We are pleased to introduce a new feature for our What’s Up blog ~ a look ahead at upcoming events and news of interest to the wine visitor.

If you follow us on Facebook page or on Twitter, you will have gotten first word of these happenings.

Wineries on the Move:

Trio Vintners are the first of the incubator wineries to leave their airport location. Next month, look for their new tasting room on 2nd between Alder & Poplar Streets. They will use Forgeron Cellars as their wine production facility.

Also moving by late summer, Glen Fiona Winery, which is owned by Washington Wine & Beverage Company of Woodinville, will be relocating their tasting room to downtown.

Lynne Chamberlain of JLC Winery, recently opened her Spofford Station Foothills Vineyard tasting room, just across Stateline into Oregon – easiest way to get there is via Braden Road (look for the sign at Gifford Hirlinger), then 2 miles down Elliot Road, following the road until you reach the first driveway on your left. Open most Fridays and Saturdays with vineyard tours by reservation.

Doubleback, Drew & Maura Bledsoe’s winery, release their inaugural vintage – 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – this month with by-invitation-only tasting on Saturday, June 5.

The Marcus Whitman Hotel has plans for a tasting room on their corner of 2nd & Rose. For more information, visit our real estate listings page.

Sapolil Cellars have a second tasting room planned for Ellensburg.

Yellow Hawk Cellar are ceasing operations and are closing their 2nd Ave tasting room on July 3rd. Until then, they are discounting their wine inventory to move it out.

Wine Events: June

Friday & Saturday, June 18 & 19: Vintage Walla Walla. The Wine Alliance’s stellar vintage tasting event with scores of other activities for attendees.

Saturday, June 19: The Vintner’s Table presents JLC’s winemaker Lynne Chamberlain at her Spofford Station Foothills Vineyards for a vineyard tasting, followed by a wine dinner and campfire.

Thursday, June 24 ~ Sunday, June 27: Washington and Walla Walla’s wine industry welcome the Wine Bloggers Conference, when bloggers from all over North America experience our brand of wine culture.

Saturday June 26: Chef Andrae Bopp presents La Porte Brune’s 4th Underground Dinner. The true movable feast takes place once again at a new location for this 4th Walla Walla dinner. Enjoy an exquisite five courses paired with wines of the world. The menu with the wine pairings will be posted a few weeks prior to the dinner. Exact location will be emailed just days before. To get on the invite list, visit the website and submit a comment with your name and number of people.

Restaurant & Bar News:

Crossroads Steakhouse are leaving Veterans Memorial Golf Course and opening in the former 26brix location on west Main Street.

Something is happening regarding a new dining venture in downtown Walla Walla by the owners of Whoop’em up Hollow Cafe of Waitsburg. When we know more, we’ll post it here, on Facebook and on Twitter @wwwinenews

Look for Waitsburg’s brew pub, Laht Neppur, to add a second location  at the corner of Spokane & Alder.

The Pita Pit, on the corner of Colville & Alder, in the former Luscious location, are adding a full bar to their services.

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New Wineries:

Here is a listing of new wineries celebrating their first SRW (Spring Release Wknd). Make a point of checking them out and welcoming them to the party.

• Riverhaven Cellars will be pouring their 2007 RiverRock Walla Walla wines (Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon) at Skylite Gallery, 7 N. 2nd Ave, Walla Walla.
• Plumb Cellars will be pouring their first vintages at Jacobi’s Restaurant.
• All that glitters  is not always gold ~ sometimes it’s wine! Kathy and Tim Sinclair of SEV (Sinclair Estates Vineyard) open not only their tasting room on Main Street but also their Victorian-restored B&B, Vine & Roses, on Division Street this weekend.
• Robison Ranch join the SRW party with their Lower Waitsburg Road winery open this weekend.
• Tim Kennedy and his wife Lori open their Don Carlo Vineyard for their first SRW. Tim is the founder of Tim’s Cascade Style Potato Chips and recently changed careers to become a vineyard owner and winemaker. Here are driving directions to reach their vineyard and winery:

Head South on Oregon Highway 11 towards Milton Freewater.  Take a right on Sunnyside/Umapine Road,  follow to Winesap Road,  left on Winesap Road, follow to County Road, right on County Road.  Approx. 1 mile on your right is Don Carlo Way.

