Drinking In the Wallas

Denise and I have just returned from a wonderful week in Washington State with J and MG. We arrived on 17 September, the Irish Equinox. After a couple of days knocking around Redmond and Seattle our plans called for a road trip southeast through the Cascades toward the Columbia River Valley. Our destination was the wine country of Walla Walla.

Rumor has it that Seattle occasionally experiences gray and damp dreary weather. Can this be true? My first visit to the “City of Rain” was 2-1/2 years ago when I moved J to the City following her graduation from ISU. Since then Denise and I have visited J six or seven times and have witnessed the phenomenon of atmospheric condensation only once…on our way to the airport. Typically, we have enjoyed variations of 70’s and sunny and gorgeous! Moisture of every kind - rain, drizzle, sprinkles, mist, even humidity - has generally respected our presence in the Great Northwest and awaited our departure to settle in with its dreariness. And we’ve always thanked MG and J for this. They’ve performed admirably at keeping all aspects of our visits under tight control and thoroughly enjoyable.

Imagine our surprise as we awoke on our third day to a steady Seattle misting. Perhaps this was a common occurrence in September, but not on my watch. The mist, not quite a drizzle just hung in the air, not really falling, not really accumulating. It just "was". And to me the morning misting was nothing short of spectacular. But alas this day of weather, only the second that we have ever encountered here, would be left behind as we made final preparations to depart for our road trip.

We headed southeast from Redmond (A) through Issaquah and Snoqualmie and onto I-90 through the Snoqualmie Pass (B). Snoqualmie Pass traverses the Cascade Range at a maximum elevation of 3,022 feet and is the largest east-west mountain route across Washington State. On this day we traveled through a steady battery of fog and drizzle as our vehicle approached and climbed the Cascades. Near the summit of the pass however, we whisked through a virtual wall of weather and escaped into a clear blueness of sky, brilliance of sunshine and dryness of land. This instantaneous change was a striking climatic phenomenon that stood in stark contrast to the weather held at bay by the rising terrain of the Cascade Range.

We proceeded through Ellensburg, Yakima and Zillah and after three hours we had traveled 190 miles to Prosser, Washington (C). We paused our journey for fuel and a long awaited release of spent Starbucks. Not so coincidentally, we found ourselves just down the street from three wineries. 11:00 a.m. and the tasting room is open. Halleluiah!

Prosser is located in Washington’s first appellation, the Yakima Valley. It’s located in the south central portion of Washington State, approximately equidistant from Seattle, Portland, and Spokane. It sits on the same parallel as the famous Bordeaux region of France.

The vines at Airfield Estates date back to 1968. Today, they grow 26 different wine grape varietals. All of their vineyards are within 3 miles of a former WWII airbase. They served six wines in their tasting and being their only “customers” we also enjoyed the luxury of a short tour of their facilities. Naturally we purchased several souvenirs.

We offered equal opportunity to each of three vineyards…Airfield Estates, Olsen Estates and Willow Crest Winery…mmmBoy! Unfortunately, we failed to frequent the remaining twenty-one wineries that reside within a 4-mile radius of our location including Columbia Crest, Hogue Cellars, Kestrel Vintners and Masquerade Wine Company…Next time.

Within two hours we were back in the car and slightly abuzz. We continued eastward paralleling the Columbia River and the Oregon border. We traveled 80 miles in a little over an hour and arrived safely to our destination.

But wait! Lest you misunderstand my intentions, I’d like to stop for a moment and quell any silly notions that there is some sort of double entendre here with the title ”Drinking in the Wallas”. Despite our enjoyment of these winemaker’s wares and our pure satisfaction with the refreshing nature of their products, you must remember that "Drinking in the Wallas" is all about the scenery!

Let’s break it down this way…

drink·ing [dring-king]
-noun, habitual and excessive consumption of alcohol: His drinking caused him to lose his job.
…I know what you’re thinking but that’s not what I meant.

-adjective, The practice of partaking to excess of intoxicating liquors
. Addicted to or indulging excessively in alcohol: Is he a drinking man?
…Well, maybe but not technically “addicted”.

