Aside from the cold temperatures keeping us inside, once we venture out for wine tasting, we find that there are a lot of tasting rooms that close down in January. It’s the “slow season” here in Walla Walla. Go figure.

But there are some places that stay open. And there are a few that I recommend.

1. Reininger, 5858 W Highway 12 — I know, I know. They always get mentioned. But there’s a reason for that, folks. I was out there earlier this week and I can assure you that they have a great line-up in the tasting room. Especially check out the Helix Stillwater Creek Merlot. Open Daily 10 – 5 (Winter Hours)
2. Bergevin Lane, 1215 W Poplar St — I haven’t been by here in a few months. (Yes, I missed barrel tasting weekend at this winery.) But this is a solid place to check out. I always leave with a bottle and a smile.
3. Balboa, 7 South 4th — New tasting room downtown. Open 11-4 on Fridays and Saturdays. I always enjoy the Cat’s Meow.
4. Nicholas Cole Cellars, 229 E Main St — Beautiful. And the wines just get better too. It cheers me just to see the space.

And there are so many more. This is, however, a start. After a long week, I look forward to a glass or two of excellent wine. Always a pleasure to find a new local treasure… like the Mannina Cellars 2005 Pepper Bridge Merlot. Sadly Mannina isn’t open for tasting until April; thankfully I’ve stored a some away in the cellar.

Jeremy Gonzales did a fun feature on winner of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Season 4, Stephanie Izard, and her time in Walla Walla for Barrel Tasting Weekend. She served up a mouthwatering menu for guests of Saviah Cellars, food paired with wine, of course. She said she enjoyed her time in Walla Walla, partaking in the barrel tasting festivities. Jeremy followed her to several local wineries and tasting rooms, including Sleight of Hand Cellars, one of my personal favorites.

All in all it appears that a good time was had by all. And in the end, Chef Stephanie compared Walla Walla to Vegas. Say what?! Yes, Vegas. For anyone who hasn’t experienced the marathon tastings of our big weekends, you don’t know what you’re missing.

You can view the video at the UB site by clicking on the image or link below.

UBVideo » Blog Archive » Bravo TV’s Top Chef visits Walla Walla

Final question: Is it true that what happens in Walla Walla stays in Walla Walla?

While there are an overwhelming number of events to chose from, I will be starting out with some of the new tasting rooms that have recently opened downtown. Balboa, Yellow Hawk, and a few others.

The night is young, and although I would love to dive in to those barrels, I have to save some fuel for tomorrow. Updates to follow. And I’ll be out filming early Saturday, so don’t be shy. Please say hello and tell me about your barrel tasting highlights.

It’s going to be a great weekend. I feel it in my bones.

So all you wine lovers, stop reading this post and get out there to do some serious tasting!

Lodmell Cellars
Adamant Cellars
Trio Vintners
Stephenson Cellars
Dunham Cellars
Trust Cellars
Chateau Rollat Winery

That’s quite a line-up for a Saturday afternoon. While friends and I planned on visiting Trio, invited by Steve Michener (one of the three), we had not accounted for the crowds brought into town for a Whitman College event weekend. So rather than wait outside Trio, we ventured next door to Lodmell.

Lodmell is new; their first release was in May 2008. Planning on staying at or below (currently well below) 1,000 cases, they are a small lot winery to watch. They have a 2006 Sauvignon Blanc ($22), 2006 Chardonnay ($22), and 2005 Estate Merlot ($43) on the table. All fairly small lots. All able to age more before consumption. The whites each have a beautiful nose, bright and citrusy. High acidity. The merlot is tight. I’d like to try it in a year. Everything seems to be present; it just needs to loosen up. It could learn something from the blonde three-year-old running about the winery in her tiny blue dress and training pants, laughing no matter what.

Trio was still packed so we moved another door down to Adamant. The first thing to catch my eye at Adamant was the art on the walls. Appearing like sketches on canvas, there are images of hands and birds. Birds taking flight from an outstretched hand, or perhaps dancing a flirtatious routine in relation to the hand. I have always loved the aesthetic of sketches and these pieces are no exception, extended marvelously to canvas. Hanging against the blue wall they are expansive. Broadening. Creating a feeling of space, breath, grace.