• While you are in this part of Milton-Freewater, you are just a short drive away from Windrow Vineyard, the oldest commercial vineyard in the county and the new home for Flying Trout and Tero Estates. They have planned a different activity each day of this weekend. For the details, visit WWWN event calendar.

Off the beaten path but worth the visit:

• Spring Valley Vineyards is open at the ranch on Friday and Saturday. We love the drive out the Middle Waitsburg Road for its rolling expanse of wheat fields. The Corkrum homestead has been farmed by the family for more than 100 years. Before you get to the ranch, stop at Couvillon for a taste of winemaker Jill Noble’s Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Bunchgrass Winery has reopened with new energy from Tom, Barb and William. However, the heart of this winery is still Roger.
• After visiting Bunchgrass, be sure to stop in at Glencorrie. The Coldiron brothers have been visiting Walla Walla from California for almost a decade with the vision of basing their winery here. Last year, they opened and with the wine making help of esteemed winemaker Charlie Hoppes (Fidelitas) have released their first wines.
• Stella Fino Winery is pouring their wines at Petit Noirs on Main Street in Milton-Freewater.

Always noteworthy:

• Amavi Cellars open their new tasting room on Pepper’s Bridge Road. We can’t wait to see what they have built and to enjoy the view from their wrap around patio.

• Cadaretta and Rasa Vineyards pour their stellar wines Saturday, May 1  from 10-5PM at Artifex Custom Crush Facility at 1102 Dell Street, off 13th north of Hwy 12.   A $5 tasting fee allows you to taste wines from both wineries.
• Rulo Winery and Isenhower Cellars may not be on your official map, but both small family wineries are producing terrific wines at affordable prices.
• Gramercy Cellars will have their tent up on JB George Road. Eventually, their plan is to build on that location, in the meantime, here’s your opportunity to taste their high-scoring, highly-sought-after wines.
• The Incubator-5 (CAVU, Lodmell Cellars, Trio Vintners, Kontos Cellars and Adamant Cellars) have a terrific weekend of events planned at the airport. Barrel-making demos, fencing (with swords and not posts), BBQ wagon and a rock concert of Friday night.
• Not a new winery, but a new twist on an existing one. JLC’s Lynne Chamberlain opens her Spofford Station Vineyards this weekend with a tasting room, vineyard tours at 2:30 on Friday and on Saturday, 10:30 am and 2:30 pm. Free, however, please register by phoning 509-301-5148. Winemaker JL Chamberlain will be available to talk about the vineyard and current viticulture practices on her farm, including her Cabernet Cow operation.

Where are you going this weekend? Let us know your Must-See wineries.

10:  Taste Stella Fino Italian varietal wines while nibbling on Petit Noirs exquisite chocolates. For all of us dreaming of someday chucking the day job, there is no better inspiration than Marlene & Matt’s  story of leaving corporate NYC to come to Walla Walla to pursue their passion to make wine. Well…the only story that might compete with their story, is the one of the Petit Noirs’ owners of leaving corporate world to learn how to make fine chocolate and artisan baking in NYC and then following their passion here in our valley.

9:  Malbec, everywhere you can find it. Don’t miss Kontos Cellars Malbec (25 cases only), Basel Cellars are barrel tasting their 08 Malbec.

8: Amavi Cellars ‘ new digs on Pepper Bridge Road. While their grand opening is slated for Spring Release, they are inviting everyone to follow their progress on their new facility. And if that wasn’t reason enough, pairing their wines with Diane’s stew makes it a “must-see” on our list.

7:  Rock it out at Sapolil Cellars Friday night with The Randy Oxford Band. Tacoma based Randy Oxford and his energizing blues trombone leads this award winning headliner 6-piece band belting out rock, soul, funk, R&B, and jazz all wrapped around a blues core. 8-11PM. $15, 80 tickets only.

