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.

This year, more than 50 winery events have been posted on our events calendar. We can’t remember as many special events in previous years. This year’s offerings include wine dinners, barrel-making demos, music and more music and of course, great food to accompany the newest releases from the valley’s wineries.

Here are our best picks of special events for this great weekend! In addition, there are plenty of wine club events that can be found on our event listings.

Then, stay tuned next week when we release our list of the “Must-See Wineries” for 2010 Spring Release Weekend, including ones celebrating their first release and our short list of “always favorite” stops.

Featured Winery: Tero Estates and Flying Trout

Typically, Spring Release Weekend doesn’t start until Friday, however, for those who can get here Thursday, you won’t want to miss the bonfire and s’mores at one of the valley’s newest wineries, Tero Estates.

Winery and vineyard owners, Doug and Jan Roskelley have teamed up with Ashley Trout of Flying Trout to give her brand a winery home. In exchange, Ashley will  collaborate with Doug on his estate wines.

To kick off their joint venture, they have planned a whopping four days of Spring Release events with imaginative and different activities each day.

Getting to them is a bit of an adventure, but a happy one that takes you to the historic site of Windrow Vineyard, part of the original Seven Hills Vineyard, planted in 1980. Once you get there, you are literally surrounded by both established and newly planted vineyards of some of the most illustrious names in Washington winemaking that includes Seven Hills, Marty Clubb and Figgins Family.

This is where it started for Walla Walla’s wine industry and with the recent vineyard arrivals that include JM Cellars, Octave, Cadaretta and Drew Bledsoe, we predict that this is where wine legends will be created.

Make the trip on any one of the four days, but for those lucky enough to be there on Thursday from 3-7:30 PM, you will enjoy their wines paired with s’mores around the bonfire and great hospitality from Ashley, Jan & Doug!

Highlights Friday, April 30:

• Spring Valley Vineyards Ranch will be open. Off Middle Waitsburg Road. 1-4PM
• Tero Estates & Flying Trout: Fiesta and Bluegrass 9-7:30 PM
• Wine Dinner at Waters Winery with Chef Mike Davis of Purple Bellevue. Reservations required.
• Wine Dinner at Basel Cellars featuring Chef JT of NW Wine Bar & Restaurant. Reservations required.
• Paella Dinner Party at Castillo De Feliciana Winery. Reservations required. (almost sold out)
• Northstar Winery features an Artist Reception featuring watercolors by Jill Ingram. Appetizers, wine tasting and meet the artist. 4:30 -7:00 pm
• Sapolil Cellars: The Randy Oxford Blues Series with The Fat Tones. 8-11 PM
• Kontos Cellars Mixer starts at 7PM. The Black Mercies start playing at 8 PM.

• Spring Valley Vineyards Ranch will be open. Off Middle Waitsburg Road. 11-3PM
• Celebrate with more than just wine at Three Rivers Winery’s  VIETRI Primavera Event from the producers of authentic Italian home decor. 10am-5pm
• Lodmell Cellars, 598 Piper Ave, Walla Walla Airport hosts Tonnellerie Radoux “LIVE” barrel making demonstration. 11-12:30PM.
• Incubator Wineries: West of the Blues BBQ Brunch and Lunch served up at the both days from 10-3 PM.
• Wine Dinner at Basel Cellars featuring Seattle’s favorite Italian chef, Chef Mauro Golmarvi of Assaggio Ristorante. Reservations required.
• Wine Dinner at Waters Winery with Chef Mike Davis of Purple Bellevue. Reservations required.
• Sapolil Cellars presents The Cut where local musicians compete for $100 or more in this local showcase. Each drink purchase allows guests a vote for the best of this night.

Highlights Sunday, May 2

• Pastries and Massage in the Vineyard at Tero Estates and Flying Trout. 9-2 PM.
• Incubator Wineries: West of the Blues BBQ Brunch and Lunch served up at the both days from 10-3 PM
• Lodmell Cellars, 598 Piper Ave, Walla Walla Airport hosts Tonnellerie Radoux “LIVE” barrel making demonstration. 11:30-2 PM.
• Watermill Winery hosts Sequin Moreau Master Cooper Douglas Rennie for a barrel-making demonstration on the patio. 11-3PM.
• Check out this video  on barrel making: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBHB1ek8Qjo

Have fun, taste safe!

