Walla Walla makes its cases as a wine destination By David Skidmore Chicago Tribune You can call Christophe Baron a number of things iconoclast, maverick, missionary but don't make the mistake of labeling him a winemaker as I did in my first five minutes of visiting his Cayuse winery in the Walla Walla Valley. "Right there you are lucky I didn't kick you out," Baron said as we sat down at his vineyard picnic table. A native of France's Champagne region, Baron sees himself not so much as a maker of wine but as one who grows wine, a vocation the French have termed vigneron. It's a title claimed by few of the owners and growers at Walla Walla's 170 other wineries. Baron, though, is a vigneron, and a very zealous one. The grapes he grows on the stony soil of the Walla Walla Valley, halfway between the city of Walla Walla in southeastern Washington and the valley's Oregon bookend, Milton-Freewater, embody the craftsmanship he learned at his family's vineyard and his passion for biodynamic farming, a process more exacting, he claims, than organic farming. Besides eschewing herbicides and pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, Baron avoids commercial yeasts for fermentation, using instead yeast from his own grapes and soil. He battles powdery mildew using whey produced by his cows. His vineyards have been certified biodynamic since 2005, eight years after his first planting, and for him it represents the pinnacle of farming and one that carries a higher level of risk, which is why he is the only grower in the valley using biodynamic methods, Baron said. "People are afraid. They like to quantify everything," he said. "If you don't quantify, you are not in power. For me that is the other way around. More power to the vines. I am just there making sure they are doing well." These efforts translate to high-quality grapes and a passionate following among critics and the lucky few who are on the list to purchase his
premium syrah, cabernet, grenache, tempranillo and viognier. His wine, which averages $80 a bottle, is sold to select restaurants and to an invitation-only club membership before production, an arrangement also followed by the valley's other premium small-production brands such as Abeja and Leonetti, the latter being the first commercial winery in the valley, founded in 1977. Since the late 1970s, when a small group of self-taught winemakers converted their hobby into commercial production, the winemaking industry in the Walla Walla Valley has grown over 900 percent, largely due to the efforts of the industry's founders to ensure premium-quality grapes and wine are produced from the valley's unique climate and soil. Long sunny days in the upper 90s and cool nights, coupled with the glacial soils, create perfect conditions for growing cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, merlot, sangiovese, tempranillo and syrah, the valley's signature grape. Recognition as an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1984 was an important first step, but since the turn of this century, when the industry began its rocket climb, education and training have helped ensure that quality remains the focus. (See sidebar.) And growth continues. A 2011 study by Walla Walla Community College found that the wine industry in the valley accounted for 6 percent of regional employment in 2006 and 14.5 percent just five years later, with a projection of 20 percent by 2020. The Washington State Wine Commission determined in 2012 that the industry in the valley pumps at least $500 million annually into the region's economy. Three of the wineries listed are open to the public: L'Ecole 41, tasting room 10am to 5pm daily; Castillo Feleciano, open Friday-Sunday, 11am to 5 pm; Walla Walla Vintners, open Fridays 1 pm to 5 pm and Saturdays 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Two others I recommend: Pepper Bridge (which owns the... The Walla Walla Valley has become the Napa of Washington state based on quality and the reputation of growers and vintners, Anderson said. "We are all about quality. If we are going to have 200 wineries here, we want to make sure everything they do is high quality." That includes high ratings by wine reviewers and solid business management, he said. Word is getting out, not only among the reviewers but the wine-drinking public. The spring and fall wine release weekends draw over 2,000 visitors each and nearly as many for the December barrel tastings. But most visitors are from the Pacific Northwest, noted Marty Clubb, co-owner of L'Ecole No. 41 winery and president of the Washington Wine Institute.
