There are plenty of new vintage varietals ranging from great new blends (many), Syrah (Kerloo, Saviah Cellars, Spring Valley, Stephenson Cellars, Va Piano, WW Vintners), plenty of Malbec (WW Vintners, Flying Trout, Gifford Hirlinger), Petit Verdot (SuLEi Cellar, Otis Kenyon, Three Rivers, Gifford Hirlinger), a Walla Walla Pinot Noir (Stella Fino), Grenache (Trio), Cab Franc (Three Rivers), Mourvedre (Trio), Tempranillo (Gifford Hirlinger), a Super Tuscan from Zerba and a new Zinfandel from Trio.

We are excited to hit some of the harder-to-get-into tastings such as Abeja (by invitation to their list), Bunchgrass, a Maurice, Long Shadows, Foundry Vineyards, Reynvaan and Corliss (invitation).

We are also keen on the great member events such as the Blending seminar at Northstar given by winemaker David (Merf) Merfeld and club parties at Three Rivers, Sinclair Estates, Saviah Cellars and Dusted Valley. Even if you are not a club member, check out these events as they will generally allow guests for a slight upcharge for non-members.

Of course, the fun doesn’t wait for Saturday to start. Friday is often the best day to visit your favorite tasting rooms, it is far less crowded and the wineries are more inclined to hang out, show you what they have in tanks and maybe offer a special taste. If you haven’t checked out Charles Smith‘s new tasting room on Spokane Street, his Blues and BBQ every Thursday night is another good reason to get to town early.

Another good reason to get here early is to not miss the tour de force that is Marilyn, Forever Blonde playing at the new Power House Theater. The one-actress play has just had its run extended through next weekend before heading to Off-Broadway.

Walla Walla has become as much a foodie town as it is a wine center, so you won’t go hungry. L’Ecole No. 41 is having a special winemaker dinner on Friday evening in celebration of their 10 consecutive Wine & Spirits Magazine “Winery of the Year” honors. Saturday night sees wine dinners at Va Piano and Dunham Cellars. And of course you’ll want to check out the new Public House 124 and be sure to stop when you see Andrae’s Kitchen, Walla Walla gourmet food truck.

With so much going on, you had better do some planning, here’s a link to the Fall Release Guide that the WWV Wine Alliance has published and be sure to check our event calendar as some wineries are knee deep in grapes and are only now figuring out that Release weekend is right here right now!

Be sure to check with Walla Walla Wine News for a listing of all the winery events all weekend. Join in the fun by posting status updates, great happenings by using #WWFallWines as the weekend twitter handle.

Currently, we have more than 50+ events listed on our event calendar that weekend, here is our growing short list of some of the best!

“MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHTS”

• Don’t miss visiting Kurt and Vicki Schlicker at Rulo Winery. This gem of a winery (one of those great finds when you get off the official map) had their $15 Syrca recognized on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buy List 2010. Sunset Magazine‘s November issue named the 2007 Rulo Syrah $20 in their Top 8 Western Wine Awards.
• Sunset Magazine also gave shout outs to Waterbrook’s 2007 Merlot-Cab $11 ($15 and under), Rotie Cellars’ 2008 Southern Blend $35 and Northstar 2006 Walla Walla Merlot $50 ($30-$50). Congratulations to these wineries!

• Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman, Catie McIntrye Walker, opens her wine shop on 2nd Ave, just a few doors south of the Marcus Whitman Hotel.

• We admit it, we are crazy about Andrae’s Kitchen Food Truck ever since we profiled them in our September What’s Up issue. The great news is that they will be stationed at various wineries throughout the valley during Fall Release Weekend. Look for their delicious gourmet grub at Corlis Winery on 2nd Ave., Thursday, 11-3. On Friday, November 5, AK’s will be parked at Saviah Cellars on the southside for lunch, then back to Corliss Winery for dinner 5-7:30 PM. Saturday is booked for a private winery gig at Dusted Valley (all you lucky Stained Tooth Society members!), but if you miss them at any of the above, you can catch them at Woodward Canyon on Sunday from 11-3PM.
• Tero Estates & Flying Trout Wines invite you to a rooftop party, appetizers, a bonfire & s’mores at their Milton-Freewater vineyard on Saturday 11/6 from 1-4pm. For those who have made the trek out to historic Windrow Vineyards, you already know the great wines, the great people and the awe-inspiring view.Soon, though, you will be able to taste their wines right downtown, at the corner of Rose and 2nd. Where you say? The former bank location at the Marcus Whitman Hotel is being renovated to hold two to three wineries. Oh, room service!
• Le Chateau Winery launches their Nicola’s Redmark tier of wines; Red Blend, White Blend, Pinot Grigio and Riesling, each priced at $9.99/btl/$99.99 a case. Also, don’t miss the buy of the weekend, Kelso Case Sale $44. Your choice of white or red wine.
• Be sure to check out the new digs for Trio Vintners. This summer they moved out of their airport location and into downtown. They are celebrating their move downtown with a Grand Opening celebration all weekend. You can find them on 2nd between Alder and Popular.
• For the best food & wine experience, reserve a space at winemaker dinners being held at Waters Winery, Northstar Winery, Patit Creek Cellars and  Dunham Cellars.
• Wine writer Paul Gregutt will be all over town this weekend, signing copies of his new book. You’ll find him at Abeja on Friday, noon to 3; Isenhower from 3 to 6. On Saturday, he’ll be at Nicholas Cole from noon to 2; L’Ecole from 2:30 to 4:30; then at Northstar’s Winemaker dinner that evening.

• CreekTown Cafe has reopened under new ownership and with a new name: South Fork Grill. The great news is that you will see familiar faces as owners, Jodi Worden and her husband have rehired many of the CreekTown employees. Even better news is that Chef Namil has retained CreekTown favorite dishes, but has also added Indian-influenced dishes to the menu along with Sunday night curry specials.  Sample menu from a recent Facebook posting: Clams with a green curry sauce & arugula cherry tomato salad and/or Braised Indian spiced chicken with curried chickpeas and spinach, fresh baked naan sprinkled with kalonji seeds. Phone number remains the same 509 522-4777.
• Someone’s in the Kitchen (SITK) has added Thursday through Saturday evenings from 5-9PM. We love Chef Gene’s preparation of healthy, creative, yummy food at affordable prices. Check out their dinner menu.
  
• For an insider’s Walla Walla experience, sign up for the cheese and wine class with Monteillet Fromagerie & Lullaby Winery. While you are in Dayton, be sure to stop by Dumas Station Winery. Their Cow Catcher Red is one of the great values in the valley.
• Not quite ready for prime time, Plumb Cellars will be opening their doors literally on this weekend at 9 S 1st (next to Aloha Sushi). Their tasting room will still have  renovation dust in the air, but you’ll have a chance to meet the enthusiastic gang and taste their wines.

We will be adding to this list right up until Thursday, November 4. So be sure to check back or add your picks in our comment section.

Have a great and safe Fall Release Weekend!

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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