Walla Walla Wine Cellar

Our Holiday Sale is almost over. You have two days left to catch these deals.

Remember we have gift certificates as well. Let that special someone pick out their own special bottle or two. Contact us with details of what you’d like.

Top recommendations:
Helix 2005 SoRho. Loving it.
K Vintners 2005 Phil Lane. Gorgeous as ever and at a great discount.
Dusted Valley 2006 Stained Tooth Syrah. New on the site and a staff fave. Syrahs are rockin’ the house.
Isenhower 2005 Wild Thyme. Go on, let your hair down and enjoy this tasty blend.
Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling. That’s right.

So you’ve got until 11:59 p.m. on December 24th to qualify for our holiday coupons. If you don’t know what they are, drop us a line, leave us a comment, or give us a call and we’ll get you the scoop on how you can save over 20% this season.

Now, back to shoveling snow for me. Then I think I’ll wrap some presents.
What are you doing two days before Christmas?

The girls and I headed out Sunday for our annual Barrel Tasting Weekend. We began at Kontos Cellars, the newest winery in the incubators out at the airport. You can’t miss them, the building is a vibrant yellow and the interior a tart green apple, I love it!

My favorite was the LeeVeLooLee Alatus, a red blend of a third each Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I could have drank it all day and been a happy camper, what a wonderful way to start the afternoon.

I’m not much of a white wine kinda gal, but at Adamant Cellars I tried a white and fell in love. It’s called Bliss, for a reason of course. A blend of Savignon Blanc and Semillon, very aromatic, fresh and easy to drink. The land was a peach orchard before they planted the vineyard on it and you can really smell and taste the peachy sweetness. Would be fantastic on a hot summer day next to the pool, or in my case a plastic kiddie pool, let’s just say a body of water. It will be bottled and available in a few weeks. Must have it!

The Trio Vintners Sangiovese is always a treat, my taste buds say, “Thank You!” And for once I am speachless.

Our journey ended at Dunham Cellars Hangar Lounge, what a great way to end Barrel Tasting. Wow, they have done an incredible job decorating and making it feel like you are in some kind of wonderland. There really aren’t any words to describe it, you must go and see for yourself. Oh, and their wine is amazing too.

Overall a wonderful day, looking forward to the next adventure. And a special thanks to our designated driver Jen for keeping us safe. Thanks Jen! Until next time, cheers!

You know it’s a good night when you get a hug from the winemaker (Tom Glase) after his hip surgery and are then told that you can buy the $110 bottle of wine at an 80% discount. Perhaps the cute guy behind the bar was pulling my leg about the prices, but I told him I would have paid just about any price for that delicious Balboa Candy Mountain 2006 Sangiovese. Deeee-licious. Dangerously delicious. Balanced, pomegranate, tobacco, ripe plum.

So I bought the rest of the bottles they had in stock. Don’t get your hopes up about finding any in the tasting room this weekend, because I bought them out. Yes, I did. Sorry folks, but it had to be done. It was too good to pass up. Especially at an 80% discount [smile]. Okay, really, at $22 a bottle it’s a steal. If you find some on a shelf somewhere, buy it! Although I do believe it was a wine club only selection.

From the fabulous new Balboa tasting room at 7 South 2nd Ave, where Amy Glase’s artwork is currently displayed on the walls as well as on the wine labels, I went to Flying Trout located at 37 South Palouse Street. There I tried four outstanding wines. The Deep River Red ($28), NV Malbec ($35), 2006 Phinny Hill Malbec ($35), and one more special red wine that you’ll have to stop by the tasting room to find out about. It was a tough choice, but I ended up leaving with several bottles.

From there we ventured to 26 Brix for some dinner and cocktails. Industry folks packed the bar, all well into a busy weekend. And there are plenty of tourists about, wine lovers in their element.

Tomorrow you’ll find me out and about, dodging the biggest crowds, but enjoying the buzz that is holiday barrel tasting.

Walla Walla Wine Cellar will be open from 12 - 4pm both Saturday and Sunday for those of you who would like to see the inventory in our shipping center. Rootielicious jewelry will also be on display. So please enjoy the weekend, drive safely, don’t forget to drink plenty of water and eat good food. And most importantly, have a good time.

Happy barrel tasting!