This month, Marilyn Forever Blonde, opens for a two-week run before heading to New York. In December, Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory will take the stage.

Always heralded for our great historic downtown, some fun new restaurants and specialty stores have joined the retail mix. In April, Green Spoon Eatery started serving their healthy, tasty food for brunch (weekends) lunch and dinner at a sophisticated new spot on Main Street just a few doors from Bright’s Candies. Look for Green Spoon to offer ready-to-go meals sometime this month.

At the end of July, Public House 124 (124 E Main) opened on the block between Colville and Spokane to fans and steady crowds. Everyone’s favorite bartender at the hotel, Matthew Price-Huntington and building owner Jim Sanders put together a great team including chefs David Ponti and Chris Teal, former sous chef at Whitehouse Crawford to create what they are calling “a social dining experience.” What that means is an exciting, casual but seriously good food joint with a dizzying lineup of liquid refreshments, where reservations are unnecessary and you will definitely want to wait for a table on busy nights.

Up Hwy 12, in Waitsburg, Charles Smith opened Anchor Bar on Main Street across jimgermanbar. Look for live entertainment on weekends, including the ‘burg’s resident wine writer and musician, Paul Gregutt.

Vegans rejoice! The Garden Vegan Café opened this summer, next door to Colville Street Patisserie with healthy choices including gluten-free options.

Two new establishments for breakfast are also in the works. Maple Counter Café on Alder next to Marcy’s Bar plans to serve breakfast and lunch, while Bacon & Eggs will be another breakfast option on Main closer to the Whitman Campus. No dates yet for their respective openings.

Over on Spokane Street in the Warehouse District, Stephenson Cellars has morphed into an art gallery with new artists showing every month as well as a pop-up store within the tasting room called Casa Girasol.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. The pop-up pottery shop is a venture from the people who own Girasol Vineyard & Inn and features artisan pottery from Mexico. These rustic, earth-toned clay pots, many belt-high and taller, are crafted by traditional methods in small family compounds.

Next door to Stephenson Cellars, (in Annabelle’s former spot, they closed in June) Lotus, a new import store for clothing and jewelry from Thailand and India has opened. Further up Spokane Street, Charles Smith Wines is a mecca for everything black and white in his stunning new tasting room. If you are in town Thursday nights, don’t miss his Blues & BBQ from 7-10PM.

Several new vintage stores have opened, our fav from last year, DéBouché, next door to Brasserie Four, has great vintage furniture updated with carefully chosen vintage and new accessories.

In July, Door Number Two, a vintage clothing and furnishings store, opened next door to The Garden Vegan Café in a tiny space but some friends have told me what great finds they have uncovered including designer handbags and gently worn cowboy boots.

And in the former location of Cheese Louise, Greg Roybal and Alexa Palmer opened a higher-end recycled clothing store, Blue Mountain Trading Company. If we have their concept right, they canvas the best of the discount and consignment stores on the coast and pick only the most fashionable, highly desirable pieces to bring back to Walla Walla. Some of their finds are repurposed into an entirely different garment, such as taking a fleece hoodie and reinterpreting it into a sexy halter dress.

On the sad news, downtown saw the closing of the only full-time art gallery, Willow in September. And currently, the home decor and accessories shop, By Arrangement, is selling everything as the owner is retiring and closing the store.

You’ll notice that we haven’t even started talking about what’s news in the Walla Walla wine world. We’ll leave that for our Fall Release edition that will come out just before the big weekend in November (4-6).

However, if you are planning a visit, book your stay now. Long-time visitors know that accommodations go quickly and you will want to reserve those dinner reservations as well.

Until then, go drink some Walla Walla wine.

by Guest Blogger Michele Rennie

If Walla Walla was just wine, it would be just half the winning equation, don’t you think? While it has been the wine that brings our valley its most recognition, increasingly, W2 has become renowned for really good food and celebrated food producers. And this chemistry of award-winning wine, great food and an audience that gets excited by the fusion, makes Walla Walla a compelling place for both residents and visitors alike.

April’s Good Food News starts with national recognition for Chef Chris Ainsworth of Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen, when the talented chef made the short list for this year’s James Beard’s Best Chef Northwest nomination. Frequent visitors and food savvy locals have had Island’s number memorized since the restaurant opened in 2007.

