Blending of art and wine creates Foundry ‘sculpture garden’

The ultimate pairing of art and wine has been masterfully coordinated in an enclosed courtyard at Foundry Vineyards.

On a calm warm day artist Squire Broel pushed open the towering metal gate that leads into the “sculpture garden,” welcoming visitors to the space off 13th Avenue and Abadie Street that’s both an outdoor gallery and winery respite. Museum meets tasting room.

Inside the rich dark wood slats of fencing where tightly packed pavers make up a giant patio surrounded by a meandering stream of compacted gravel, at least seven sculptures from internationally known artists have been thoughtfully positioned, along with hefty planter bins full of young greenery. Tables and chairs set up throughout the space offer restful spots for guests to sip and to drink in the art at the same time.

The vision, Broel explained, is a meeting place of the two worlds, where creativity and thoughtfulness are the common bonds.

“We want this to be a place that extends that dialogue about art and wine,” he said.

Broel, a painter, sculptor and Walla Walla resident whose own pieces are on display inside Foundry Vineyard’s white stucco tasting room, partnered with … Continue Reading

Tacoma professor pens book on global wine market

When he toured Napa Valley 30 years ago, Mike Veseth never imagined writing an authoritative book on global wine economics.

But an encounter on that visit to America’s most famous wine region changed the course of his life when a winemaker on the Silverado Trail struck up a conversation with Veseth. The winemaker discovered he was an economics professor and began peppering him with questions on how the fragile economy would affect his business.

“A famous winemaker taught me to think about wine in economic terms and to consider that supply and demand sometimes matter as much as climate and soil when it comes to what’s in my wineglass,” Veseth wrote in the opening chapter of “Wine Wars: The Curse of the Blue Nun, the Miracle of Two Buck Chuck and the Revenge of the Terroirists,” which was released last week.

Veseth, an economics professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, began thinking about writing “Wine Wars” a few years ago and launched a blog called “The Wine Economist” (www.wineeconomist.com).

“That’s been great,” he said. “I can try out ideas and get all sorts of feedback. Writing the blog helped me to … Continue Reading

App guides way to Walla Walla Valley wines

A new smartphone application is designed to help visitors wend their way through Walla Walla wine country.

An app released late last week is intended to guide consumers through Walla Walla Valley tasting rooms with the touch of a few buttons on their phones. The program is the first of its kind to focus exclusively on the region’s wineries, but is not expected to be the last as more consumers turn to their handheld devices for information.

Local photographer and businessman Brian Gaines tapped a Washington State University student to help develop the programming for the “Walla Walla Valley Wine Guide” app. The free program is currently only available for Android smartphone users. Gaines said he plans to release an iPhone version of the same app within about six months.

The app allows consumers to look up individual wineries through an alphabetical list, or find a list of operating wineries based on … Continue Reading

Could Cayuse provide foundation for another major wine weekend?

As Cayuse Winery releases its new spring vintages this weekend, many visitors from out of town will come to Walla Walla for the release party and to pick up the wine they have ordered.

Traditionally, the major wine weekends in Walla Walla are Fall Release Weekend, Holiday Barrel Tasting and Spring Release Weekend. Yet Cayuse’s April release weekend will draw such a crowd that it has the potential of becoming yet another major weekend.

“We are hoping it will become another one of the big weekends,” said Devon Stinger, interim executive director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance.

“It’s a great way to kick off spring,” Stinger said.

Other events this weekend, including Feast Walla Walla and the opening of a new tasting room on Spokane Street, will benefit from having … Continue Reading

Tru Cellars reopens as area’s first sparkling winery

The brown paper is coming off the windows at Tru Cellars today.

A revamped tasting room for Walla Walla’s ultra sparkling winery — the first of its kind in Walla Walla ¬?– is re-opening at 26 E. Main St., next to Starbucks.

The reopening was slated for noon today. The business was started in 2005 by Chad Diltz and opened its downtown destination just a couple of years ago.