What about the wine, you say? The wine, of course, is related to the art. As we discover, Debra, the owner who was pouring for us, is the artist as well. She’s working on a new show for Barrel Tasting: “naked men… and umbrellas.” Got my attention!

The first wine was a red blend, Columbia Valley, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. Good solid blend. But the 2006 Winemaker’s Select ($30), a 50/50 Cab/Merlot Walla Walla Valley blend took my fancy. And it wasn’t just the gold patina-finish label. It was elegant (yes, I used that word). It was slightly less tannic than the first blend and had a more balanced mouth feel. The syrah was lively and lovely, but my top vote was for the 50/50 blend.
They’re selling wax top magnums of the Winemaker’s Select for $61. Classic good looks. I do still recommend their 2006 Syrah, on which you can find more press. And keep an eye out for their next Rosé – Ruby Ruth No. 2. The 2007 was a doozy and sold out fast, so be ready for the 2008.

Speaking of rosés… We did eventually make it to Trio Vintners, where I spoke with Denise Slattery and Steve Michener (who had invited me to come tasting in the first place). More on that to come, but I would be remiss if I did not announce immediately that Trio Vintners has opted to increase their donation to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation from 10% to 20% for all 2007 Trés Rosé sales. Fantastic! Pink wine with a pink ribbon. I never knew I could love the color pink so much.

Seriously, folks. Did you catch that?! You can buy this rosé, drink this rosé, and help cure cancer! You better believe I bought the wine.

(Images from lodmellcellars.com, adamantcellars.com, triovintners.com)

DaMa Wines: owned by Dawn Kammer and Mary Derby.

As I’m on my way to Dawn’s house I pass Mary headed the other direction on her bicycle. Hmm. I could have sworn the interview was today. When I reach the house a comedy of errors ensues. I go to one door and it can’t be unlocked. I go to the side door only to be told Dawn is in the backyard. I go into the back garden in time to see Dawn head around the other side of the house. This is going to be good!

Eventually, we find each other and I pull out my notes. We sit down at a beautiful wooden table in the garden. Dawn gets me water with lemon. And we start to talk. Yes, Mary will be joining us.

I ask Dawn about the tasting room: People talk about your tasting room. What feel are you going for, what atmosphere do you want in the tasting room?

Dawn: Well, our long term plans were to have a space that was simple, elegant, but not at all girly. Beautiful but not intimidating. Fun. We didn’t need another Tuscan style tasting room in Walla Walla. That was the last thing we wanted.

About this time Mary and Simon, Mary’s son, arrive. Simon goes to play in the yard with Tessa, one of Dawn’s daughters, and the dog. Mary joins us at the table under a large umbrella.

They tell me they had an original idea for a gathering spot for women to come together to drink, talk about wine, books, and the like. “But then you need tables… permits… etc.”

So back to their tasting room, Tuscan was out. “But funky – a little bit.” They knew they wanted the funk for sure.

Dawn and Mary (they talk over each other here): Once we got that specific space… it felt right. Modern, but not… red for sure. Red white and black. Then we added that cool blue and light green.

Mary: Modern, but not austere, not cold.

Dawn: Then there was Brian. Brian is a movie set designer. [And long time friend of Mary’s.] He got involved and built everything around the logo. Asian cowboy!

Mary: So then we had a budget.

Dawn: He sent a little model. We loved it. Perfect!

I ask them more about the logo and their brand. This influenced every stage of their development.

Mary: We really like our wines, but it’s about the whole atmosphere. Is the wine almost secondary?

Dawn: It’s the selling of the image, the lifestyle. It starts with the tasting notes!

Of course the tasting notes are fun and sassy. And they come from the perspective of women, often mothers—from stay at home moms to those with full-time work outside the home. With this notion in mind I love hearing them talk about telling the designer to get stuff from Home Depot and Lowes. That was their budget. The process was fascinating.

