P. Sullivan, 1 July 2020), https://www.northwestwinereport.com/2020/07/the-soft-wisdom-of-reininger-walla.html. Last verified 2026-10-21. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.