6:  Check out Ryan Raber’s new digs at Castillo de Feliciana! You gotta love just saying that name. Their newly-opened tasting room in the south end of WW is actually in Oregon, but don’t let that stop you, it is literally just over the line and the views and the wines are mighty fine.

5: Reynvaan Winery: Under the helpful direction of Christophe Baron of Cayuse, this winery is poised for great things. Take a drive all the way up Cottonwood Road into the foothills to meet Mike and Gale and their winemaker son Matt. This family is super friendly and clearly delighted to welcome visitors to their property.

4:  Rasa Vineyards: Probably the most diverse story we have seen in a long time. After working almost two decades in the lucrative tech world “to satisfy family expectations,” the brothers, Pinto and Billo Naravane are now making ultra premium, terroir specific Syrah based wines.  Stephen Tanzer scored their first release, 2007 Rasa Vineyards QED 91 pts; the Wine Advocate gave it 93 pts and the Wine Enthusiast Magazine made it an Editor’s Choice 94 pts. This is a winery to track.

3:  Substance Wines will be pouring at Waters Winery. This iconic brand has a lot of mojo;  cool award-winning labels and web site add up to a brilliant way of marketing affordable wines. Oh yes, their winemaking team are pretty cool too!

2:  Grand Opening of Tranche Cellars: This sister winery to Corliss Estates is holding an Open House Saturday from 10-5PM at their facility on Berney Drive (formerly Nicholas Cole Winery). Corliss Winemaker Kendall Mixx oversees  winemaking for the brand, whose mission to provide “uncompromised quality and deliver it to you at a reasonable price.”  Prices range from $16 -$35, with Stephen Tanzer scoring five wines 90+.

1: It wouldn’t be the Holidays without experiencing how we celebrate it here in Walla Walla. On Saturday, Macy’s Parade of Lights starts at 6PM downtown. Best viewing location is right on Main Street.  Dress warmly and enjoy this time-honored expression of small town life!

Enjoy Holiday Barrel safely!

It is the bottle you grab when only you want a glass of wine with dinner.  Or when you just can’t bring yourself to open a more expensive wine when eating lasagna, pizza or hamburgers.  So when you find a great weekday wine, it is a treasure!

Walla Walla is chock full of great weekday wines as more wineries address the magic price point. Certainly, the premier spot needs to go to Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red $20, a wine so popular they built their wine club on the premise that everyone needs at least a case in their cellar at all times.

Our current favorites are Mannina Cellars Sangiovese $22 and Saviah Cellars Jack $18. Another weekday staple, Balboa Winery has staked a claim on tasty red wines such as Cat’s Meow $20. If you are really lucky, your favorite mid-week restaurant’s house wines will be from Balboa.

No stranger to quaffable wines, Charles Smith of K Vintners perfected this concept with Magnificent Wine Company and then sold it to Precept Brands. As soon as he did, he started all over again with new black & white affordable labels.

Substance, a division of Waters Winery, has the cleverest labeling. Their budget-priced varietals are based on the chemistry table that stymied so many of us in college.

Rulo Winery is always in the running for great wines with terrific value.  Just down the road from them is Dusted Valley Vintners with their Boomtown Syrah and Merlot, both wines at $16.

Of course, we can’t forget Three-Legged Dog ($19) by Dunham Cellars and Kick Ass Red ($16) from Yellow Hawk Cellar.

More new wineries are offering wines in this price range. Don’t miss Cow Catcher Red $19 from Dumas Station Winery. This winery recently received 91 pts for their 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($32) from Wine Spectator.  This weekend,  you can check them out at Merchant’s and even better, your tasting is complimentary.

Without a doubt,  there are many more,  so please send your favs.

In the meantime, it’s Thursday so raise your glass with a great weekday red wine!

We have compiled our list of winery hours, new releases and special events in a take-along PDF. Use this as your guide to this year’s Fall Release Weekend. Many wineries have special events including winemaker dinners, art exhibits, food offerings, etc.

As a preview to Fall Release, we will be posting a new blog everyday this week and will be featuring guest bloggers including a ‘Walla Walla Fall Release Survival Guide’ from the famed Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman, Catie McIntyre Walker.