The both bring up the chandeliers, reminiscing about Brian calling them to come check them out. They weren’t sure based on his description. But, as they both agree, “The chandeliers, they’re so bad they’re good!”

What are your goals for your wines?

Mary: We’re not looking to be putting out a scoring wine. I don’t really care about playing that game. We’re not playing the numbers game. I like our wines. It’s a good price. Why not come and just enjoy us? We’ve put wines out there for scores, but feel kinda creepy about it. Wine doesn’t have to be so serious.

Dawn: We want to put out a nice everyday wine that we could charge more for but we don’t want to…. And now people talk about us.

I know you two are full of ideas. What are your plans and ideas for the future of DaMa Wines?

Dawn: We want to pull in things we’re interested in. Trunk shows are good. We want to build it around a theme of our wine. Probably most important to us is the giving back part. We’d love to be big one day and be able to sponsor something really big. We’d love to franchise, go global, with that same feeling.

Both: I think our labels are more our babies than our wines.

Mary: we have an idea and then we make a wine that works with it.

What about franchising and expansion, including higher production? How do you want to go about that?

Mary: Our goal is to expand, taking on a board of women directors. Five or six women to help push us along to make it even more special. Production is now at 2500 cases. We want to expand now! Yes. In the next three years we’ll at least double if not more. It depends on where we can find the right fruit. But it has to fit the profile.

Here they share with me just a teaser of some of the big plans they’re keeping under wraps. And I’ve got to tell you, I’m excited. These are big ideas!

Mary: To make a difference, we have to be over 10,000 cases.

Dawn: We have to be outside of Washington. [Expansion.]

Mary: We’re not funded by Allen Shoup. We’re making it on our own right now, but we need to jump off the cliff and… we’re at the tipping point.

Dawn: Really, we like putting the whole idea together. And things have just fallen into place. Happenstance. Space. Labels. It’s all fallen into place.

I ask the women what they think of Walla Walla, what kind of reception they’ve had and what kind of support they’ve felt from the community. They remind me that Walla Walla is notorious for stingy old money. They have more out of town customers.

Dawn: But there’s a core of ladies that love us.

Mary: It’s the new crowd, the transplants.

The transplants. Is that what they’re called here now? Still, Walla Walla has its old charms.

Mary: But here’s this small town with a great symphony hall. I love being able to ride my bike, walking down the street and knowing people. It feels like my community.

Dawn: We feel loved and supported. The community has been supportive. From winemakers, friends, we love what you’re doing how can we help, even the girl from the cancer center… But location is so key!

Mary: And where else is there a women owned company? Ashley Trout [of Flying Trout Wines]. Can’t forget about her.

Dawn: She’s also pretty visionary, trying to do some neat stuff.

Mary: Lynn Anderson came on board with legal, bonding.

Dawn: Daymon [Bruck] offered his help. We all met through the loan center… [where Dawn's husband, Jack Kammer, works]

Daymon designed their labels, an essential part of DaMa’s creative process as they have already explained.

So in this community of people showing interest and wanting to be involved, how do you think you made it all happen?

Dawn: Not being afraid to take a little bit of a risk, or not knowing better. Not everything has been roses.

Finally I ask them about Success. They both agree that although they would love “a bizillion dollars in the bank and to be on Oprah,” they are successful. What they’ve created already makes them happy. In the moment, in that present happiness, is success. Mary looks around the back garden, squinting in the sun, talking about how she loves her work, she has a wonderful son, Simon, who plays just behind us, she feels she’s giving back. This project is their gift to the world. What else is there but right now? And Dawn and I couldn’t agree more.

In the present, I enjoy knowing these remarkable women, and I am enjoying the experience of DaMa Wines. I think they can help everyone learn a little about success.

DaMa Wines is on the rise. Experience the joy.

I just wrote about Otis Kenyon’s new downtown tasting room for our shop blog. Thought I’d post the update here as well.