Foodies already know Whitehouse Crawford and T. Maccarone’s. Add in Brasserie Four, Someone’s in the Kitchen, Olive Marketplace, Colville St. Patisserie, Backstage Bistro, Crossroads Steak House and Sweet Basil Pizza, and the hunger cravings will be satisfied within a few steps of the downtown tasting rooms.

South of Downtown (SODO), South Fork Grill emerged from the closure of Creektown Café last fall to strong local encouragement. Not only did they keep our favorite C-town dishes on the menu, but recently introduced prime rib on weekends and Sunday night curry specials as part of Chef Nimal Amarasinghe’s culinary influences.

January’s big surprise was the abrupt departure of Executive Chef Bear Ulman from the Marcus Whitman Hotel after nine years.

In their search for new top chef, the hotel interviewed candidates from all over the US, who came to town and auditioned by cooking up a storm for Kyle, Brenda and lucky friends.

By mid-February, the hotel announced that Chef Antonio Campolio, most recently from The Broadmoor, a destination resort in Colorado Springs, had accepted the hotel’s top food job.

With the new year changes, the hotel also stopped serving lunch. Since 1999, after Kyle Mussman restored the hotel, The Marc Restaurant was the venue for a business meal and until a few years ago, one of a few places downtown that offered lunch service. Now, with so many more dining options available in the downtown core, the hotel has shifted focus to their Chef’s Table, The Marc Restaurant, The Vineyard Lounge and their catering and convention business.

Never fear, there are an abundant of great lunch options including Graze (directly across from the Colville Street entrance to Macys), Olive Café & Marketplace, Salumerie Cesario’sWalla Walla Bread Company’s soups and sandwiches in their newly expanded space and Pho Sho on Alder Street.

If you can’t sit down for lunch, grab a sweet onion sausage from Onion World, something tasty from a nearby taco wagon or local favs, Ice-Burg Drive In with great burgers, fries and shakes or Fast Eddies for their awesome pastrami sandwiches, (one is large enough to share_, to get you through the afternoon. You can even go upscale at Andrae’s Kitchen, located most weekdays at the hotel (just off 2nd Avenue from 11-2:30 p.m.) offering gourmet grub from their fully equipped mobile kitchen.

AK’s food truck also serves a more important purpose; it gives owner and Chef Andrae Bopp the ability to deliver great food experiences anywhere– from crush pads to remote vineyard settings.

Chef Bopp is a classically trained chef who operated a fine restaurant in Boise until 2008, when he came to town with the intention of opening a chic upscale restaurant here. While he waited out the downturn, he honed his winemaking skills working with his friends at Dusted Valley Vintners.

He soon uncovered an untapped niche – the opportunity to deliver culinary experiences in extraordinary settings. In March 2101, he launched La Porte Brune’s underground dinners to an enthusiastic following. These fine food extravaganzas included top notch fare paired with exquisite wines in unusual and sometimes hard-to-gain-entry locations, including Corliss Estates, Orchidaceae and in most recently, celebrated his first anniversary of the project at Garrison Creek Cellars. To find out where the next underground dinner will be (Walla Walla of course, but also Seattle and Boise), visit his website and sign up for notifications.

We are also excited that Someone’s in the Kitchen just opened a second location at 13 E Main titled Green Spoon that will offer lunch, dinner and weekend brunches. The original location on Rose & 4th will continue to offer cooking classes and host private events.

There are also changes at Fat Duck Inn. While Chef Charles Maddrey takes a hiatus for family reasons, Chef Greg Schnorr has stepped into the kitchen. Working with Fat Duck’s Alexa Palmer, they have put together a series of winemaker dinners every Friday and Saturday evenings starting this spring and running through the summer.

Chef Schnorr has an extensive culinary background from his baking and pastry chef degree at Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif., to working with Wolfgang Puck and Napa’s Bistro Jeanty. No stranger to Walla Walla, Schnorr attended Whitman College and worked in the local food scene for a number of years, at Whitehouse Crawford and Creektown Café before joining the Walla Walla Community College’s Culinary Program as an instructor.

Passionate about sustainable agriculture, Schnorr has a large organic garden, raises Berkshire pigs and makes wine, specializing in Italian varietals.

This summer, Walla Walla Valley foodies are in for a major culinary happening. On July 13, Monteillet Fromagerie is hosting the only Eastern Washington venue of “Outstanding in the Field” farm-to-table dinner, featuring Whitehouse Crawford Chef Jamie Guerin.