For those who are on the vaulted list, the Cayuse weekend is THE reason to travel to Walla Walla to taste the next vintage release and to pick up this year’s allocation as it is the only time that the winery opens up to its customers.

Yes, there is the Provence-yellow store front on Main Street near Merchant’s Deli (recently sold to T. Maccarones, and soon to will reopen as Olive Café). Hopeful visitors often comment that they stopped by the Cayuse tasting room only to see the note on the door, “Sorry, we are sold out.” It takes a local to tell them that that sign has been a permanent fixture throughout this past decade and that the only way to sip the famed Bionic Frog is to get on the list.

Yes, the Frog does things his way. And it appears that while most pricey wines have taken a battering in the snapping shut of consumer’s wallets, he remains just as cheeky.  He does it his way or one imagines no way at all.

In a state with recognized industry leaders such as Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, Woodward Canyon and a handful of others, Cayuse and its iconic frog remain the single most creative (and successful) brand we have. Even the usually irreverent and innovative Charles Smith bows to conventionality when it comes to his tasting room experience. Perhaps this aspect of the business bores Charles and he feels assured that “they will buy.”

What does this change mean? In the past number of years, many wineries have adopted the November Cayuse weekend as their fall release date. We don’t see this changing. The first full weekend in November is a perfect time for Walla Walla wineries to host their harvest celebration. The weather is usually good, if a bit chilly, the mountain pass on I-90 from Seattle is clear and there are no competing industry events. It is a few weeks before the Thanksgiving weekend wine events for Yakima, Prosser and Red Mountain region and a month before St. Nick’s in Woodinville.

No, the real impact will be felt at Spring Release, which got its start from Leonetti when they established the first full weekend in May as their release date. The dilemma will be for those fortunate to be on both lists, “which weekend do I pick if I can only do one?”

Cayuse’s change is great news for our hotels, B & B’s, restaurants and other businesses driven by wine visitors as this will jumpstart our wine season by three weeks.

Did the Frog think about all of this when he made his decision? Probably not! More likely, it was the sheer logistics of hosting his growing list inside the winery that made this decision necessary. By moving the date to April, they can move the party outside.

And what a party it is; great wines, tasty morsels, beautiful people pouring wine for equally attractive tasters and a ribbon of expensive automobiles waiting to pick up their allotted yellow boxes, make Cayuse releases happenings.

Or maybe it is as the Frog said, he needs the warmer weather to be randy!

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!

The Fall Release Weekend is just around the corner and whether you are sage and savvy when it comes to wine weekends or perhaps a newbie, here are a few tips and reminders to help you make the most of your weekend.  First of all and most important: we are assuming that you already have your room reserved along with a few restaurant reservations, because blue tarp camping and staring pitiful at diners with reservations, while drooling on restaurant windows is never attractive.

So how will you survive such a busy weekend? My first suggestion is to head into Walla Walla with the mind set you are here to relax, learn a lot and have a great time.  Also, before you head out the door, take the time to print off a copy of the Walla Walla Wine News Fall Release Guide. This list will assist you in what to expect from the wineries regarding their new releases, activities and their hours for public tastings.  Need a map to the wineries?  Contact the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance for their brochure or catch it online. You can also locate brochures at many of the wineries.

Now, that you have made your list of wineries to visit and checked it twice.  Here is where tourists and wineries are going to find out who’s naughty or nice.  My best advice is to relax. R-E-L-A-X and have a great time.  Be courteous and put your cell phone on voice mail, especially when you are in the wineries.  Are you really that important and if you are, perhaps your Secret Service or Royalty Protection people can answer your calls.

The mornings of wine tasting, walk away from the granola nibbles and enjoy a hearty breakfast. Oh yeah baby, it’s your excuse for biscuits and gravy!  Load up on carbs and proteins and hydrate-hydrate-hydrate! Hydrate with H2O all day! Don’t forget to take the time through the day to have a nosh here and there. Many of the wineries will be serving complimentary appetizers and offering food for purchase throughout the day.

