While Walla Walla is known for great wineries and terrific restaurants, this spring kicks off a new dimension to the list of reasons why you should be here. Music and live performances abound.

On April 12, Charles Smith Wines presents Ciudades Northwest Flamenco Tour w/Savannah Fuentes, Jesus Montoya, and Pedro Cortes in his downtown Spokane Street Tasting room.

Then, on Saturday May 4, Sleight of Hand Winery presents world-renowned mentalist-magician Professor Phelyx and international circus star Tanya Burka at the Gesa Power House Theatre stage for A One Night Spectacular.

From May 17-19, Castillo de Feliciana presents David Maldonado’s Noche de Pasion - 100 years of Spanish Guitar in one passionate night!

David Maldonado’s Noche de Pasiontakes audiences on a musical journey through Spain, Morocco, Egypt, and beyond. Noche de Pasion features guitar maestro David Maldonado performing original Spanish compositions and re-worked pieces dating back to the early 1900s, and features everything from a solo guitar to a string quartet and even a full band, alongside a cast of highly skilled dancers coloring the stage. The historic Gesa Power House Theatre provides outstanding acoustics and unparalleled proximity to the performers as they explore the history of Spanish guitar and the deep emotions evoked by its music.

Plan to be here for these amazing performances.

March 28-March 31, 2013

Join Encaustic Artist Colleen Monette in Walla Walla for a weekend of wax and wine.

Arrive Thursday late afternoon and check in your B&B. Thursday night is open to you to explore Walla Walla’s downtown with terrific restaurants and wine bars.

Friday morning, meet at the workshop venue for a full day of encaustic art instruction by accomplished designer and artist, Colleen Monette.

The day-long encaustic class starts with a brief history of encaustic painting and basic instruction on safety.

You will be introduced to the basics of painting with pigmented wax, including fusing, incising and layering. Delve into the myriad of ways to manipulate the wax through collage, stenciling and imbedding, as well as learning solvent and photo transfers.

After lunch (provided), you will be able to take everything you have learned and create your own piece of art.

You will end the day with a finished piece or two to take home. We’ll wrap up the day with a wine reception with your classmates.

Friday evening and Saturday day are open to explore the more than 80 tasting rooms in the Walla Walla Valley or spend the day shopping in Walla Walla’s award-winning historic downtown and/or trips to neighboring Waitsburg, Dayton or Pendleton.

Saturday night, you will enjoy a four course dinner prepared for the class participants by local chef and hosted by Colleen.

Price includes Lodging at Girasol Vineyard & Inn, gourmet breakfast each morning and welcome wine and cheese tray on arrival. Workshop Meals (as outlined below), Encaustic Art Workshop and supplies.

Single Occupancy: starts at $825 per person

Double Occupancy: starts at $580 per person

Not included:  Sales and lodging tax as applicable, transportation

What is included:  All wax medium and substrates, all tools, assorted collage materials provided for creating, experimenting and adding to your art.

• Friday workshop lunch and snacks
• Friday afternoon wine reception
• Saturday night catered dinner

To Reserve Workshop: Please call Michele Rennie at 509.956-9743.

Workshop Space is limited to 20 participants. 

What to bring:  Smock or comfortable old shirt, shoes.   Any old bits of ephemera – old paper, lace, cloth, ribbon, small treasures to incorporate into your artwork.  Also bring photocopies of favorite photos (inkjet, toner copies) in black and white or color.

About Colleen Monette:

Colleen loves the smell and feel of the wax.  In mixing the beeswax, dumar and pigment with antique ephemera, vintage bits and pan pastel, she has found a way to combine the wax and collage materials in rich earth tones that inspire her love of nature and home.

Getting to Walla Walla:

Walla Walla is approximately 4. 1/2 hours from Seattle and just over 4 hours from Portland. The Walla Walla airport is serviced by two flights daily (arriving mid-afternoon and evening) by Alaska Airlines from Seattle. Portland is serviced through Pasco, a 50 minute drive.

Now that Crush 2012 is in barrels, it’s time to celebrate the harvest’s bounty. Be sure to check out downtown Walla Walla’s festive glow and great events happening all through December.

For a list of Holiday events, visit wallawalla.org

Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon…the first to show veraison at Windrow Vineyard. Photo courtesy of Tero Estates. 

In theory, harvest could begin as early as mid-September. However, typically, Walla Walla is usually late to harvest, anywhere from late September into the middle of October.

As the winemakers wait, they inspect equipment,take delivery of new oak barrels and they are making more frequent trips to their vineyards.

They are also trying to take advantage of this last remaining down time to spend time with the kids and soak up summer.

Crush, when it hits, will demand long days and their full attention for at least four to six weeks.

However, as most valley wineries source fruit from other parts of the Columbia Valley, grapes could start arriving as early as Labor Day weekend.

For wine visitors, this is the best times of year to be in the Walla Walla Valley. Ther smell of fermenting grapes is in the air, days are warm, while nights cool down to sweater temperatures. It then becomes a race with Mother Nature. Will the grapes ripen before the cool weather, a trademark for the latter part of October, sets in?

Wheat fields in August. Photo by Walla Walla photographer Mark Van Donge

Walla Walla is truly a special place. This part of the country was given the sun, 300 days or so,  and the land, rich and fertile; both attributes that make living here wonderful. In addition, we have inherited an infrastructure of a vibrant downtown core and wonderful, tree-lined streets and parks that grace neighborhoods of stately Victorians and later-period Craftsmen homes throughout downtown and Whitman College.

After Kyle Mussman completed the renovation of the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel in 1999, Walla Walla exploded from 14 wineries to 34 by 2002. Now, wineries number more than 140 — in various stages of bonding. On the big wine weekends, more than 80 wineries open their doors and provide visitors with tastes of their highly-acclaimed wines. Visit Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance for more details on our wineries and big wine events.

That, as they say, was the start of the revival of modern day Walla Walla. Where there is great wine, great food and the arts soon follow and flourish. Walla Walla has attracted both artisans and entrepreneurs alike, lured by the sophistication of the wine industry and the grace of living in a place that retains its sense of place.

We invite you to spend some time in our city. We are confident that you will find a bit of whatever is good for your soul here.

Michele
Innkeeper