Don’t miss guest blogger and winemaker Denise Slattery of Trio Vintners as she details airport winery happenings and her picks on what not to miss.

Be sure to check back every day as we add events  and new blogs.

Reminder:  If you are coming to Fall Release in Walla Walla, you will have already made your lodging arrangements, but don’t wait to plan where you will be eating. Our restaurants will be very busy this coming weekend, so call early to make sure you have dinner reservations.

We look forward to seeing you here in Walla Walla. Even if you can’t make it to Fall Release, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@wwwinenews) as we tweet all through the weekend.

For the uninformed, or anyone who doesn’t stay completely up to date on everything happening in our favorite little town in the corner of the state, technically Papa loves Mambo is a song made famous by Perry Como in the 50s. However, we know it best as a local latin-jazz band and a proprietary blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon crafted by Sapolil Cellars’.  Usually, the two modern versions can be found together in exuberant form at the only place at the moment to offer live entertainment on weekends in downtown WW.  We say, at the moment, for a posh new drinking with dancing venue will open this fall (corner Alder and 3^rd) that will bring life after work to that end of town.

Sapolil Cellars’ is a family winery owned by Bill & Linda Schwerin and their daughter, Abigail. Bill, a wheat farmer, started making wine about seven years ago. Linda has an interior design business and Abby lives in Los Angeles. They might have been one of any number of WW small wineries, trying to realize a dream by making some wine and maybe make a few dollars doing it. In Bill’s case, things changed when he took over a small corner in Linda’s Main Street shop just two doors down from Merchant’s Deli.

You see, Bill needed Main Street, and Main Street needed Bill. Bill is a genuine people-person, not someone who gets their nose into a computer or other projects and then has to wrench himself away to pour some wine. Bill gravitates to folks like a bee to honey.  In fact, the whole family is super friendly and spending any amount of time with them, makes you feel better about life. And that is even before you have their wine.

Before long, the little corner took over the front of the shop. Then, as it often does with these overnight wonders, the details get fuzzy, but somewhere along the way, Linda’s shop name came down, we began to see Abby a lot more often and they added live music every weekend.

In the beginning, it was a place for local musicians to jam on the old piano that serves as their tasting bar, then it started to catch on. Wine visitors stopped in, before and after dinner for a glass of wine, music and a warm welcome. Single-handedly, Sapolil Cellars’ was breathing life into downtown after 6PM.

The neighbors have noticed and we hear that starting this September, Merchants’ (who are now staying open on Fridays) will have a rotating roster of guest wineries pouring on Friday evenings.

As I said earlier, an overnight wonder! And the wine, well, their 2007 Papa loves Mambo (with its lovely Jeffrey Hill label) is now sold out! But don’t let that stop you from dropping in. They have several Syrahs and a Chardonnay to pour and they are looking forward to welcoming you.  Check out Abigail and Bill’s interview with ‘idrinkyourwine.com.’

Davis will head up the culinary program at three restaurants scheduled to open later this year in the Bellevue Towers — Purple Cafe & Wine Bar, Barrio, and Bliss.” more

*T. Maccarone’s, owner (Tom) has given Chef Jake Crenshaw an equity stake in the restaurant. Way to go! That’s how successful businesses are built. 

*Whitehouse Crawford have expanded both their bar area and bar menu giving the upscale restaurant a more casual option. 

*Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen’s Chef Ainsworth has made the James Beard list for Best Chef: Northwest (story below)

*Creektown Cafe now offer tamales and their outstanding desserts for take away. In addition, they now offer a Mid-Day Menu from 2:30 to 6pm as well as a new kids menu.

*Whoopemup Hollow Cafe and jimgermanbar are always compelling reasons to visit Waitsburg. However, Mardi Gras is extra special!

*Merchants now stays open on Friday nights until 10PM.  

*Salumiere Cesario has expanded their menu options and offer in-store seating and as soon as the weather cooperates, they’ll open their patio. 

*Someone’s In the Kitchen, WW’s cooking school on Rose Street, has a great menu of weekday lunch offerings and weekend dinners and cooking classes. Also kids classes. 

*WW Taco wagons always offer great value for terrific food.