On OITF’s website, they mention that this is the first public event that they have done in Eastern Washington. However, this is not the first time that they have graced Walla Walla with their presence. Last year, they were in town for a private dinner for Figgins Family Wines that showcased Lostine Cattle Company Grass-Fed Beef. At that dinner, they met Pierre-Louis and Joan Monteillet and knew that their first public E. Washington dinner had to feature their farm and story.

While their model has often been imitated, these are the people who started the farm-to-table movement back in early 2000’s with the goal of celebrating outstanding producers. They travel the country in their mobile rig “Outstanding” and do large (up to 200 people) outdoor gourmet dinners in a natural setting. Tickets are on sale through OITF’s website for $200 pp.

Celebrating local producers is a key element of the good food movement here in the valley. This month, Blue Mountain Station in Dayton, will open their doors on an eco-food processing park dedicated to artisan, entrepreneurial food companies.

The sad news is that the go-to-source of pasture-finished proteins, Thundering Hooves, ceased operations in March. Unable to keep up with runaway demand for quality grass-fed beef and other meats, they were forced to purchase from other producers, a move that gobbled up their financial resources. Here’s a link to the recent Seattle Times story for more details.

While restaurants from Walla Walla to Seattle scramble to replace Thundering Hooves, locals loaded up with Spofford Station’s grape pomace-finished Cabernet Cow during a recent event at Harvest Foods, where producer and winemaker Lynne Chamberlain featured not only her beef but also her JLC/Spofford Station wines. Talk about the ultimate food-wine pairing!

Postscript: Chef Bear Ulman has recently taken a position with Cave B in Quincy, WA. We wish him the very best.

PPS: Blue Valley Meats, recently formed by Thundering Hooves management employees, has acquired the balance of TH’s inventory and will be selling from a new retail location later this month. Look for their Grand Opening with their pasture-fed product in early June. For more information on their product and mission, visit their website and do sign up for their newsletter.

Michele Rennie is co-owner of Girasol Vineyard & Inn and Board Chair of Tourism Walla Walla. While she moved to Walla Walla for the wine industry, she stays because of all the great food in the valley.

More recently, Precept Brands announced the purchase of Canoe Ridge Vineyard Winery and Sagelands wineries from Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines. Given Precept Brands’ attention to Waterbrook‘s brand, we are confident that these venerable labels will regain their status in the industry.

In December, Mike Neuffer announced that he was closing his Nicholas Cole Cellars winery and tasting room due to family issues and Steve Brooks of Trust Cellars found himself without a winery when his landlord gave him notice. This month, winemaker Matt opened his Fjellene Cellars & Vineyard on the Merlot Drive property.

In January, Trio Vintners changed hands when founders Denise Slattery and her husband, Steve Michener, sold their winery to Karen LaBonte. Karen plans to re-open the 2nd Street tasting room later this month. As for Denise & Steve, we are fairly certain that some involvement with wine is in their future.

In February, three tasting rooms opened in the Marcus Whitman Hotel, with 2nd Avenue store front locations for Tero Estates and Flying Trout and Locati Cellars. For beer fans, Locati’s depot tasting room will feature brews and cigars. Around the corner on Rose, Don Carlo Vineyard opened their hotel tasting room.

Looks like Plumb Cellars (9 S. 1st Ave.) will be getting a tasting room partner, when Mansion Creek Cellars joins them in that space. Look for a marquee change to Wine@Nine!

Finally, work is zipping along at Charles Smith Wines on Spokane Street. Seattle firm Olson Kundig offers a rendering of the front of the building that has been nicknamed “The Velvet Devil.” The winery says they are planning a grand opening on Saturday, April 9, which is also Cayuse Release Weekend and Feast Walla Walla.

Exciting times here in the valley. We’ll post more as it comes our way!

A little dusting of snow over the Thanksgiving weekend is helping ensure that Walla Walla gets in the festive mood for the annual Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend. Wineries are busy putting up lights, wreaths and Christmas trees in their tasting rooms  and in the cellar, winemakers are deliberating over which barrel to pull out for tasting that is sure to delight their visitors.

With more than 85 wineries with tasting rooms in the valley, it is impossible to visit every winery this festive weekend.

