"Washington Wine's Salt of the Earth: Rick Small of Woodward Canyon"

Zibby Wilder, from Seattle Weekly, recently interviewed Woodward Canyon's owner, Rick Small. Click on the link to read the interview.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2012/09/washington_wines_salt_of_the_e.php

Woodward Canyon's Fall Harvest

It is that time of year again at Woodward Canyon's Estate Vineyard: fall harvest. The vineyard and grape clusters are spectacular. The sugars, acid and tannin levels in this years vintage are going to produce delectable wines.

Speaking of fall harvest, we invite you to celebrate the spectacular Walla Walla Valley Fall Release Weekend with us. Tastes our award winning wines paired with a variety of scrumptious treats. Meet Rick and Darcey Small, the owners of Woodward Canyon, and Kevin Mott, Woodward Canyon's Winemaker. We will be tasting from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, the entire weekend. If you have any questions, please give us a call at the winery at (509) 525-4129 or email us at getthedirt@woodwardcanyon.com. We look forward to see you!

Apple Galette Paired With 2011 "Washington State Chardonnay"

This beautiful apple galette was paired with Woodward Canyons 2011 "Washington State Chardonnay" at the Reserve House last weekend. The "Washington State Chardonnay" has beautiful flavors of Asian pear and crisp apple with aromatic notes of vanilla, spice and hazelnut. Paired with the cinnamon and brown sugars of the apple galette, this was a delectable dessert. If you are interested in next weeks dessert, please join us at the Reserve House. The Reserve House is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 11:30 AM. Reservations are not required for groups of five or fewer;  groups of six or more should email shari@woodwardcanyon.com or call the winery at (509) 525-4129 to make a reservation.

Market and Restaurant now open at Woodward Canyon!

It's been a busy spring and summer for us at Woodward Canyon! Along with our yearly events like April Release and Spring Release, we opened a produce and gourmet goods market at the winery in May as well as the Reserve House Restaurant which we operate on-site.

The market, named Lazy S Arrow after the brand Rick's family used for their ranch, offers produce and herbs from our one acre garden at the Estate Vineyard and the gardens on the winery grounds.  Also called Lazy S Arrow, the garden produces amazing Walla Walla sweet onions, beets, fingerling, bintje and yukon gold potatoes and more!  The market also features local and regional products such as Walla Walla Roastery coffee beans, Theo chocolates (Seattle), charcuterie from Fino in Fondo (Oregon) and cheeses from around the Northwest and beyond.  Stop by on your way into - or out of - town!  The market is open Fridays through Sundays, 10 AM - 5 PM, and by request throughout the week.

The Reserve House Restaurant was also an exciting project! For those of you who have visited the small community of Lowden, you may recall there aren't any places to grab a quick bite to eat or enjoy a leisurely lunch with a glass of wine.  Since we have all of this fabulous produce from Lazy S Arrow and a variety of great purveyors to work with in Walla Walla, Rick and Darcey thought a restaurant would be a great addition to the winery.

Open seasonally, Fridays through Sundays, 11:30 AM to 3 PM, the restaurant features small plates sourced from local ingredients.  Our chef, Heidi Varney, is currently enrolled in the Wine Country Culinary Institute at Walla Walla Community College.  Her specialty is crafting delicious and flavorful bites from all the wonderful Walla Walla Valley produce and meats.  Click here to see what we currently have on the menu.

If you're thinking of stopping by, you don't need a reservation unless you are a group of six or more.  For questions about the market or restaurant, or to make a reservation for lunch, please call the winery at (509) 525-4129 or email shari@woodwardcanyon.com.

We hope to see you on your next visit to Woodward Canyon!

Welcome to the Team!

I'm sure that most people have heard by now, but we are happy to welcome Kevin Mott, our winemaker, and Thomas Woodley, our sales director, to our ownership team here at Woodward Canyon Winery.  Both Mott and Woodley have been a member of the Woody team since joining the winery in 2003 and are an important part of the future of Woodward Canyon. Kevin and Thomas join Rick and Darcey Small, along with their daughter and son, Jordan Dunn-Small and Sager Small, as shareholders.

"As we worked through succession planning, it became clear that Kevin and Thomas are integral to the operation of Woodward Canyon and to its future. While we think of them as family, we are happy that after almost a decade of dedication they have officially joined our family in the ownership of the winery."
                                                                                                                  - Rick Small

Rick, head of production, and Darcey, general manager, will continue day to day involvement and management of the winery.

I'll See you in Walla Walla

Are you still looking to plan that trip to visit Walla Walla and all the wineries our little town has to offer? Well right now is the best time to book. Alaska Airlines is currently offering 20% discount on all flights to and from Walla Walla from anywhere Alaska flies, excluding Mexico and Hawaii, if you book before February 6th and travel before March 31st. Alaska has also partnered up with the Walla Walla Wine Alliance to offer special savings for those who fly into Walla Walla, including waived tasting fees at over 75 Walla Walla wineries, special lodging and restaurant offers and 2-for-1 skiing and museum ticket offers. Just show your boarding pass at participating locations. And if all that wasn't a good enough reason to visit, after you spend the weekend purchasing wine the Alliance and Alaska has partnered up to offer no baggage fees on the first case of wine you check! All cases after are charged the usual baggage fees.

So book now and hope to see you in Walla Walla sometime soon!

Cheers!

Shari