New Tasting Room for Otis Kenyon Wine | Walla Walla Wine Cellar Blog

I’m so excited they have a downtown location! As I’ve said before, Otis Kenyon is a winery to watch. These folks are going to be big. My advice: get it while you can. I have on good authority that the 2005 Syrah is almost completely sold out.

I like their style. This is a photo I took the first day they opened.

Check out the rest of the info on the shop blog. Click here.

Amber Lane and Annette Bergevin have created quite the sensation here in lil’ old Walla Walla. And that sensation has a name: Bergevin Lane Vineyards. High scoring wines, a great facility to accommodate increasing production, and “a good time!”

You can tell a lot about a place by the tasting room. I don’t mean the architecture or design. I mean the energy of the place. Is it upbeat or mellow? Austere or campy? Or is it boring? What? I don’t think boring and Bergevin Lane should ever be in the same paragraph, let alone sentence again. Nothing boring here. Especially not with this group.
It used to be the girls… Amber, Annette, and Virginie Bourgue, a Frenchwoman who was given a job as winemaker at this new Walla Walla winery. Replacing Virginie when she moved on to Cadaretta is the charming Steffan Jorgensen. Originally from Denmark, Steffan has a variety of experience in the wine industry from various points on the globe including Chile, France, and California. But what I like most about Steffan, besides his adorable grin, is his consistently good wine!

I asked Amber and Annette what their production goals were, looking beyond today. They said emphatically that the focus was on quality. They are willing to grow with demand, but plan on continuing their growth “moderately.” Bergevin Lane is already in 19 states, which requires a lot of travel and maintenance.

I’ve heard that Gary Bergevin (Annette’s dad) asked you to join him here to do this winery. How did all this happen?

Both: We asked him!

Apparently in January of 2002 they decided they wanted to do this winery project, made a move, and within a few short months it was the real deal. They instantly signed up for a marketing contact and Elizabeth Slater helped them with the business and marketing plan. Boom. It happened.

Several years in now, they’re doing very well! Awards, high scores, articles and interviews, and a few changes too. For example…

There is a new label coming out on the 2007 Calico White. They showed a preview.

I asked about label choices and they said it’s important that there be a label they can connect to. They know it takes about three years for marketing change to happen, and they’re willing to work with that to have a product they feel connected to on all levels. (Sounds a lot like integrity to me.) They wanted something a fun and modern.

Did you know they held a naming contest for the wine? They loved the wining entry for several reasons: Calico cats are female; the winery is female run. A Calico cat is three colors and the Calico wines are blends. And here’s my favorite bit. Look at the cat on the label. Do you see the female silhouette?

There are plenty of articles where you can read all about the history of the winery, what they’ve produced, how much, and the like. But what really fascinates me about Bergevin Lane is the people who created it. These partners are driven, bright, generous, and intent on success (which I think they’ve already found).

And here’s the thing, I can’t help but really really like them. Not just because they do cool stuff like bring Raining Jane to town to do a concert at T Maccarone’s, but because they’re genuinely interesting folks. All of them. Amber, Annette, Steffan, and Julie in the tasting room.

If you had to break down the experience of someone’s visit to your winery to one word, what is it that you want people to take away (besides wine, of course).

Amber: Quality and happiness. “Value” seems like Thriftway, so I won’t say that. One word? I’ll say happiness.
Annette: A great experience. I want people to have a great experience.

(Julie pokes her head in the room and they ask her.)

Julie: Fun!

Annette: I change my vote. I’m with Julie. Fun.

And they all smile.

What wine are you personally excited about right now in this area?

Annette: Syrahs! Washington Syrahs. They can be fruity and spicy or earthy and gamey. They’re versatile and you don’t know what you’re going to get. And I love viogniers.

What’s your favorite thing about what your gig, having a winery in Walla Walla?

Amber: The people!
Annette: Cool people, and great opportunities.
Amber: And the wine is the connection.

Wine, they say, is a human connection. It evolves. It lives. And here, it has a good live it seems. You can feel it the moment you walk through the front door. Just wait until you taste the wine! (My favorite is the Princess Syrah.)