Idaho — the fastest-growing state in the U.S. for each of the past five years — will receive a stop along the 2023 Walla Walla Wine on Tour, a first time for the wine consumers in the Gem State.
Walla Walla Valley Wine, the advocacy group for member wineries and vineyards in that famous corner of the Northwest wine industry, heralded the addition of Idaho on Thursday when it shared the dates for its annual consumer and trade tastings in Seattle (Monday, Feb. 13), Portland (Monday, Feb. 27) and now Boise (Monday, March 20).
“As the Walla Walla Valley continues to pique curiosities around the globe, these events provide an unparalleled opportunity for consumers, trade and media to engage directly with wineries while staying close to home,” Liz Knapke, executive director of Walla Walla Valley Wine, wrote in a news release. “The tastings in Seattle, Portland and Boise offer something new for everyone — whether you’re a Walla Walla wine connoisseur planning your first trip to the valley or simply just enjoy wine.”
And while it also ranks as one of the darkest red states in the U.S. in terms of conservative politics, wine lovers in and around Boise have been interested in the big reds produced in the Walla Walla Valley for years. Walla Walla Valley winemaker Sean Boyd of Rôtie Cellars in Milton-Freewater, Ore., is scheduled to open in 2023 a production facility and tasting room for his Proletariat Wine Co., in the Boise suburb of Garden City.
Rocky Pond Estate Winery — with three tasting rooms in Washington state, three vineyards near Chelan and a GSM that The Seattle Times ranked as its No. 1 Northwest Wine of 2022 — plans to open a satellite tasting room in downtown Boise during the second quarter of 2023. The company is owned by Boise native David Dufenhorst. His family’s tasting room will be in the Sonna Building, three blocks from the state Capitol and three blocks from the 16-story The Grove Hotel — the setting for Walla Walla Wine on Tour in Boise.
The late Duane Wollmuth launched the concept for Walla Walla Wine on Tour in 2012 with tasting events in Portland and Seattle, and the series provides consumers in those communities the chance to interact with acclaimed winemakers. In 2023, more than 35 vintners are scheduled to take part.
“We are excited to welcome Boise as a new addition to the event lineup,” Knapke wrote. “We know that Boiseans are interested in wine from the Walla Walla Valley, and we look forward to offering this new opportunity for them to engage with wineries and winemakers from the region.”
Idaho was one of the first states in the country to go “dry,” ratifying Prohibition in 1916 — four years before the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was approved. The 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition 13 years later in 1933.
As a result of reduced fears and restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Walla Walla Wine on Tour will feature an educational panel for members of the trade and media, followed by a tasting for these members of the industry.
That same evening features a 2 1/2-hour public tasting for consumers.
A ticket for the consumer tasting is $75, which includes samples and light hors d’oeuvres. Advance ticket reservation is required, and all attendees must be 21 or older.
Tickets are on sale now at WallaWallaWine.com/Events.
Walla Walla Wine On Tour
Seattle — Monday, Feb. 13
McCaw Hall
321 Mercer St.
Trade/media tasting 12:30-3 p.m.
Consumer tasting 5:30–8 p.m.
* Click here for ticket purchases
Portland — Monday, Feb. 27
The Redd on Salmon
831 SE Salmon St.
Trade/media tasting 12:30-3 p.m.
Consumer tasting 5:30–8 p.m
* Click here for the list of participating wineries, registration, ticket purchases
Boise — Monday, March 20
The Grove Hotel
245 S. Capitol Blvd
Trade/media tasting 12:30-3 p.m.
Consumer tasting 5:30–8 p.m
* Click here for ticket purchases
Gary says
What does Idaho’s conservative-leaning politics have to do with wine appreciation?