While many Park City locals enjoy a California wine from time to time, a group of longtime locals decided to start their own Napa Valley winery. Parallel Wines was established in 1999, but the roots of the company go back to the eighties when the Chin and MacQuoid families were hanging out in Park City.
Steve and Val Chin moved to Park City from Los Angeles in 1975, leaving behind successful careers for the ski slopes of the Wasatch Mountains. Steve, previously a CPA for a real estate firm, joined the real estate community in Park City and has served on the Chamber of Commerce and Kimball Art Center boards of directors. Val has likewise been involved in key moments of Park City’s history, which include bringing the first preschool to Park City. She later became president of the school board and continues to serve on several boards including the Park City Performing Arts Foundation and Utah Natural History Museum.
Their friends, Mac and Ann MacQuoid, are also part of the fabric of modern-day Park City. They, too, moved to Park City from Southern California in 1980 and immediately set out to make their mark on the town. While Mac was developing projects such as Washington School House and Goldener Hirsch, Ann busied herself with fundraising and real estate. Helping to bring Eccles Center for the Performing Arts to Park City is just one of her many accolades.
Sometime around 1999, the Chins and MacQuoids were planning a vacation. They wanted something active: the guys were looking to golf, while the ladies wanted good food and wine. They settled on Napa Valley, and it wasn’t long until the two real estate agents in the group (Steve and Ann) started looking at property. As luck would have it, another Park City couple, the Doilneys, were also looking at land in Napa Valley. The six of them rounded up a few more investors, bought 16 acres of land, and planted some grapes. Ann says, “We’re dear friends who are risk takers, optimistic by nature and fun-loving, but serious about Parallel.”
Although no one in the group knew anything about growing grapes, the hardest part was picking a name and a logo. By now, there were 10 partners in this endeavor. Over many bottles of wine in their Park City living rooms, the name Parallel Wines was born — 10 lines representing 10 partners, crossing paths like ski tracks through fresh powder. It was the perfect nod to their Park City roots.
“We knew from the beginning that having a great wine manager and winemaker would be the key to our success,” says Steve Chin. They were lucky enough to partner with winemaker Phillippe Melka early in his career. Melka and his wife, Cherie, had moved to Napa Valley a few years prior, and Parallel was one of their first winery partners. Today, Melka is a world-renowned winemaker and has been featured on the cover of Wine Spectator. He continues to work with several vintners and has his own brand as well.
The Parallel label can be found on four varietals each season. They produce two cabernet sauvignons, a chardonnay and a rosé. One of the cabernets is the Black Diamond Reserve series. Each year, Parallel fans, including wine club members, nominate their favorite black diamond or double black diamond ski run as the namesake of that year’s reserve. They must present a compelling story, and the winner receives an etched, hand-painted 3-liter bottle of their named wine as well as bragging rights for years to come. The first three years were named after Deer Valley ski runs, and subsequent years have spanned the globe from Chile to Vermont.
The Parallel Wines season revolves around two big events each year. Each fall, the label hosts a Harvest Party in Park City, where the new Black Diamond Reserve is introduced. It takes three years to produce each bottle, so this fall the 2022 reserve will be presented and is named “Rendezvous” for a run at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. In April, Parallel hosts a Spring Bud Break Party at its winemaking and hospitality home in Saint Helena, California.
In addition to the partners’ shared passions for skiing and wine, philanthropy is at the heart of Parallel Wines. After 25 years, the label has contributed more than $1.5 million to 70-plus philanthropic organizations nationwide. Val fondly recalls a custom-etched double magnum bottle they donated for a U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team fundraiser held in Park City. Steve notes, “Our goal has always been to have fun and give back.”
In 2007, a new pair of partners joined the Parallel Wines family. Bulent and Mary Pulak moved to Park City in 1999 and split their time between the community and their home in Istanbul, Turkey. Parallel also added a general manager and partner, Adrienne Smith, who runs the day-to-day operations from Napa Valley.
While the partners are continuously discussing growth and new opportunities, Smith is elevating the company in a conservative manner with a laser focus on maintaining consistent quality from year to year. Between fires and droughts, there have been some challenging years. In 2020, fires prevented Parallel Wines from producing a cabernet, but they were still able to produce chardonnay. “Melka has the impressive ability to create consistency,” says Steve. “With nationwide alcohol sales down, we are defying the odds.”
Parallel Wines remains a small winery, producing just 1,000 cases per year. One of the winery’s cabernets can be purchased in Utah liquor stores and at local restaurants including Riverhorse on Main, Sterling Steak and Lounge, The St. Regis Deer Valley and tupelo Park City.
However, if you want to head straight to the source and sample Parallel’s entire wine portfolio paired with seasonal Napa Valley cuisine put together by Smith, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, traveling to Napa Valley is now a breeze. Last fall, Aero Airlines launched a flight from Salt Lake City to Napa Valley. The Thursday and Sunday schedule is perfect for a weekend getaway to Los Angeles and Napa Valley. The winery also hosts private, by appointment tastings at its winemaking and hospitality home.
