A note from the Editor

Happy New Year from snowy Seattle. The wine country is a little quiet this time of year, but the awakening is just around the corner. In February the traditional Red Wine and Chocolate holiday will be taking place throughout the Yakima and Columbia Valley as well as the Lake Chelan and Columbia Cascade wine regions.

It's a new year for new adventures in wine country. Mark your calendar now for the upcoming Spring and Summer events like:

- Red Wine & Chocolate, February 17-19,
- Spring Barrel Tasting in the Yakima and Columbia Valleys, April 27-29,
- Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla, May 5 & 6,
- Balloon Stampede Weekend in Walla Walla, May 12 & 13th
- Vintage Walla Walla, June 2 & 3.

Here's to a safe, healthy and prosperous 2007.


Salut!

Jackie Walsh
Communications Director
Washington Wine Country
jwalsh@winecountrywashington.org

Walla Walla: 80+ Wineries and Counting

Though it is one of Washington's smaller AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in terms of vineyard acreage, Walla Walla has long had the largest concentration of wineries in one valley. In comparing the number of wineries to the population, one would expect this growth to level off at some point, but, in fact, the opposite is true. The wineries just keep coming.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board currently reports 108 bonded wineries in the area. That includes all wineries who are licensed and not yet producing as well as a few of the hotels with designated wine rooms or wine distribution. As far as wineries who actually have wine and/or a tasting room and are actively distributing, the Walla Walla Wine Alliance reports 82. No matter what number you look at, the growth is continuous and remarkable.

This begs the question. Why is it with only 1,200 vineyard acres, winery owners continue to flock to this small southeastern town originally known for their onions and wheat?

"Walla Walla was an easy choice for me in selecting the site for my winery ," states industry icon Allen Shoup, owner of Long Shadows Wineries and Vineyards. "I had certain criteria and I looked at all that Walla Walla had to offer:"

•  "First and foremost, my winemaker lived there." Shoup is referring to resident winemaker Gilles Nicault.
•   "Walla Walla has a great airport only 15 minutes to the winery and a well managed community government that tries to help rather than prevent."
•   "There's a very supportive, active, and highly talented community of winemakers and growers in Walla Walla."
•    "Walla Walla is one of the loveliest communities on the East Side with many excellent culinary venues."
•    "And finally, thanks to the wine courses available at many of the colleges, especially the working winery at the Walla Walla Community College and its excellent staff lead by Stan Clark, a great availability of knowledgeable and enthusiastic labor."

There seems to be a mix of new business moving in, like Long Shadows, and native Walla Wallans joining their town's burgeoning wine industry. Va Piano Vineyards' owner and winemaker Justin Wylie is a fourth generation Walla Wallan. After going to college at Gonzaga and spending a year abroad in Italy, he returned to Walla Walla amidst the blooming wine industry and wanted to be a part of it. Justin began making wine with friends in his garage and he and his wife Liz later planted their vineyard in 1999.

"I would have never expected to go from making wine in my garage to owning a 20 acre vineyard and winery," Wylie says.

Va Piano also serves as an incubator for new wineries. Justin and Liz rent out their space and equipment to up and coming winemakers as a way to help them get their feet off the ground. Right now, there are five other wineries in the facility including Tertulia Cellars.

"It makes sense for us small wineries to share costs," states Tertulia winemaker Ryan Raber. "What we pay in a year's lease [at Va Piano} would barely buy one crusher-destemmer."

Tertulia is just breaking ground on their own tasting room behind Northstar Winery on the south side of Walla Walla. Even so, they plan to keep production at Va Piano for the next two or three years. As business grows, they can slowly wean away. Phase two of construction would include their own production facility and more barrel storage.

This type of collaboration and mentorship is not foreign to Walla Walla. Not only are newer wineries working together to share in the expense and agony of getting a new business of the ground; but the more seasoned professionals often times step in to lend their knowledge.

"Of course we help out. It's a reflection on Walla Walla wines and if one succeeds, we all succeed," states Duane Wollmuth, partner in Three Rivers Winery.

For years, Walla Walla wine pioneers like Leonetti's Gary Figgins, Marty Clubb or L'Ecole No. 41 and Woodward Canyon's Rick Small have lent their knowledge to newcomers. And when Ryan Raber brought investors to Walla Walla, Norm McKibbon of Pepper Bridge Winery showed them around and offered his support.

