The Walls Wines Pt 2

The Walls Wines Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. The name, “The Walls,” a winery in Walla Walla, plays off a nick name for the state Penitentiary that looks over the valley from a hill north of town.

Founder, Mike Martin says the same fun with words methodology was used when naming when naming his Tempranillo …

MARTIN … “You want people to remember it, and it is a Wonderful Nightmare. Tempranillo is a grape that does not like to get cold and we’ve had some frost issues down in Milton Freewater from where this fruit originates from. It was frosted out after a cold-snap after Thanksgiving 2014, so we did not get these guys in ’15 or ’17 so it really has kind of been a nightmare. It’s turned into kind of an even-year wine so we’re pouring the 2016 today and we’ll have it again in 2018.”

So, Martins says this year is a wait and see …

MARTIN … “We’re cautiously optimistic. I’ve been talking to some of the vineyard managers and they were somewhat surprised by how late the cold has been. They’ve never experienced cold temperatures like that in March before. They certainly are familiar with them earlier in the year, but fingers crossed I think we pull through it okay.”

And, Martin says their wine is pretty easy to find …

MARTIN … “Of course, you can go to our website, thewallsvineyards (both with s).com. We’re distributed throughout most of the Pacific Northwest. You’ll find us in ‘Total’ the ‘Met Market’ and a bunch of others. Our Stanley Groovy blend is part of a promotion for Costco this month so a lot of people have been coming up and having discovered it there, which is great.”

And, if you’re familiar with Walla Walla’s restaurant history, Mike Martin is also the owner of Passatempo … formerly known as the Pastime Café. Specializing in pasta made by hand, Passatempo Taverna features beautiful and rustic Italian cuisine.

Go to www.thewallsvineyards.com for more information and to check out The Walls’ assortment of available wines.

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