Located in the former spot of Cheval, it quickly became known as a place for baubles as well as bubbles. Tru offered an array of fashion and accessories in addition to its bottles of Viognier, chardonnay, signature Blanc de Blanc and more.

According to the grapevine, the space has undergone a conversion into a sparkling wine tasting lounge.

New paint, art and furniture have definitely been part of the equation, according to Twitter updates from Tru.

Lunch boxes from Salumiere Cesario are also slated for serving in the tasting room on weekends. To learn a little more about the business, visit www.trucellars.com .

Chefs at Feast Walla Walla talk about feeding the hungry crowd

Chefs participating at this year’s Feast Walla Walla tell us about what they cooked up for the crowd.

Uptown Wine Walk downtown to support Walla Walla Aviary

Downtown Walla Walla’s uptown wineries have banded together in a fundraiser for the community’s feathered friends.

On Friday, the five participating wineries of the Uptown Wine Walk will hold a raffle to benefit Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary.

The grand prize: 10 bottles of premium Walla Walla wine. That’s two each from the participating wineries — Charles Smith Wines, 35 S. Spokane St.; El Corazon Winery, 37 S. Palouse St.; Fort Walla Walla Cellars, 127 E. Main St., Sinclair Estate Vineyards, 109 E. Main St.; and Walla Faces, 216 E. Main St.

The wineries have been hosting a monthly Wine Walk as a promotion of the tasting rooms located between … Continue Reading

VIDEO – Preview of Feast Walla Walla 2011

Here is a paid-for video promo for this year’s Feast of Walla Walla. Have you purchased your tickets yet?

Wade Wolfe remains Washington’s winemaking maverick

Wade Wolfe took a roundabout route to Washington wine country, but once he arrived, he began to indelibly change the industry.

Wolfe earned bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in California before heading to Arizona to study the feasibility of growing wine grapes in the Southwest. In 1978, Chateau Ste. Michelle lured him to Washington, where he ultimately oversaw vineyard operations for the state’s biggest winery. In 1983, Wolfe was primarily responsible for writing the petition to form the Columbia Valley American Viticulture Area, Washington’s largest grape-growing region.

He left Ste. Michelle in 1985 to launch a vineyard consulting business, then two years later he and … Continue Reading

New guides, maps out for visitors to Walla Walla Valley’s wineries

A couple of new guides on the market will help visitors find their way through the wineries of the Valley.

The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance will debut its 2011 “Wineries of the Walla Walla Valley” map and guide Sunday during the TASTE Washington Event in Seattle. Starting next week it can also be picked up at the Wine Alliance office, 13 1/2 E. Main St., suite 214; at the Destination Walla Walla window on Main Street and at member wineries. It can also be downloaded at www.wallawallawine.com.

According to an announcement from the organization the map is a reflection of two of the agency’s goals: coordination and sustainability. Through a partnership on the project with Tourism Walla Walla the Alliance was able to access a map developed with the … Continue Reading

Zerba Cellars, Northwest Winery of the Year

A question we are regularly asked is, “What is the best winery?” And this time of year, we can answer that definitely.

Wine Press Northwest has just published its spring issue, in which we feature our annual wineries of the year. This year, our Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year is Zerba Cellars in Milton-Freewater, Ore.

How do we come to such a conclusion? How do we sort out the finest amid more than 1,200 wineries in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho? This year, it was easier than it would seem, thanks to the stylistic winemaking of Doug Nierman and the progressive business thinking of owners Cecil and Marilyn Zerba.

Since releasing its inaugural 2002 vintage, Zerba has proven to be a creator of remarkable wines, first with Cecil Zerba as grower, winemaker, salesman, carpenter and chief bottle washer and then with the arrival of Nierman in 2007. Zerba’s wines — in particular its reds — have shown a remarkable ability to rise to the top in nearly every one of our blind judgings, as well as other … Continue Reading