"Ultimately it was the wine community in Walla Walla that made us want to open our winery here," Raber insisted. "Everyone is so welcoming and helpful. I really feel like folks want me to succeed."

So, there you have it, accessibility and support of some of the best talent in Washington wines is a huge draw for new wineries to move to the area. Walla Walla wineries represent quality and it truly is a collaborative effort in many ways.

See a list of Walla Walla wineries and events at www.wallawallawine.com.

Facts & Tidbits

Alaska Airlines "Getaway" to Walla Walla

Did you know?

Alaska Airlines now has a Walla Walla Getaway as a Vacation Package option. The package starts at $299 and includes roundtrip airfare from SeaTac to Walla Walla and two nights at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center. This little package makes traveling to Walla Walla much more convenient for Seattleites and it's a great deal for a wine country weekend getaway.  

Source: www.alaskaair.com
 

Living Wine Country

Along The Wine Road

a'Maurice Cellars, It's a Family Affair

Tom Schafer and his family are the founders of a'Maurice Cellars in Walla Walla. As fifth generation Washingtonians, the Schafer family embodies many things in their winery, the least of which are dedication, family and sustainability.

Maurice Schafer was Tom's father and due to his family and community loyalty, the Schafers have named their wines and winery for him. This is their dedication to not only a family legacy, but to the very values they place on winemaking. The Schafer ancestors were in the timber industry which began an early belief in sustainability, a principal Tom and his family use in their vineyard as well. a'Maurice is a charter member of Vinea, an alliance of Walla Walla wineries and vineyards that adhere to the strict guidelines of sustainable viticulture. www.vineatrust.com  

With a background in Real Estate, Tom used his knowledge, along with two years of research, to purchase what he believes is the best land in Walla Walla. This land, a south facing parcel south of Mill Creek, is the site of their newly planted and of course, sustainable, vineyard.  At the helm of winemaking is Tom's daughter Anna and winery partner, Rich Funk. As co-winemakers Anna and Rich are the talent and passion behind the wines themselves.

Tom's wife Kathleen, their son Nicholas and daughter Stephanie are all involved in the winery in one way or another as well. From providing a discerning palate at blending time to technical support to winery decor and design, a'Maurice truly is a family affair.

"As a sustainable winery, we're always thinking about the future," says owner/winemaker Anna Schafer. "The future of our vineyard, our wines and our family."

To learn more about a'Maurice Cellars, such as tasting room hours and winery location, go to their Web site at www.amaurice.com.

Get a Taste of the Destination

The Whitehouse Crawford Restaurant in Walla Walla

The downtown Walla Walla restaurant of Whitehouse Crawford opened its doors in May of 2000 in a historical building that was once a lumber-planing mill and furniture factory in the early 1900's. Destined to be demolished by the City of Walla Walla, owners Carl and Sonia Schmitt acquired the building in the late 90's and began a makeover. The building itself was sound and many of the historical pieces are showcased in the restaurant today such as a boiler face at the entrance, original floor joists in the red fir floor and historical photos.

Sonia Schmitt grew up in Walla Walla. She met Carl while attending Whitman College. Upon marrying they moved to California and they lived in the Bay Area for many years. Upon deciding to return to Walla Walla in retirement, they knew the town was in culinary dire straits and decided to open a restaurant. (About 3/4 of the building space is leased to 7 Hills Winery and the remaining space makes up Whitehouse Crawford.) The Schmitts were food and wine lovers but had no prior restaurant experience so they sought expertise in Seattle. A few months prior to the opening, the hired Chef Jamie Guerie of Campagne to oversee the kitchen.

When asked how he would describe the cuisine at Whitehouse Crawford, Jamie simply stated, "It's mostly made up of all the things I like."

He focuses on regional ingredients and tries not to source from too far away. In the summer, this is an easy task as Walla Walla has an abundance of fresh produce like onions, asparagus, tomatoes and corn. He also uses a lot of wine in his cooking. Diners will see French influences from Jamie's time at Campagne, as well as his love for Asian dishes and a little Latin American influence to mark his roots. He also strives to appeal to the locals as well as the growing influx of wine tourists.

"Locals like meat and potatoes so we work hard to cater to them," he states, "but we also add some exciting urban and city choices for our wine tourists."

To accompany the small, ever changing menu, Whitehouse Crawford boasts a wine list made up primarily of Walla Walla wines. Recently  there has been an effort to expand and bring in more European wines, surprisingly, at the local patrons and winemakers requests.

