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

Travel Time for Rick and Darcey

Rick and I made a whirlwind trip to the west side last week. We started in Seattle with lunch with our son at one of our favorites, Tom Douglas' Dahlia Lounge. Rick had the crab cakes, which we think are hands down the best around, I had the curried clams – yum – and Sager worked his way through the burger. It was on a trip to Italy a number of years ago with Tom, Peter Dow and Michael Teer that Rick fell in love with Barbera and Dolcetto, then came home and planted those varieties in our Estate Vineyard.

Rick and I followed with a dinner at Volterra that Tamara Donaghy, the proprietor of the downtown Seattle women's clothing store Sway and Cake, purchased at the Seattle Hotel Association's Evening of Hope auction. Chef Don Curtiss and his crew put together a wonderful menu matched to Woodward Canyon wines. My favorite course was the Braised Pork Cheeks and Potato Gnocchi with the 2006 Columbia Valley Merlot. A good time was had by all and a great charity, the Plymouth Housing Group, benefited.

Then the next morning it was on to Moclips on the Washington Coast. As a young child I had spent time there with my parents so it was interesting to go back after so many years. The Ocean Crest Resort sits on a ridge above the ocean with wonderful views – particularly sunsets. The restaurant there produces a regular calendar of winemaker dinners and has an award-winning wine list, primarily NW wines, many of them nicely aged. It is always a surprising treat to find such a wine list in an off-the-beaten-path place.

On our day "off" we drove up to the Quinault Lodge at the edge of the Olympic National Park. After a short hike to see the world's largest spruce, we headed to the lodge for lunch. It is a beautifully maintained 1930's lodge that overlooks the lake. If you have not been there, it is worth the trip. For whatever reason, every time Rick and I have been in the rain forest it has been clear and warm and this was no different.

Then back to the coast for a nice long walk on a sunny beach before the winemaker dinner which was paired with many of our older wines from the Resort's cellar. My favorite course there was the Chocolate Chili with Citrus Pepper Puffs matched with the 2004 Merlot. I have to get that recipe!

It was a long haul home the next day to cloudy and gray Walla Walla, but we had met some nice folks, had plenty of good food and got an invigorating dose of salt air and sunshine so it was well worth it.

Darcey / Woodward Canyon Winery.