"While the wine industry knows the quality of the wine, the consumer does not. They barely have Washington state on the map, and if they can find Washington state wines, it is a rare find," he said. Clubb, who serves on the center's board, said increasing awareness means ramping up production among the valley wineries, which average 3,000 to 5,000 cases a year. With just 12 employees and 40,000 cases produced annually, L'Ecole ranks in the top 20 of the 900 Washington state wineries. But is easily eclipsed by the hundreds of California wineries turning out 100,000 cases a year. "As an industry, quite honestly, we need more 50,000-case brands to create more visibility across the country," Clubb said. Outside of major wineries like St. Michelle and Columbia (recently purchased by Gallo), most Washington brands don't have the volume or market penetration to attract distributors. Consequently, small and midsize wineries in Walla Walla Valley sell locally or through wine clubs. More visibility and visitors helps, and that continues to improve for the valley, which along with wineries also is home to a private liberal arts college and university, a thriving arts scene, historic Victorian houses turned into bed-and-breakfasts, a popular biking venue among the wheat fields and vineyards bordering the neighboring Blue Mountains, and an increasingly talented and varied set of eateries. Along with the charm, there is the camaraderie, among vintners, innkeepers and restaurateurs. "There is a uniqueness to this town and an energy here that you don't experience in other towns because there is such a support for each other," said Tom Maccarone, owner of T. Maccarone, one of Walla Walla's toprated restaurants. "It's a good thing. I don't want any of the other restaurants to go away. I want more restaurants to come to town." Winemaking goes to college Myles Anderson, a partner in the valley's eighth winery, Walla Walla Vintners, and founder of the Center for Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College, was among those who saw the coming boom in winery growth and the need for a program to train wine farmers and vintners. The center he founded in 2000 and directed until his retirement in 2013 is unique among other viticulture programs in the country because it is industry driven, Anderson noted. Top priorities from its founding were a certified, accredited laboratory and a faculty with experience as commercial wine growers.
"We wanted people who have a history of real success so that they could do these things as well as teach them," he said. "So we wanted things that were concrete, practical and hands-on. And we wanted people from the industry to be part of the faculty here. We didn't want academics." The two-year program, offering certificates in viticulture and enology and an associate's degree in viticulture and enology, emphasizes hands-on training for its 60 students, ranging in age from 18 to 70-plus. Learning happens as much in the vineyard and cellar as in the classroom. "You can only stand at the whiteboard for so long and try to explain how a press works," said enology instructor Tim Donahue. "I can spend all day doing it, or we can walk downstairs in five minutes and do it." Christopher Castillo, winemaker at his family's Castillo de Feliciana winery and a 2011 graduate of the program, appreciated the practical emphasis, especially having the college winery in the basement under the classroom. "All those concepts they taught us in school always meshed with something in the winery or something in the vineyard. So it was real book and real hands on," he said. Like Castillo, most students are seeking a career in the industry, whether as a cellar master, a vineyard manager or a vigneron. A few just want to have the training to grow grapes in their backyards and make a few dozen cases of wine. Three of the wineries listed are open to the public: L'Ecole 41, tasting room 10am to 5pm daily; Castillo Feleciano, open Friday-Sunday, 11am to 5 pm; Walla Walla Vintners, open Fridays 1 pm to 5 pm and Saturdays 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Two others I recommend: Pepper Bridge (which owns the... Donahue, who ran his family's winery in Palisades, Colo., before pursuing a master's in enology at the University of Adelaide in Australia, said the practical experience is vital for students filling jobs at local wineries where they have to know a little about everything, from fixing fermentation tank pumps to analyzing grape chemistry to tending vines. Nine out of 10 graduates of the program end up working in the industry, and 60 percent find jobs with local wineries. Practical experience happens at the center's winery, College Cellars, which produces 3,500 cases of white and red wines a year from 6 1/2 acres of vineyards managed by the students. Last year their efforts netted a gold medal at the Denver International Wine Competition and a best of class for muscat at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The previous year they earned six double gold medals and best of show at the Seattle Wine Awards. And Donohue noted that 128 of winning wines at the 2013 show were crafted by the center's students and graduates.
"That was when I realized that this thing was a whole lot bigger than just making a couple of bottles of wine and teaching people some stuff," he said. "We have this responsibility of helping grow the industry."