Cayuse Weekend

[Leslie_D_Matheson]

Hattaways recently opened in Saffron’s old space and I have become a big fan (Saffron is, of course, great as well). Walla Walla Steak Co. is also brand new and has worked out some early kinks. Crossbuck Brewing next door to the Steak Co. is great for a more casual meal and has the best beer list in town. Passatempo’s bar is a favorite as well. You can reliably spot your favorite winemakers at the Brasserie. Bacon and Eggs is the place to go for breakfast/brunch (don’t miss the sparkling wine fridge!).

I won’t be unleashing my pet-nats and other curiosities until May when our tasting room opens, but if anyone is out later in the season I’d be happy to roll out the Berserker red carpet.

Thanks so much Matt!

[Leslie_D_Matheson]

Christophe puts on a great tasting/party. You’ll have a blast. I don’t go to Walla Walla without having smoked brisket hash for breakfast at Andrae’s kitchen in the convenient store a few blocks south of town. La Monarcha taco truck is good. I had an excellent meal at Brasserie last time I was there as well. I have found some gems at the Thief wine shop as well. FX Pichler Unendlich, Planetes de Nin amphora Grenache, Keller, and even a bottle of Cantillon on the shelf! Worth stopping by. I’ll be at Cayuse on Saturday afternoon.

Thanks so much Travis. I think I have eaten at that convenience store before but it was Mexican and for lunch

[Leslie_D_Matheson]

Gramercy Cellars and Rotie Cellars are quite good. Whitehouse Crawford is another good restaurant.

Thanks John, I’ve eaten at Whitehouse before and it was delicious!

[Mike_Maguire]

Go to Sleight of Hand especially if Andreas Food Truck is there for some voodoo fries.

Big +1
We are staying next to the winery, will be able to stumble home after the party’s Fri. & Sat

[Leslie_D_Matheson]

Leslie,

Walla Walla is a really fun place to taste and there are many up and coming wineries to explore.

First of all a word of warning… the Cayuse tasting will be elbow to elbow. I’ve only gone once and the wines and food were wonderful but the crowd was a bit overwhelming.

I have not been there for a few years but have a few wineries to suggest that I did not see mentioned.

Downtown we enjoyed Mark Ryan. On the Westside L’ecole No. 41 and Long Shadows are well worth a visit. Another fun thing is to visit the Airport “incubator” and try some of the new producers. We found some really good new producers there and it was fun talking to the owners and/or winemakers.

Have fun!

Thanks so much for the information! I love the incubator area but it has been many years. Will definitely head out there this time! And try to hit Long Shadows too! I had one of their Rieslings once that was outstanding.

[TR_Barry]

Great list of wineries and restaurants to choose from above. We’ll be making the annual pilgrimage and hitting Cayuse on Friday. Outside of the great options already listed I’m excited to check out Elephant Seven and Ardor Cellars.

Matt Austin- in case I’m not back east this season will you have any west-side distribution of the pet-nats and other curiosities?

[John_Peacock]

Great list of wineries and restaurants to choose from above. We’ll be making the annual pilgrimage and hitting Cayuse on Friday. Outside of the great options already listed I’m excited to check out Elephant Seven and Ardor Cellars.

Matt Austin- in case I’m not back east this season will you have any west-side distribution of the pet-nats and other curiosities?

Unfortunately, Ardor Cellars is no longer in business (at least for now). The owner also owns a wine barrel business, and decided to focus on that instead of the winery. Elephant Seven was one of the great new finds during our last trip out in November.

[Brandon_R]

Great list of wineries and restaurants to choose from above. We’ll be making the annual pilgrimage and hitting Cayuse on Friday. Outside of the great options already listed I’m excited to check out Elephant Seven and Ardor Cellars.

Matt Austin- in case I’m not back east this season will you have any west-side distribution of the pet-nats and other curiosities?

I’m really glad to see someone planning on going to Elephant Seven. We went to WW late last year and this was easily our favorite tasting. The wines stand on their own, but prices knock them up even more. It was a cool space and a very relaxed vibe. Please post your impressions.

There was an Italian Deli (Cugini Italian Imports and Deli…960 Wallula Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362) situated a few miles west of downtown. We bought some cheese but, since it was 3:00, didn’t eat anything. Boy, that was a mistake I bet because everything sure looked and smelled good! When we go back, that’ll be a lunch spot for sure.

