Tourists pour into Walla Walla Valley for Spring Release weekend

Forget about the music, the barrel-making demonstrations and the outdoor massages in the middle of a vineyard.

At Tamarack Cellars owner Ron Coleman said the draw is what’s in the barrels.

“We just made great wine again,” Coleman said, explaining why he believes his crowds were up from the previous Spring Release weekend.

Though the entertainment factor was minimal for his and the next-door wineries, Revelry and Mannina, the crowds were plentiful, especially when a bus loaded with Pasco tourists were dropped off.

“It comes in waves. This is a big time of year, a busy season … We had a very good, busy Thursday and Friday. So it has been a very … Continue Reading

Cupcakes and beer make splash at Feast Walla Walla

Cupcakes and beer made their debut among the fine foods and wines at this year’s Feast Walla Walla.

But unknown to many local oenophiles, beer has already debuted in many local wineries, sometimes through the back door, said brew master Court Ruppenthal.

As the owner of Laht Neppur Brewing Co. in Waitsburg, Ruppenthal said he does a number of regular deliveries to Walla Walla wineries, which usually buy his 21/2-gallon “pigs” for their own personal consumption.

“It’s kind of a route. When someone is getting one (a pig), I will call and see if other guys need one,” and usually they do, he added.

Apparently Feast Walla Walla needed a couple pigs as well, and Ruppenthal noted coordinators approached him about selling his beer at this year’s event. But instead of pigs, he brought … Continue Reading

Feast Walla Walla flourishes

First Avenue between Main and Alder streets was closed Saturday to accommodate a 40-by-400-foot tent where more that 400 people took part in the Third Annual Feast Walla Walla.

“It looks like our wine sales were higher than last year, and at least two artists did very well,” said Jennifer Northam of the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation.

Wine sales weren’t all that was up; this year five more vendors were added for 50 mostly wine and food purveyors who served up their creations from 1-4 p.m.

In addition, several local restaurateurs who had opted out of the previous two Feast Walla Walla events decided to take part this year.

“They were kind of holding back to see how the event did, and now that we have had two successful years, they felt it was time to join us,” Northam said.

Also different this year were the addition of four open-flame … Continue Reading

Despite major road work, wineries on Cherry and Pine open for business

The road may be closed for construction, but wineries in the area of 13th Avenue and Pine Street are still open for business, operators say.

Construction under way by the city will improve the roadway in that area. In the meantime, winery operators say they hope customers aren’t deterred by the detours and roadwork.

Whitman Cellars, 1015 W. Pine St., is offering complimentary tasting. That winery is accessible only from Pine Street east of 13th Avenue. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Canoe Ridge, 1102 W. Cherry St., and Amavi, 635 N. 13th Ave., can be accessed via Cherry Street. Hours for Canoe Ridge are 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Amavi operates 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Win tickets to Feast Walla Walla

Feast Walla Walla is taking place in downtown Walla Walla next week on Saturday, April 10. It is organized by the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation and features some of the best wine and food in our lovely valley. You can also expect art and music as you roam around the tent with your complimentary wine glass and and small tray full of  food samples. And when we say food, we also mean delicious desserts. And when we say wine, we also mean delicious beer.

They are expecting 34 wineries and over 15 restaurants this year. The cost is $45 per person which gets you 10 tokens that can be used to sample Walla Walla Valley wine or sample food prepared by some of the best chefs in town. Wine and Dine Walla Walla will be covering the event so stop by our table to say hello.

We’ll be walking around the tent with a camera and interviewing local winemakers, chefs and random people enjoying the festivities. If you can’t attend, we’ll be shooting short video profiles with all the participating wineries and restaurants. We’ll try to post those throughout the day. We will also be setting up an … Continue Reading

#WAMerlot at Walla Walla’s Otis Kenyon tasting room

Sapolil Cellars serves blues, drinks

WALLA WALLA — For the last three of seven years, local music and local wine have poured through Sapolil Cellars‘ downtown tasting room.

But on Friday, the Sapolil label gave up its proprietary spot on the tasting room’s beverage list as top billing went to an out-of-town band, “Billy Roy Danger & The Rectifiers.”

It was all part of a plan, winemaker and co-owner Abigail Schwerin explained, to transform the Main Street tasting room into an intimate and well-known blues concert venue, one that will attract the biggest performers from the Pacific Northwest.

“To be able to see the beads of sweat on their faces while they are performing is amazing,” Schwerin said, the day after the concert.

About once a month, Sapolil Cellars will bring in some of the biggest regional names in blues music to build a venue and to introduce more people to Sapolil wines.

Already, the few major performers who have played in the tasting room have responded positively to the crowds and the acoustics, Schwerin said. She noted how award-winning blues and jazz trombonist Randy Oxford recorded a CD in the tasting room in 2008 after coming in one Sunday for a sound test and deciding the acoustics were perfect for his next live recording. … Continue Reading