By far, the most fun, out-of-the-box experience at the Wine Bloggers Conference 2018 in Walla Walla was the Surprise Wine Country Dinner Excursion, where we were separated into different groups and whisked away for a magical mystery wine tour!
Our group was told to the side entrance to the beautiful Marcus Whitman Hotel, where to our surprise, at least a dozen beautiful classic cars from Walla Walla Cruisers Car Club were waiting to load us up and take us away. We chose this fabulous 1974 Pontiac Firebird owned and lovingly restored by Maggie Yount. Both car and driver were a total blast!
Maggie took us on a leisurely ride down the charming Main Street of Walla Walla, round the block, and stopped just across the street from where we had started! What next, we wondered? Our fearless group leader hustled us down the street and into Baron’s Winery, our first of three stops for the evening. Here, we were treated to delicious Chardonnay Chicken Bites on Polenta Squares paired with a glass of fabulous 2016 Baron’s Chardonnay. This Chardonnay was brilliant gold, crisp, floral and fruity. This varietal received a well-deserved rating of 90 points in April of 2018 from Wine Enthusiast!
Next, we proceeded down the street to Otis Kenyon Wines, where we sampled a very tasty salmon appetizer paired with a glass of their absolutely amazing Otis Kenyon 2017 Roussane. Though this local winery is mainly focussed on robust reds, this Roussane was a stunner, heavy and rich, with flavours of apricot and pear.
Last but not least, we ambled down the road to the lovely tasting room at Dama Wines. Dama is one of Washington State’s few women-owned wineries, and they make a mean Cowboy Cabernet Sauvignon! We enjoyed this hearty, juicy Cab along with a delicious steak dinner.
An evening of mystery, surprises, amazing food, wine and company – does life get any better?