-verb (used without object), to show one's respect, affection, or hopes with regard to a person, thing, or event by ceremoniously taking a swallow of wine or some other drink (often followed by to): They’re drinking to his victory.
…Hmmm, a nice concept but it didn’t happen to me.

-verb (used with object), to take in through the senses with eagerness and pleasure (often followed by in): They’re drinking in the beauty of the place.
…That’s more like it. Perfect. Now for the Wallas.

Wal·las [wol-uhs]
- interj., In its singular form, often confused with the snobbish French term “voilà!” used to call attention to or express satisfaction with a thing shown or accomplished: Mix the ingredients, chill, and - voilà! - a light, tasty dessert.
…Although phonetically accurate and a perfect analogy to the products of the region, I’m talking about a place.

-pl. noun, of or pertaining to multiple Walla (often followed by another Walla): There are many fine wine tasting opportunities in Walla Walla; a town in southeastern Washington near the Oregon border touted as “the next Napa”.
…Excellent.

Now put them both together. Voi·là! Dinking in the Wallas simply means that we like being here and enjoy taking in all that these hills and valleys have to offer…scenery wise. And if necessary we’re willing to tolerate a bit of the vino to fill our otherwise idle time and stay here longer.

So, back to our story…

Walla Walla was incorporated in 1862 during a gold rush. Within ten years it was the largest community in the territory of Washington and was at one time slated to become the new state’s capital. Walla Walla is a Native American term meaning “Land of many waters” though proud residents brag that it’s “the town so nice, they named it twice”.

Up at the crack of dawn we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of chardonnay, merlot, cabernet and syrah. I think we also had some light wafers. We took in the natural beauty of the following wineries (listed alphabetically) on our second and third days…

a’Maurice Cellars, Ash Hollow, Basel Cellars Estate Winery, Beresan, Bookwalter Winery, Chateau Rollat Winery, Cougar Crest Winery, Dunham Cellars, Gifford Hirlinger, L’Ecole No. 41, Morrison Lane, Reininger, Three Rivers Winery, Trust Cellars, Va Piano Vineyards, Walla Walla Village Winery, Waterbrook Winery and Waters Winery.

This list was compiled by memory and rumor has it that we actually visited a few more. It just got a bit fuzzy there toward the end of the second day. My personal favorites were Airfield Estates (in Prosser and referenced above), Gifford Hirlinger and Waters Winery.

Mike Berghan is the winemaker for Gifford Hirlinger. He's pictured above with Denise and I. This is a small estate winery, meaning they grow their own grapes, owned and operated by the Bergham family. Gifford and Hirlinger were the last names of relatives on the paternal and maternal sides respectively that crossed the Country on covered wagons to settle in Walla Walla. The winery was established in 2001 on ten acres just on the Washington side of the state line. Their beautiful estate, wonderful winery building and tasting room and two charmingly friendly border collies named Charlie and Chewy make for a memorable visit. Their excellent wine is a bonus. They poured each of their three wines for tasting. We bought one of each.

Waters Winery is a small boutique winery established in 2005 by its Founder Jason Huntley and Winemaker Jamie Brown. They maintain that their winemaking approach is influenced by their “preference for distinct, old world wines that express the time and place of their origin”.

The approach to Walters Winery offers a spectacular view of the valley. And their winery building and tasting room is grande. Its tall wood and glass doors expand outward to covered patios with views of the surrounding rural farms and mountain landscapes…breathtaking!

The winery dog at Waters, a glorious black lab, was as aptly named for the dog as for the place as for the wine…Beauty. And again, the wine was a bonus. They were pouring seven wines for tasting. We bought five bottles!Inspired by the periodic table of elements, Waters Winery has collaborated with Gramercy Cellars to produce “Wines of Substance”. This is an economical brand selling for under $20 that is remarkably good. This brand won the best label design in 2007.

And when we were though, we ventured homeward with inner warmth born of the earth and the vine and the skillful hands and minds of many vintners. Safely stowed in the trunk of the car was the burden of several cases of “souvenirs”. This was indeed an enjoyable road trip. And I eagerly await our next opportunity to drink in the splendor of the Wallas.