Walla Walla WA

Wine Wednesday in Walla Walla Washington

Wine Wednesday (#WW), it usually comes
around every week. It’s a nice time for
us winos out there to reach out to one
another and say hello,  and to give good
cheer. Where you spend wine Wednesday is
usually important to how much fun and wine
you will get to consume. Maybe you like to
get together with friends and share bottles
of wine? Or maybe you open up a special bottle
at home? Or maybe you just grab what ever is
on the counter, like I do everyday? Well,
Walla Walla is a great place to spend a Wine Wednesday!
Walla Walla’s first present day winery, Leonetti
Cellar, was bonded in 1977. In 1984, when Walla
Walla received itsAVA, there were four wineries
and 100 acres of vines. Today there are more
than a 100 wineries and 1500 acres of vineyards.
So plenty of places with great wine.

Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman

So of course the obvious choice is to head out to
all 100 plus wineries and  taste away. However,
most of work so we don’t get to taste much on a
Wednesday and by evening the tasting rooms
are closed, but there are a couple of great places
still open to go and taste. I usually will go to the
Vineyard Lounge inside the Marcus Whitman,
very nice accommodations, for some quick
happy hour. Then you have two hours, 5-7
to go tasting.

Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman

First stop is always Wild Walla Walla
Wine Woman, 19 N. Second Ave. Owned by
Catie (@catie on twitter and @walla2winewoman)
Every Wednesday she has a winery or is tasting
types of wine from around the state or even around
the world. I have been fortunate enough to taste
through several wineries and several different
types of wines. She also always has some nice
cheese and chocolate to tempt your taste buds.
Added bonus the wines being tasted are
discounted on that day so its easy to take
home some fine wine!

Catie

The second place is right across the street,
Vintage Cellars (10 N Second Ave). Vintage
is a great place to grab a glass or bottle of wine
or a tall beer. But on Wednesday, they feature
a winery from 5-7. The winery is there pouring
bottles of some of their best wines. Giving you
time to chat with the winery,
usually the wine maker. I have had the pleasure
of tasting Seven Hills, Tertulia and Kerloo to name
a few!

Kerloo Cellars at Vintage Cellars

So if you’re in Walla Walla on Wednesday and
it’s getting late don’t worry there are a couple of
places that you can taste before heading off to a
wine filled dinner, Cheers!

Tertulia Cellars at Vintage Cellars

2011 Indie Wine & Food Festival

What do you get when you head over to an abandoned warehouse in northeast Portland in a Taxi Cab on Saturday? Well if it was May 14th you got an excellent taste of some great independent wines in the 7th annual Indie Wine & Food festival. This year there were over 30 wineries in attendance. Fourteen new wineries were selected and thirty past winners were invited back. The qualifier to be in the festival is a producer of 2500 cases or less and then be judged into the fest.

There was a wide variety of wines there from the Rogue Valley AVA to the Walla Wall AVA.  There were several produces who bring in their grapes from WA and make wine in Oregon some even in Portland. I was fortunate enough to taste a couple of the Urban wines, Seven Bridges Wine and Helioterra Wines. While the entire day was fantastic, not even mentioning the food, here were a couple of stand out wines that I tried.

White Rose Estate, Dundee Hills, Pinot 2008

White Rose

Carlton Hill, Yamhill Carlton, Pinot 2009

CArlton Hill

Seven Bridges, Columbia Valley, Malbec 2008

Seven Bridges

J.Scott, Rogue Valley, Grenache, 2009

J. Scott

List of all wineries:

http://www.indiewinefestival.com/wines.php

Cheryl invited me to swing by and try some of their great wine. How could I say no? I didn’t. Cheryl is the owner with her husband Tom and the passion behind great wine. The wine maker is Robert Smasne and the assistant wine maker, whom I had the pleasure of meeting too, Greg Matiko.

Skylite Cellars

Skylite Cellars

The Wine

Ora is a signature blend of estate-grown Semillon, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. Great easy drinking white wine.

Desert Wind Winery

Inside Desert Wind Winery

Red Mountain

Fidelitas Winery

Cooper Winery

Terra Blanca

Terra Blanca