Walla Walla Wine Cellar

Crush is always an extremely busy time for winemakers (and crew). So it was a treat when Ashley Trout of Flying Trout Wines agreed to take a break from the long days and sit down to answer a few questions for us.

Amy Rootvik: For how long have you been interested in winemaking?
Ashley Trout: For one week before I started. I saw an email about working at a winery when I was 18 and started the next week. That was September of 1999.

AR: How did you get involved in the Argentina project? We have to get used to you being out of town several months per year.
AT: I broke a bunch of bones during crush one year and missed it and got better just as crush was ending. I didn’t want to wait 9 months for the next crush so I started looking into the southern hemisphere. I was raised in Spanish so that wasn’t a problem and someone said to come on down, so I did.
I got to Argentina and the winemaker who said I had a position didn’t really believe that I would show up, so suddenly I was without work and in Argentina for three months. I started knocking on doors essentially, until I got an internship with Alta Vista, one of Michel Rolland’s wineries down there. Following years I worked with Tamari, Tapiz (known as Zolo in the US) and Alta Vista.

AR: I know you’re a fabulous cook. I’ve heard the rave reviews. So what’s your favorite food and wine pairing?
AT: The unlikely. Surprises are my favorite. I work a lot with malbec and have found that the more French the malbec gets, the better it goes with butternut squash, but most malbecs go well with many types of squash.

AR. You do all your own bottling by hand here at Flying Trout, don’t you? Do you have any comments on that process?
AT: You have to have a sense of humor to make wine without expensive, modern technology. My bottle filler most closely resembles a cow udder or a grenade depending on how well it decides to work that day. I think over all, the process is one that creates very little bottle shock due to the lack of rough pumping, that’s what I like most about it.

AR: What do you believe sets you and Flying Trout Wines apart from others in the industry? Is there anything you are particularly proud of?
AT: I am really working on malbec. My goal is to be able to continually work with malbec from Argentina and all of the AVAs in Washington State.

AR: What is the best advice you have ever received?
AT: To paraphrase: simplify, minimize and focus. I tend to be less focused than I would like, especially getting a small business going, but when it comes to wine, I have been trying my best to minimize the chaos and really think about each detail—to do less, but better.

AR: What can you tell us about your upcoming releases?
AT: I have two Horse Heaven Hill malbecs that are fun to compare—one from a windier site and one from a stiller site. I’ve got an old vines malbec rosé (21 year old vines) coming out this summer, with a Novermber 15th preview event. That malbec comes from a part of the state that creates real fruity wines. I’ve also got a 2005 cabernet sauvignon/carmenere being released (27 cases) that has some great pepper and spice.

AR: And finally, Sonja [my sister] wants to know if you can make a wine that tastes just like ice cream… and has no alcohol in it… and is frozen. You can get back to us on that one.
AT: No. [smile]

***
Having seen what Ashley is capable of, I wouldn’t be shocked if she showed up someday with a bowl of homemade ice cream for Sonja. Ashley is a talent to watch. To top it all off, she is loads of fun and completely down to earth. Don’t be fooled by her humble nature. This girl is a powerhouse who is making things happen and gaining new fans everywhere she goes.
We’re loving her current malbec and anxiously awaiting her next release.

As most of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here at Walla Walla Wine Cellar we believe in making a difference, and we want to not only raise awareness, but also get involved. So we have decided that a percentage of ALL SALES for the month of October will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

We appreciate the charitable efforts of local wineries as well and must point out that you further guarantee your donation by buying Trio Vintners 2007 Trés Rosé because Denise at Trio has committed to donating 10% of all sales of this wine to breast cancer research.
Dawn Kammer and Mary Tuuri Derby at DaMa consistently give a portion of all proceeds to charities and groups to help women and children, and we applaud their commitment. Try the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (drinking beautifully right now) which almost looks like it has a pink ribbon worked into the label, or the sassy, sexy 2006 Riesling. The Cowgirl Cab is also a great choice.
You can view a list of their chosen causes on the DaMa Wines website.

Here are a few statistics about breast cancer in America, courtesy of www.komen.org.

2008 Breast Cancer Facts – United States

- Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.

- The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.

- An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. during 2008.

- An estimated 1,990 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in the U.S. during 2008.

- An estimated 40,480 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in the U.S. during 2008.

- In the U.S., a woman has a 1 in 8 (12 percent) risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.

- One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the U.S.

- The five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98 percent (compared to 74 percent in 1982).

- Approximately 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.

- A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. Approximately 95 percent of all breast cancers occur in women 40 years of age and older.

- Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.

- The chance of a woman dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 33 (3 percent).

- African Americans have the highest death rate from breast cancer of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S.

- In the United States today, there are nearly 2.5 million breast cancer survivors – the largest group of cancer survivors in the country.

For those attending our Thirsty Third Thursday event (as listed on our Facebook page), wines will be for sale, and you can walk away knowing that you’re not only supporting your local winemakers, but also helping find the cure.

We welcome your purchases, knowing every dollar gets us closer to the cure. Whether it is for yourself, or as a gift, help us make a difference. Buy Wine for the Cure!

Yes, we all know I LOVE Otis Kenyon wines. Not only are they made by the incredibly fabulous Dave Stephenson and Dreux Dillingham, but they are just undeniably delicious! And I much as I enjoy the drive out to the winery across the Oregon border, I was thrilled to see them open a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. So dangerously close to my house!

Things are certainly taking shape. Still, they’ve stayed true to their label. Here’s a shot inside the tasting room the first day it was open.

Of course, just to the left of this photo there was pushing and shoving at the pouring stations, people anxious to try and buy the wine. They were pouring their 2005 Matchless Red, 2005 Merlot, 2005 Syrah, and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. I like them all, and yet I am a huge fan specifically of the Syrah. What an amazing representation of what the Walla Walla Valley can do with Syrah!

But this display says a lot about the flavor and style of Otis Kenyon Wine. Their story is a good one, and we will be bringing you an interview this summer with more information on the family, the winery, and the wine.

Check out their new tasting room, in the old O’Con’s Flowers building, the oldest flower shop in town. It is right next to Merchants at 23 East Main Street. Look for this. You can’t miss it.