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Over Labor Day weekend, I went wine tasting with some friends. While others were visiting the county fair that day, we were “working hard” to develop our cellars. Meeting up around noon, after a morning trip to the Farmers’ Market, we headed out to the airport where many wineries and tasting rooms cluster together. As people were flying in and out of town, I was testing my palate, traveling through taste.

With over 100 wineries in the valley, we knew we had to be selective. One would think that living here in Walla Walla we might be familiar with all the valley has to offer, but like I have experienced so often in my life, the place I live is the place I rarely tour. So this was our backyard adventure, an effort to more fully appreciate the bounty of home. But surviving a day of tasting is another matter, relevant whether you’re in your own backyard or not.

Tip #1: Drink water. Keep water with you throughout the day. Don’t count on tasting rooms to supply it.

Ensemble Cellars, our first stop. Fantastic Bordeaux blends from three vintages. Craig Nelsen, the winemaker, is insistent on the highest quality. He says he will keep production low so that he can retain control over each step of the process. Swirling, sniffing, tasting from fine Riedel glasses, I had one of the finest wines I have ever come across. I looked at my friends and said, “Why have you not told me about this before?” The shrugs and sly smiles only added to the excitement. I melted. This was our first stop.

There were other good wines that day. Buty 2004 Rediviva is outstanding. Tamarack Cellars 2005 Cabernet Franc is a must have - although I would buy ANY of their current releases. And Sandy at Tamarack is a rockstar! While we were in the tasting room, she sent her assistant away for the day and took over by herself. No more than ten minutes later about twenty people swarmed the tasting room. She never broke a sweat, stayed totally calm, extremely helpful, and genuinely nice. I would recommend dropping by just to meet her.

Syzygy (pronounced szz-eh-jee) has a great sculptural sign that I stopped to photograph. And the wine was good too, though Zack Brettler (winemaker) apologized for being sold-out of almost everything. Good thing the next release is fast approaching.

After a couple other wineries, we returned downtown. And here’s where the strategy kicked in. I’ll explain tomorrow.