Walla Walla Wineries

Part of visiting Walla Walla was to seek out some of their wineries. I was surprised at how many wineries were around this small valley and found a great website that helped when planning to visit a few. We found many tasting rooms right in the downtown area, but we prefer whenever possible to visit the winery itself. Part of the experience is the wines themselves, but really, I just dig the scenery & how they stage the tasting rooms.

Out of the nearly 200 wineries, we only hit 3. But, they were 3 enjoyable stops & made a dent in our alcohol budget. From the research I did, most wineries charge a $5 tasting fee, which was ‘refunded’ with a purchase.

The first was Amavi, and I loved the modern structure and feel. The view was stupendous, and the tasting room attendent(crap, I forgot her name!) was a joy to chat with. We were the only ones there, and the rest of the staff was busy preparing a luncheon for Eric Idle. Healthy pours, extremely tasty estate wines, and for the first time I actually fell in love with a Rose. This Cabernet Franc Rose has a very small production and sells out quickly. Every other Rose I have had has been cloyingly sweet, but this was bright with a nice mineral taste couple with just enough fruit to even it out. Just yum. We purchased the rose and also a Cabernet Sauvignon that we enjoyed.

View from Amavi

View of Amavi

The second winery we happened upon was Va Piano Vineyards. A short drive through the vineyards to the house in the valley, the tasting room wasn’t clearly marked. We guessed at the right door and landed in a very cozy tasting room. Heavy on the Tuscan theme, we were told that was because the owner studied in Florence, Italy and fell in love with the area. What was unique about this winery, is a series of wines that support the charitable work of Father Bruno Segatta. All the labels on the series are made from the art of Father Bruno. We snagged a Sauvignon Blanc from here, and made our way to our last winery.

Stormy Vineyards at

Stormy Vineyards at Va Piano

 

Our last stop was Isenhower Cellars, recommended by the tasting attendent at Amavi. The tasting attendent here (I really need to write down peoples names!), was also very friendly. A graduate of the wine program at Walla Walla community college, by the end of the visit she was trying to encourage me to join the program! Super cute pooch on premises, along with a decent wine tasting, we left with a bottle and called our Walla Walla exploration good… for now.

Isenhower Tasting Room

Isenhower Tasting Room

We both really enjoyed Walla Walla – easy to walk around, extremely friendly people, beautiful views and good, affordable wine. What’s not to love?

 

Categories: On the Road, Wineries | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Relay for Hope 5k – Walla Walla, WA – 5kin50states

Washington State, done!

First the positive. What a beautiful route to take for a 5k, and overall a beautiful day. Well, except that blasted wind that kept blowing crap into my eyes!

Since we were only making one stop in Washington, I wasn’t quite sure if I would be able to cross it off my 5kin50states list. Walla Walla is a smaller town, and I was surprised to find a 5k while we were in the area. This race was organized to prevent Child Abuse and I was happy to participate for such a worthy cause.

The entire event itself however, was really unorganized. Since it was the 4th annual race, I didn’t expect this sort of confusion and it lead to a small bit of frustration. I pre-registered so I went to pick up my packet. There were volunteers in the tent, and no one seemed to have a firm grasp of what to do. Another registrant also had issues and was being bounced back & forth between two ‘stations’. I walked back to the car where Keith & Samantha were waiting, only to find out I didn’t have a race bib in my packet. So, I headed back to the tent of confusion and waited..and waited…where 5 people were standing & looking at the people in line while one person assisted someone registering. Finally I overhead that one person state that if you wanted a race bib, you had to go behind the tent to register. Good to know.

The race was supposed to start at 9:00, but due to some technical difficulties, it was postponed. There were 3 different races happening  - a 10k, a 5k and a 1k fun walk. The 10k was to go at 9, the 5k at 9:10. I normally do not warm up until 10 minutes out. So, when the 10k race finally got started at 9:10, I started walking over to the race start to warm up & get ready. All of a sudden the announcer says, hey, why don’t we get the 5k race going too? Since it was timed, there was a minor delay but then all of a sudden we were off – I wasn’t prepared with my music, warming up, and barely got endomondo started. Not the best way to start for me.

The route itself was pretty straightforward until ~mile 2, where arrows lead you to a parking lot. The instructions said there would be color coded signs leading the 5k & 10k in the right directions. I guess arrows count..but it had me a bit confused. There weren’t any people around either, giving directions or encouraging people on like I’ve experienced in previous races.

Washington 5k!

Washington 5k!

There was one water station on the 5k route and I found it odd as I was approaching it the volunteer was standing in front of the table. She was telling people to take water if they needed it. I actually had to leave the trail to reach the water. Normally volunteers stand off the trail after the table holding water out for the runners.

My last nitpick was the timing itself. They only had one clock and it was set when the 10k started. If the delay was an even 10 minutes like originally planned, it would be possible to figure out my time. Since there was was a rush to get the 5k going, I have no idea what the clock was when the 5k started. As I crossed the finish line, the announcer broadcasted my time as 49:xx. However, because I was in the 5k group, it was less than that. I have no idea what the ‘official’ time was. My app gave me this info:

3.21 miles in 47:43

The attendance for the event was fairly light, and I don’t know why. If I was in the area, I would probably take a pass at doing it again. Ultimately, I am still glad I donated, and got to cross Washington State off my 5k list, regardless of the annoyances I experienced.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Categories: 5K | Tags: , , | Leave a comment