Berle “Rusty” Figgins, Jr. – The Shah of Syrah

Mr Figgins, a consulting viticulturist/winemaker, earned The Shah of Syrah as a nickname in the early days of his winemaking career because of his specialization and leadership in Syrah production.
VitiNW@netscape.net

Bill Krieger – The Cheesemonger

The owner of Cheese Louise in Walla Walla began his cheesemongering about eight years ago, selling cheese on a wholesale and retail basis, offering cheese and wine pairing advice, seeking out and selecting fine artisanal and farmstead cheeses from regional, national, and international sources, and speaking about and demonstrating the selection, care, and uses of premium cheeses.
twitter.com/cheezlouise

Catie McIntyre Walker – The Grapevine

Born and raised in this valley, Catie followed her goal to learn the wine business – from digging in the Walla Walla soil and planting vines – - to capping the finished product on the bottling line. After almost eight years of cleaning spit buckets and pouring for the masses, Catie hung up her corkscrew to open her online wine store, Walla Walla Wine Woman and to pursue her writing.
Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine
Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman
twitter.com/Catie

Amy Rootvik – Roots and Vines

While working at a local wine bar, Amy worked on wine list selections and tasting notes, and came to enjoy helping others find the right wine for their tastes. “Wine is about community,” she says. She found inspiration in a Pablo Neruda poem, “Ode to Wine.”
“I write to share my love for this valley, for the rich culture of this small town, for literature, art, and wine. I work, as Neruda demands, to ‘propagate the canticle of the fruit.’ ”
amyrootvik.com
Walla Walla Wine Cellar
twitter.com/acr43