"They drink Walla Walla wines a lot and they love them, but they also want to try wines from around the world," Jamie said.

On many nights at Whitehouse Crawford, diners will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with the towns local winemakers as it is truly a favorite for many. For more information such as hours and sample menu, visit their Web site at www.whitehousecrawford.com.

Washington Wine Country Web Site:
Fresh Look and New Features

Washington Wine Country has launched a new Web site with the latest technology to provide a “virtual trip” for the would-be wine country tourist. The site features a special “travel your wine country” community Blog, the latest in Google mapping technology and a magazine feature incorporating the Juice newsletter.

The new Washington Wine Country site aids tourists in their wine country travels by pinpointing the locations of all the wineries by wine region or city as well as the surrounding hotels, bed and breakfasts and restaurants. By clicking on a winery pin, the traveler gets a balloon pop-up with winery photos and an address. Select “more details” and up comes a full page listing containing a short description of the winery, hours of operation and more winery photos.

The addition of the “travel your wine country” blog is an effort to provide community and share suggestions among wine travelers, enthusiasts. A panel of writers including Chef Mike Davis of 26 brix in Walla Walla, are contributing to the blog in such categories as “Food Talk” and “The Experts Talk About Wine.” Other contributors are writing about “Local Takes on the Regions Greats” and “Who’s Who in Washington’s Wine Country.”

For more information and to see for yourself, visit www.winecountrywashington.org.

Regional Promotion Invites Visitors to Washington Wine Country

The Tri-Cities and Yakima Visitor and Convention Bureaus have joined forces to promote Washington Wine Country. A new 30 second spot has begun airing in Seattle on KOMO TV touting the vineyard region from Yakima to the Tri-Cities. Gracing the screen is one of Washington Wine Country's banner images, Red and White Balance. Set to air until mid-April, this commercial is an amazing representation of regional partnerships working together with a unified message. Both VCBs as well as Washington Wine Country have already reported increase in Web site traffic during commercial times. Click here to view the commercial for yourself.

Mark Your Calendar

Please submit your upcoming special events or regional events to events@winecountrywashington.org and we will post them in our next issue.

January / February

No Events Scheduled for January in Wine Country

2/2 Grand Opening! Flying Trout Winery - Flying Trout Winery Grand Opening at 37 South Palouse Street, Walla Walla, WA will be on February 2nd. It will start at 8 pm and will consist of wine and beer, cheeses and desserts and music and friends. For more information (509) 520-7701 or visit www.flyingtroutwine.com . 

2/10 Preston Annual Port Tasting - Visit Preston Premium Wines in Pasco for their annual Port Tasting on  from 7 to 10 p.m.. Ports will be paired with European-style cheeses, crackers, and gourmet chocolates. Each attendee will receive a complimentary wine glass and be treated to live music by guitarist/vocalist Darin Hildebrand. Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30.00 at the door (if any remain). For tickets and more information, call 509.545.1990 ext. 10 or visit www.prestonwines.com.

2/16 - 2/18 Red Wine and Chocolate: Columbia Cascade Wine Region - If you love chocolate and outstanding wines, this is the weekend for you. The participating wineries of the Columbia Cascade Wine Region will be sampling their wines with wonderful chocolate desserts. Come sample some of the finest wines of the Columbia Cascade Wine Region and enjoy great chocolate desserts.
It is an event that has a long history of pairing delicious chocolate and fine red wines. Wineries are located throughout Columbia Cascade Wine Region, Leavenworth, Chelan, Wenatachee and Quincy. For more information, call (509) 782-0708 or visit www.columbiacascadewines.com.

2/17 - 2/19 Red Wine and Chocolate: Yakima Valley -  The natural affinity between dark chocolate and red wine is no secret. The Red Wine and Chocolate event weekend in the Yakima Valley provides a distinctive and elegant offering of delectable chocolate and fine wine. Visit the more than 50 wineries in the Yakima Valley Wine country during this Presidents' Day weekend. Each winery pairs sumptuous chocolate desserts with their very own remarkable red wines.  For more information and to purchase your Reserve Tickets, contact Wine Yakima Valley at (509) 965-5201 or visit www.wineyakimavalley.org. 
 

View a complete wine country calendar at www.winecountrywashington.org/eventCalendar.aspx.