Wineries Moving West

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By Holly Zuluaga

Summary

More local wineries are setting up tasting rooms out of town, but is this helping or hurting Walla Walla tourism. It's a new "face" in Walla Walla Wine Country. The owners of Walla Walla Inns are debuting Walla Faces downtown for Holiday Barrel tasting.

Story Published: Dec 4, 2009 at 6:16 PM PST

WALLA WALLA--More local wineries are setting up tasting rooms out of town, but is this helping or hurting Walla Walla tourism.

It's a new "face" in Walla Walla Wine Country. The owners of Walla Walla Inns are debuting Walla Faces downtown for Holiday Barrel tasting.

“We're actually at the very beginning of the whole thing. It's been a 3 year wait to get to where we are now,” Rick Johnson of Walla Faces said.

However, it's a hard time for any business to open.

Visitors for barrel tasting this weekend are expected to drop off by up to 20%.

“I'd probably agree it's not the best time to be opening, but the wine is ready so that's why we're opening right now,” Rick Johnson said.

Walla Faces is banking on their artistic label and Starbucks type tasting room to set them apart.

They're also using a downtown Seattle condo for private dinners and tastings.

“What those wineries are doing is diversifying which is what you have to do in this the market. The world is changing and what they're trying to do is get in front of the consumer,” Elizabeth Martin-Calder from the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance said.

However, if Walla Walla wineries are bringing the product to the consumer will the consumers still come to Walla Walla?

The belief is: yes.

Added exposure always works.

“We know that a lot of restaurants are selling out of their cellars which means they aren't buying more wine and so the best thing for the wineries to do is have that direct sale,” Elizabeth Martin-Calder said.

It's a simple plan: give westsiders a whiff of our local wines, and they won't resist a full wine country experience.