The International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) was held this past weekend in McMinnville, Oregon. The IPNC is marketed as "three days of seminars, tastings, tours and one-of-a-kind meals with sixty international Pinot noir winemakers, all within the beautiful backdrop of Oregon wine country." Although I wasn't able to attend this year's event, it was almost like being there after reading Alder's daily posts on Vinography.com. Alder has clearly set the benchmark for covering a wine event. His focus on the people encountered and stories shared makes for some great reading and wonderful insights. Alder's reporting style makes you feel like...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:59 AM | Permalink

When this month's Seattle Magazine arrived in the mail, I noticed a cover feature entitled, "Washington Wines: 24 Hot New Releases". Opening the magazine, I expected yet another "best of" article on Washington wine, complete with ratings and reviews. To my pleasant surprise, the feature really went beyond the bottle by focusing on the history, people and places behind Washington wine. I really enjoyed seeing the group photos identifying some of the state's wine pioneers and families, as well as the next generation of folks involved in growing, making and selling wine. The insightful articles on new viticulture areas, the...

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Posted by Thad W. at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DaMa Wines was a pleasant surprise amongst the many tasting rooms in downtown Walla Walla. On the day I visited, Mary Derby, the “Ma” in DaMa, was working the tasting room bar in their well designed, modernist space located on Main Street. She and her business partner, Dawn Kammer, the “Da” in DaMa, have clearly created something novel with this new wine venture. DaMa Wines was offering complimentary tastes of 4 wines (a riesling, viognier, syrah, and cab sauv), all from various appellations within the state. Although DaMa’s wines are targeted primarily to female drinkers, they would be suitable at...

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Posted by Thad W. at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Fort Walla Walla Cellars maintains a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla, while the actual winery is located outside of town. The tasting room is housed in what was once a corner gas station, although you wouldn’t know it from either the outside or inside. I learned this from Terry, their tasting room manager, who also informed me that Fort Walla Walla Cellars’ name was chosen due to the two founders, Cliff Kontos and Jim Moyer, being history buffs. I enjoyed meeting Terry and hearing his stories about the winery's founders, why they got into the business, and how they...

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Posted by Thad W. at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Whitman Cellars winery is located a few blocks west of downtown Walla Walla. It's in the same industrial area where Amavi Cellars and Canoe Ridge wineries are located, but is situated on a corner underneath some trees giving it a sense of being "in the country". Their tasting room is spacious and offers one of the most unique ways to go beyond the bottle while sampling their wines. As soon as you enter the front door, there is a glass wall that allows you to see right into the barrel room. What a great design idea to help showcase what...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:50 PM | Permalink

Wow, what an amazing beyond the bottle experience I had visiting the Amavi Cellars winery, which is located in an industrialized area west of downtown Walla Walla. The name, Amavi, is derived from the Latin words, amor (love), vita (life), and vinum (wine). Their mission is “to capture the best of love and life in every bottle” of wine. It’s clear this mission extends to the winery experience. Whatever the Amavi Cellars winery lacks in terms of its setting, they more than make up for it in providing a great experience inside their tasting room. In fact, they lived up...

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Posted by Thad W. at 12:41 PM | Permalink