Here at WWWN .com, we have done the heavy lifting for you. We have surveyed the offerings and compiled our ‘Must-See’ list to add to your favorite winery stops. This year, our criteria include up & coming wineries, great parties, special events and our ongoing quest to taste the lesser known varietals. Of course, some of our picks fall into more than one category, which gives a visitor an even more compelling reason to put these wineries on your ‘Must-See” list.

If we have missed your favorite winery or your favorite story, let us know!

INTERESTING VARIETALS:
Forgeron Cellars is offering samples from their Zinfandel and Primitivo barrels, while these varietals are genetically identical, here’s your chance to taste them side by side. If you are a member of their wine club, you won’t want to miss their Raclette Party on Friday evening.

Lodmell Cellars at the Airport are releasing their 2008 Lodmell Cellars Port. We are only aware of two other Walla Walla port producers, Whitman Cellars and the now-closed Yellow Hawk Cellar.

Wait, all is not lost! Yellow Hawk Cellar recently re-opened their former location on 2nd and will stay open until mid-December as they sell through their last bit of inventory. Currently, they still have 2008 Sangiovese $12, 2008 Uncle Luigi Sangiovese in the 1 litre flip-top at $8 & 2009 Orange Muscat at $6 (375ml) & $8 (500ml) as well as offering case discounts.

Before there were grapes, there have always been apples in the Walla Walla Valley. Take some time to taste award-winning hard apple cider at Blue Mountain Cider Company, next door to Watermill Winery (same ownership). While you are on your way to Milton-Freewater to visit the wineries or to Petits Noirs to taste both their exquisite chocolates and Stella Fino Italian-varietals, stop in at Zerba Cellars for their just released  2008 100% Walla Walla Reserve Petite Sirah.

GREAT EVENTS:
If you carve great wines coupled with a bonfire, barrel burning and s’mores, there is only one place to be — Tero Estates & Flying Trout at the historic Windrow Vineyard. We mentioned in our Fall Release Report that they will be opening a tasting room at the corner of Rose & 2nd as the Marcus Whitman Hotel converts that space into a multiple winery tasting room.  We haven’t heard the opening date, but when they do, their friends at Don Carlo Vineyards (founder was the Tim of Tim’s Cascade style chips) will be joining them in that prime location.

Wine and art have always been a superb pairing! This Holiday Barrel is no exception with artists and photographers appearing at many wineries. Most notable, Monica Stobie, who in previous HBT’s has shown her work at the now-closed Canoe Ridge Vineyards (winery is still in operation, just the tasting room is closed), will be at Northstar Winery. Faces of Washington Winemakers by Kristin Winn will continue showing at Nicolas Cole Cellars while you can enjoy Squire Broel’s paintings and prints on display at Foundry Vineyards.

However, if you want to mix your wine with an out-of-the-box art show, you will want to check out Le Chateau Winery at the airport for their multi-artist Holiday Wine & Art Show. More than ten artists and crafts people from both Walla Walla and Seattle will display their art in the revamped warehouse space adjoining the tasting room. As if that wasn’t enough of an enticement, Le Chateau Winery will unveil Chocolate Extravaganza, an edible display of chocolate that they are billing as the valley’s largest display of chocolate decadence to pair with their wines and special barrel sample, 2009 Le Chateau Petit Verdot.

Wine books always make a great gift for the Holidays and signed copies make it even more special! Wine writer Paul Gregutt will be signing his new book, Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide, Second Edition at Cadaretta/Artifex on Friday 3 to 5pm, then at Dunham Cellars that evening, 5 to 7pm. Saturday, you’ll see Paul at Walla Walla Vintners 10 to noon and then at Woodward Canyon from 12:30 to 3pm. Author Steve Roberts has just released Wine Trails of Walla Walla, and will be at Northstar on Saturday and at Le Chateau Winery on Sunday from 11-2pm.

Visitors to Walla Walla know first-hand what a gem Walla Walla Clothing Company is for a small city like ours! Great jeans, shoes, boots, sexy tops, fancier stuff for both men and women. If you are here on Thursday, December 2, don’t miss Ladies Night from 5-9PM. Catering by Olive, desserts by  Colville St. Patisserie, wine and 15% discount to boot.

Need to dance? We hear that Friday night’s Bergevin Lane party is always the place to kick up your Jimmy Choo’s while enjoying the catchy music of Snap, Crackle, and Pop with appetizers and BVL wines.

