Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine Returns to Share Syrah

BY MEGHAN FITZGERALD

PHOTOS COURTESY RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES & WALLA WALLA VALLEY WINE

An event two years in the making, coordinated with great professionalism, and even greater patience, by Walla Walla Valley Wine, Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine made a comeback in 2022 worth the wait! With a style distinctly Rhone, but with a reach that defies region, Syrah was the subject of celebration this year, bringing people from all over the United States, as well as destinations beyond, to the Walla Walla Valley, and most importantly together. 

While anticipation had been building for weeks, the celebration officially began on Thursday, July 14th, with the Syrah Kick Off Event held at Walla Walla’s own Gesa Power House Theatre with a dynamite introduction and subsequent talk from US Executive Editor for JancisRobinson.com, Elaine Chukan Brown.

Offering a taste of the variety prior to the actual tasting, Elaine introduced her audience to the Syrah grape, the Walla Walla Valley, and the people, including herself, who made the weekend not only possible, but impossible to miss.  The short film which followed, supplementing Elaine’s explanation with testimonials from wine growers, makers, and merchants the valley over, concisely captured the overall sensation of the weekend in its very title.

‘A Love Story’.

Over the course of the weekend, I was fortunate enough to meet the authors of this ‘love story’.  From entrepreneurs to agriculturists to fellow journalists, I spent the celebration in the company of the men and women whose passion for wine and dedication to community wrote the prose that tells the ‘love story’ of both the Walla Walla Valley and wine culture in general.

However, I mentioned something about tasting, and as many stories as were shared that weekend, there was a glass of wine to pair with each one.  CAVU Cellars hosted a Vintage Pour following the Kick Off Event, inviting over 30 wineries from all over the Walla Walla Valley to showcase wines from previous vintage years.

From my time as a student of enology and viticulture in the Valley, I was treated to a sprinkling of familiar faces, both classmates and coworkers, as well as a sea of faces I didn’t know so well, but who embraced a conversation with me for the simple fact that we were all there for the love of wine. 

Taking notes between sips, I was reminded by a particularly enthusiastic couple that ‘life is too short’, and, catching sight of my empty glass, I realized they were absolutely right, so I put down the pen and picked up the glass.

The words would still be there at the end of the night.

Before that night’s end, however, and after the Vintage Pour, Dunham Cellars hosted a private dinner for special guests, including media, sponsors, and community leaders, an event organized by Walla Walla Valley Wine’s Board of Directors as a ‘welcome’ and a ‘thank you’ to attendees.  The conversation, not to the mention the wine, flowed as guests were treated to a generous chicken dinner followed by a dessert of elegant tarts. 

As much as I would have enjoyed staying and chatting with the people at my table, which included media personnel, Walla Walla Valley Wine associates, and couples from out of town, the next day would soon arrive with its own itinerary, starting with pastries, coffee, and a walk through Downtown Walla Walla.

Friday began for me with a quick walk from the Marcus Whitman Hotel to the Colville Street Patisserie, Walla Walla’s prime purveyor of French breakfast sweets and desserts.  Accompanied by fellow journalists, photographers, and Shelby Pryor, Communications and Marketing Manager for Walla Walla Valley Wine, and led by Jaiden Eskil of Walla Walla Wine Walk, I enjoyed a morning exploring downtown.  Jaiden, a former coworker of mine, happened to be one of those familiar faces I seemed to encounter throughout the weekend. 

The walking tour was immediately followed by lunch at one of downtown’s newer locations, AK’s Mercado, with Ashley Trout, Fiona Mak, and Kate Derby Raymond, three of the Valley’s most successful, not to mention personable, winemakers as special guests.  Throughout lunch, we had the opportunity to taste, as well as learn the stories behind the wines, Syrah and Rose of Syrah, produced by Ashley, Fiona, and Kate. 

There was some talk about the new Jurassic World movie as well, but the wine was our primary point of discussion.

The food, drink, and company were so pleasant at lunch that we had to hustle to make the Wine Panel Presentation and Tasting back at the Marcus Whitman on time.  Catching sight of a couple of more familiar faces on my way out of AK’s, I practically had to sprint, in heels I might add, to take my seat before the presentation began.

To my delight, if not so much to my surprise, an assorted tasting of Syrah awaited me at my table.

Elaine Chukan Brown returned to lead the interactive presentation and panel, which consisted of winemakers from both the Walla Walla Valley and California, and it was their wines participants of the event would be tasting.  Along with the tasting, guests enjoyed an explanation behind each wine in terms of viticultural conditions as well as winemaking style, expounding on Syrah as a variety before focusing in on the unique characteristics of each individual glass of Syrah before me as well as every other member of the audience.