Pace yourself from winery to winery and learn how to spit! It’s the only time momma would approve of you spitting in public.  Take notes of the wines you tasted and don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially if you are a wine newbie.  It’s important to keep an open mind to wines you have previously ignored or did not like, while remembering one winemaker’s chardonnay and vintage may not taste like another.  And while you are keeping an open mind, don’t be all locked into tasting only wines that have received 90-something points and above.  You never know when you may find an affordable treasure that will later be discovered and giving you the advantage of boasting to your wine peers, “I remember them when…”

Keep a realistic goal of how many wineries to visit in one day. The point of these events is to “taste” the wine and learn about the fruit of the area and the winemaker’s style. It’s always a good idea to have a designated driver, but having a designated driver doesn’t mean you have to deaden your taste buds. By the sixth winery visit, your taste buds will become fatigued and fuzzy. So the 25th wine you tasted in one day may taste very different the next time you taste it on a fresh palate.  And the most important reason for not tasting through every wine in the Walla Walla Valley?

We want you to have another reason to come back and visit us!

Catie McIntyre Walker is the original Walla Walla wine blogger at Walla Walla Grape Vine. After eight years of cleaning spit buckets and pouring for the masses in local tasting rooms, Catie hung up her cork screw to pursue her writing and open her online wine store, Walla Walla Wine Woman. Catie also writes a wine column for Walla Walla Union Bulletin’s magazine, “Lifestyles”, blogs for Tourism Walla Walla and is a contributor to Palate Press and Washington Tasting Room magazines.

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.

Two weeks from now, Walla Walla wineries take a break from the mad-dash crush of Harvest 2009.  From the late start of the growing season, to the compressed harvest, it was an unusual year all around. One of my favorite winemakers told me that it was the shortest crush season he can remember.  After such a hectic time, it must be time to party.

Traditionally, the first full weekend in November has  been Cayuse weekend, the only two days that the famed maker of Bionic Frog opens their doors to their adoring fans. This year as every year, wine visitors  will flood our valley.

What Cayuse started, others have joined. As more Walla Walla wineries choose to release their wines this weekend;  the party keeps growing. Look for private events at Corliss Estates, Abeja & Reynvaan Family Winery (their viticulture and wine consultant  is Christophe Baron, owner of Cayuse.)  At these events,  you are either on the list or you will be cooling your heels at the door.

Never fear, later this week, we will roll out our report on who is releasing what new wines and what festive activities are happening that are open to everyone.

If you are coming, lodging accommodations are already in short supply and restaurants will be in over-capacity mode. In this economy, no new restaurants have opened to handle the busy wine & college weekends. However, several enterprising wineries are offering special dinners: Waters Winery (Friday & Saturday) $90 pp, Northstar $85pp/Members$65  and Dunham Cellars $125 pp.

We will be adding events all week, so check back often.

Waterbrook Spring Release “Sneak Preview” Hours: Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday: 10a.m. – 4 p.m. Winery tours will be offered at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. daily. The $5 tasting fee includes a souvenir wine glass and guests will receive 10-30% off wine purchases during the weekend.

The official Grand Opening of Waterbrook’s new Winery and public Tasting Room will take place on June 5-6.

Walla Walla Wine Works Grand Opening, May 1 – 3 (formerly Waterbrook at 1st & Main)
The new winery opening also brings news of a retail transition for the Waterbrook tasting room on 1st & Main in downtown Walla Walla. The tasting room formerly known as Waterbrook will now reopen its doors this weekend as Walla Walla Wine Works. With “new vino” and a “new vibe,” the Walla Walla Wine Works Tasting Room will offer a vast portfolio of premium Washington wines including: Apex Cellars, The Magnificent Wine Co., Pendulum, Waterbrook 1st & Main exclusives and more!

Walla Walla Wine Works Spring Release Grand Opening Hours: Friday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. A complimentary tasting of select Washington wines is available with a $5 tasting fee for Reserve wines. Guests who sign up to receive future promotional offers will receive 20% off weekend purchases.