It’s always a pleasure chatting with Gordon Taylor of DavenLore Winery. He and his wife Joan Davenport, affectionately known as “Dr. Dirt”, always manage to produce  a great variety of new releases year after year. In this sement, Gordon and I taste the new Port (ok Syrah Forte if we must) right out of the barrel. It is the first Port to be made with grapes from the new Snipes Mt. AVA. What a treat! We also taste his new Durif, also known as Petit Syrah in some parts of the world.

Gordan also shows us how the wax capsule is put on the bottles of Port.

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What an honor to be able to speak to April and learn more about what they do at Heaven’s Cave. I know it sounds hard to believe, but they are actually a non-profit foundation that donates all their revenue (after operating expenses and taxes) to charities that serve at-risk youth. How cool is that! And  the board of directors are actually middle school and high school kids who make all the decisions about how the money is distributed, with some adult supervision. Click here to learn more about the Make the Dash Count Foundation.

They are also having a big fundraising event over Memorial Day weekend in Prosser, WA next to the winery. Click here to learn more about the events associated with the 5th Annual Dash Race for the Kids.

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Elegante Cellars in Walla Walla, may just capture a large share of a small niche in the wine world. They make a strawberry wine that is top notch! Winemaker Doug Simmons, a retired high school chemistry teacher, worked summers at Klicker Strawberries for 49 years and thought it would be interesting to try his hand at making a strawberry wine - and he has succeeded in a big way!

They also make a number of red wines (my favorite was the Sangiovese) and a remarkable Gerwurtztraminer, made in the more traditional German style, much drier and less sweet than we have become used to here.

Elegante Cellars
1251 Studebaker Dr.
Walla Walla, WA  99362
United States of America

509-522-0729 or
509-629-3735

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Cougar Crest Estate Winery is a must see (and taste) place on the west side of Walla Walla, WA.  A lot of time and thought went into the design and construction of this facility, with its high skylit ceilings, large and comfortable lounge area, killer art and spacious tasting bar.

I spoke with winemaker Debbie Hansen about their award winning wines (the 2002 Syrah was named #33 in the top 100 wines in the world) and about the philanthropic work they do through their Dedication series of wines.

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CAVU Cellars is the new kid on the block at the Airport Incubator in Walla Walla, WA.  Yes, CAVU is an acronym, you’ll have to watch the video to find out what it stands for. Hint: it has something to do with aviation.

Winemaker Joel Waite has already sold out the current release of his Barbera Rose, but after the video was done, I was lucky enough to get a taste from his personal stash. I can see how it sold out so quickly. We also tasted the Sauvignon Blanc (which Joel designed specifically to pair with oysters) and the ‘06 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is blended with a little Petit Verdot. All in all a solid effort from a fledgling incubator.

Visit them at:
CAVU Cellars
602 Piper Avenue
Walla Walla, WA 99362
509-540-6352

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Skylite Cellars is a great little place and today we are featuring not one but two videos of them. The first was done in the winery, which is a very cool building, modeled after a wine barrel. We taste some of their award-winning wine and chat with Asst. Winemaker Greg Matiko and owner Cheryl Hodgins. They have a great upstairs lounge area adorned with commissioned art works by Michael Stockdale, depicting humorous scenes from around the winery. He is a French painter who has also created their famous Hiney Wine labels.

The second video features Cheryl and Courtney at their downtown Walla Walla location, Skylite Cellars at the Gallery. They have transformed a corner of the Skylite Gallery into a lovely tasting bar, that gently descends into their aptly named “Barrel Room.” A wonderful place to relax and enjoy great art as well as great wine.

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It was a real pleasure to get to spend time with Sonja and Jim Henderson (and Lulu) of Lowden Hills Winery.  We tasted their ‘05 See ya there Syrah and Sonja tells a great story in the video about the name. We also tasted the ‘04 Lulu Red Table Wine and the ‘04 Cabernet Sauvignon (a finish longer than the Kentucky Derby, quoting Jim).

It is also notable that Jim is a former golf pro and has a really cool collection of old clubs at the winery. He guarantees to cure your slice in 15 minutes, if you will just follow directions. He also inscribed a bottle for me, shown below.

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