In the Walla Walla Valley, ‘time to kill’ simply means that there is time for one more winery, and, having a few hours before the Collaborative Winemaker Dinner Series with Kontos Cellars and Otis Kenyon, there was certainly time to visit one more winery.

Therefore, I ventured to Walla Walla’s Eastside to visit Walla Walla Vintners, the winery where I had my first wine tasting experience nearly a decade ago, and a personal favorite of mine to this day.

This most recent visit proved to be just as exceptional as the last, the first, and every visit in between.  I enjoyed an introduction to the winemaker, Derrek Vipond, and was treated by the staff, not only to a good conversation, but to an interactive tasting of Vintner’s current releases, as well, including the 2019 Cabernet Franc Waliser Vineyard, a bottle of which has assumed its rightful place in my wine library at home, along with a bottle of 2020 Merlot Walla Walla Valley, a generous gift from a hospitable winery.

And the evening was just getting started.

Dinner & Drinks

Back downtown, Kontos Cellars and Otis Kenyon were preparing to celebrate the weekend with a winemaker dinner, featuring wine from both wineries, as well as a multiple course dinner from the fresh new restaurant in town, the Kinglet. 

I arrived at Kontos Cellars just as aperitifs were being poured, which allowed for time to talk with fellow guests, giving me a chance to get to know a little bit about the people with whom I would be enjoying the dinner.  Some were industry people, while others were strictly consumers, but all were wine enthusiasts, and, listening to the stories told around the table, it became quite apparent to me that all were devoted to the wine being served with dinner that night.

In other words, all were devoted to Kontos Cellars and Otis Kenyon, Washington wineries producing Washington wine.  To witness that level of dedication and passion for the wine of the region and from people visiting from as far away as Arizona, Texas, and even New York, was to recognize a community which, like the Syrah grape itself, defies region.

The following day’s excursions only proved to strengthen my perspective in this regard, beginning with a tasting at the Walls Vineyards, a tasting which included the winery’s PASXA wine, a line inspired by the terroir of a very specific area within the Valley with a name inspired by the indigenous people of the Valley, honoring the heritage and history of this place.

Along with my fellow journalists and photographers, I dined at TMACS for lunch and – wait for it – more wine!  We were joined by winemakers, Steve Wells, Toby Turlay, and Matt Reilly, who led us through a tasting, complete with food pairings, and a talk on traditional Rhone-Style white wines, Grenache Blanc and Viognier included.  The discussion covered everything from each winemaker’s start in the industry to each winemaker’s unique style.  Again, I was struck by the passion and the pleasantness of the conversation, grateful to learn about and enjoy the wine each winemaker brought to introduce and share. 

Having some more ‘time to kill’ before the Syrah Grand Tasting hosted by Valdemar Estates, I decided to walk over to Canoe Ridge Vineyard Tasting Room, another one of my favorite stops to make in Walla Walla.  There, I ran into a couple of more familiar faces, so I paired my glass of Limited Edition Brut Bubbles with an hour spent catching up with friends.  To be honest, I had a glass of Limited Edition Rose Bubbles too because, as the saying almost goes, ‘when in a Walla Walla tasting room, try the tasting room exclusives’.

However, the Syrah Grand Tasting awaited, so as not to further risk catching ‘palate fatigue’, I set down my flute, bid my company farewell, and set off for Valdemar Estates on Walla Walla’s Southside. Upon arrival, each guest received a souvenir glass and a complimentary ‘goodie bag’ of light bites from the area, including a carton of blueberries from Frog Hollow Farm and a tiny loaf of bread from Foodscape Specialty Market + Bottleshop.

To call the climactic tasting ‘grand’ was anything but an overstatement.

The Grand Tasting

What else can you call an event consisting of over 100 wines from over 50 wineries throughout the Walla Walla Valley?

The wines featured included our star, of course, Syrah, as well as special guest stars of the white, rose, and sparkling kind.  I was greeted by another round of not only wine, but familiar faces, as well, pouring, representing, and enjoying the best of what the Walla Walla Valley has to offer, including Syrah from College Cellars of Walla Walla, Rose of Syrah from SMAK Wines, and Cabernet Sauvignon from TruthTeller Winery. 

After a weekend spent celebrating the wines of the Walla Walla Valley, there are still so many bottles left to open, glasses to raise, and wines to taste, even if by Sunday morning you feel as if you’ve tasted your way through the entire Valley.

Speaking of Sunday morning, did I mention Downtown Walla Walla is also an excellent place to find a good Bloody Mary?

It is.

Visit Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine for more information.

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