[Matt_A_u_s_t_i_n]

Great list of wineries and restaurants to choose from above. We’ll be making the annual pilgrimage and hitting Cayuse on Friday. Outside of the great options already listed I’m excited to check out Elephant Seven and Ardor Cellars.

Matt Austin- in case I’m not back east this season will you have any west-side distribution of the pet-nats and other curiosities?

We will debut the wines at Taste Washington in Seattle at the end of the month. No distribution yet on the West-side or otherwise, but I’ll be starting to make some trips out there soon to try to get our wine in some shops and restaurants in the area. Our full website will launch soon as well, with an online store and other details on how to find our wines. For now, I’m posting updates on our Facebook and Instagram.

Also +1 on Elephant Seven!

[Mark_Stevens]

[/quote] There was an Italian Deli (Cugini Italian Imports and Deli…960 Wallula Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362) situated a few miles west of downtown. We bought some cheese but, since it was 3:00, didn’t eat anything. Boy, that was a mistake I bet because everything sure looked and smelled good! When we go back, that’ll be a lunch spot for sure.
[/quote]

I Cucina is a mandatory stop for us. Such a great, authentic family-run place with fantastic food at reasonable tariffs. And the owner is such a gracious, gregarious gal- it feels like her home there. You can bring your own wines too- I suggest that your stems accompany you, though. Enjoy!

We are too looking forward to checking out Elephant Seven this year!

[John_Osburn]

Leslie,

Walla Walla is a really fun place to taste and there are many up and coming wineries to explore.

First of all a word of warning… the Cayuse tasting will be elbow to elbow. I’ve only gone once and the wines and food were wonderful but the crowd was a bit overwhelming.

I have not been there for a few years but have a few wineries to suggest that I did not see mentioned.

Downtown we enjoyed Mark Ryan. On the Westside L’ecole No. 41 and Long Shadows are well worth a visit. Another fun thing is to visit the Airport “incubator” and try some of the new producers. We found some really good new producers there and it was fun talking to the owners and/or winemakers.

Have fun!

Thanks so much for the information! I love the incubator area but it has been many years. Will definitely head out there this time! And try to hit Long Shadows too! I had one of their Rieslings once that was outstanding.

If you’re there near lunch, hit the taco truck connected to Quirk Brewing. Unusual and outstanding.

[Leonard_Taylor]

Any last minute recommendation for wineries to visit? Decided last minute to go.

[John_Glas]

Any last minute recommendation for wineries to visit? Decided last minute to go.

Sleight of Hand & Dusted Valley.

[Brandon_R]

As mentioned above, Elephant Seven. I think the “bunker” tasting room (super cool little spot out by the airport) is open for Latta Wines. Definitely stop by there.

[Brandon_R]

Adding to this, a few of my Seattle wine friends went to part of the Taste Washington over this past weekend and were impressed by the wines from Time & Direction Wines. Apparently, they’ll have a pop-up tasting place over Cayuse weekend. Never had 'em, but these guys have great palates and I’d go there with utter confidence.

[terrance.c]

Agree, had them at Taste as well. Very good and yah, if they got a pop-up this weekend, it’d be worth checking out

[John_Peacock]

Time & Direction has popup tasting room Friday 11/5 and Saturday 11/6 11AM-6PM, address is 270 E Cessna Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362 (airport area).

Full Disclosure: Steve Wells (T&D owner and winemaker) is a personal friend, and I’m really excited to see that people are enjoying his wines.

[TR_Barry]

Thanks for the heads up John, will definitely be stopping by the pop-up this weekend!

[Ron_Slye]

I am torn. I am one of the ones that Brandon R kindly described as having a good palate. I want to say the wines were terrible, so that it won’t be that crowded. But they were really wonderful wines, and very reasonably priced. In all seriousness, if you are looking for a new up and coming winemaker that you want to discover early – or you are out at the airport area anyway, I highly recommend a visit.

[Steve_Costigan]

Many of my favs already mentioned but I’ll add my two cents. Aryn Morrell is very tallented and makes wines for a number of labels. He pours his Alleromb label and may have Morrell-Lawrence at his tasting room next to the bike shop on Main St. Also, Va Piano just down the street from Sleight of Hand is a must for me especially for Syrah. Enjoy