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.
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.
Katy Rizzuti is an artist living in Walla Walla, WA. She works primarily in oils, favoring landscapes and still life, and has done commissions for wine bottle labels. She also teaches art to children. Check out her website to see her sketchbooks (fascinating stuff there, I have spent hours wandering through them). After looking at her sketchbooks, I felt I knew her before we even met. E-mail her for details about her teaching schedule at rizzutistudio@gmail.com
She currently has work at CAVU Cellars in Walla Walla, WA
I had a very relaxing morning chatting with Rob DiPiazza of Artistic Portraits. He has a gorgeous studio and portrait park and a great approach to setting himself apart as a professional portrait artist. It seems every soccer mom with a digital camera and a business card has taken to calling themselves professional photographers, and it just ain’t so. One look at Rob’s studio and the portraits gracing his walls will dispel that instantly.
We also spent some time sitting by the pond sipping a very nice ’00 Reserve Cabernet from Columbia Crest.
Today we return to the Sixth Street Art Gallery in Prosser WA to take a look at some of the new work Carol has on display, and to view the finished painting Consuelo Soto Murphy was working on when we last visited.
Consuelo will be one of the artists on display at the Prosser Art Walk and Wine Gala on Saturday July 18th. This is a fun event with 5 caterers, 30 artists and 20 wineries participating. It is limited to 600 guests, so get your tickets early, it often sells out. Tickets are available at the Sixth Street Art Gallery and from the Prosser Chamber of Commerce.
I had a fun afternoon at Skylite Cellars at the Gallery tasting the Walla Walla Big Red Hiney Wine with Cheryl and Courtney. This is a gorgeous space and a real treat for the senses. They have an incredible selection of art from around the world, as well as local artists.
This is a collection of clips from days 1-17. Today was unsold, so it only seemed right to celebrate and honor those who made the commitment to have some fun with us and paid me to drink their wine.