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

At Three Rivers Winery, Bellevue native Geoff Tate of Queensryche will be promoting his Insania wines and offering futures for 2009 Insania Red Wine. Geoff, Scott Rockenfield and other band members will play acoustic holiday songs each afternoon to complete the festive atmosphere. Can’t get enough of Geoff Tate? Take part in a special winemaker dinner with the rock star on Saturday, December 4 at the winery.

FOOD:
AK’s mobile kitchen is serving up some of the tastiest gourmet eats in the valley. Look for Andrae’s fully-equipped rig at Dusted Valley Vintners Saturday & Sunday, while West of the Blues BBQ will be parked at Le Chateau Winery both weekend days.

No reservations? Sapolil Cellars have teamed up with Carissa Bossini, formerly of Caravaggio’s,  to offer her Italian fare on Wednesday through Saturday nights until 8pm.

I’VE HEARD OF THEM, NOW WHERE CAN I FIND THEM?
Robison Ranch Cellars will be open out the Lower Waitsburg Road. Rasa Vineyards will be in their new digs on Powerline Road while TL Cellars will set up shop at Walla Walla’s newest wine shop, Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman on 2nd just south of the hotel.

Of course, 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. If it is cold, head for the heaters on the Walla Walla Wine Works patio or duck into the splendor of the Sinclair Estates Vineyard tasting room while listening to Nashville singer/songwriter Mike Wagoner.  Dress warmly and enjoy this time-honored expression of small town living!

Enjoy Holiday Barrel safely!

It is the wheat farmers, who are busy right now;  the combines are in the fields and the Grain Trains are on the move. It will be a great harvest year with droughts in the world’s other growing areas giving a boost to American wheat prices!

Word from the grape growers is the veraison (when the grapes begin to change color) will be a bit late this year, pushing harvest into October throughout the valley.

On the news front, July was a busy month. The new Hwy 12 opened in June and by July, the exits to reach the wineries on the old Hwy 12 were finally opened after several frustrating weeks for the now-bypassed venues.  Many wineries, including Glencorrie and Skylite Cellars, reported severe drops in visitor traffic due to the new highway.

Green Gables Inn, Walla Walla’s longest operating B&B, closed their doors in July with prospective guests scrambling to rebook their accommodations. Then, at month’s end, we heard the sad news that Creektown Cafe was closing while they restructured.  Hopefully, the restaurant’s closing will be temporary.

At the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance,  Executive Director Elizabeth Martin-Calder resigned to pursue other opportunities.

However, the cycle of business continues; some close, as others are opening. Mackey Vineyards is opening on 2nd in the former Ash Hollow location, who have now moved to the airport at 460 F Street, Bldg 924.  Trio Vintners, the first winery to open in the incubators at the airport, have moved their tasting room downtown to 102 S 2nd and will now be open Thursday-Monday.

By September, a joint tasting room for JLC Winery and Plumb Cellars will open on 1st beside Aloha Sushi. And we hear that the most famous Walla Walla blogger and wine gal, Walla Walla Wine Woman, Catie McIntrye Walker will be opening a retail wine shop on 2nd across from Salumerie Cesario sometime soon.

Vineyard & winery real estate sales chug along under the radar. Drew Bledsoe’s Flying B ranch and vineyard in Echo, Oregon has sold. Rasa Vineyards, who are currently making their acclaimed wine at Artifex, have purchased Hence Cellars property on Powerline Road.

La Porte Brune continues to make a culinary name for themselves with their celebrated underground dinners, now in Seattle, Boise and Walla Walla.  With a mobile kitchen truck arriving soon, look for more white tablecloth vineyard dinners with this talented chef.

Farm-to-Table dinners will be the rave this harvest. Dunham Cellars has their series of harvest lunches and dinners posted on our event calendar. And at Spofford Station, they are putting a twist on the culinary theme by offering vineyard tours and then dinner in their famed Cabernet Cow pasture.  Dinner, of course, will feature the grass-fed, grape-must finished, organic beef that winemaker and grape grower -where does she find the time to do it all? – Lynne Chamberlain produces.

Until next time!

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. Update: Glen Fiona has not reopened a tasting room in Walla Walla. We’ve heard that they are selling the brand from their Silver Lake property in Woodinville.

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!