2019 Outlook and a look back at what a successful year 2018 was

Hello 2019!!

 

What a year 2018 was for us and hopefully for you as well.  2018 saw a lot of firsts.  I decided to do my first skin fermented white wine.  This will be available in the Fall of 2019.  I was able to take my first trip to South America, thanks to the Bill Powers grant.  It also marked the first time our Carmenere won best in the Pacific northwest.  Last year was the first year doing harvest in our own building with our own equipment.  It also marked the first time my father and grandfather came down during crush to help, and of course, my first broken bone.  The first Grammy nominated artist was brought to Walla Walla in 2018 too.  Wow and that’s just the highlights!

 

While some things were new, a lot was the same.  We had the same beautiful, smiling Sally pouring downtown for the whole year.  As well as welcoming back Kirstin Boggs to help with harvest.  We welcomed back so many of our favorites:  Rocket Man Red, Eternal Perspective, Eternal Beauty and, of course, our Drink Washington State Chardonnay and Carmenere.

 

So, what’s the plan for 2019 you ask?  I see 2019 as a stable year and an improvement year.  My plan is to take a close look at every aspect of our winery and cut out the fat.  I spend a lot of time on the road and would like to hand that off to someone else.  That being said, we are close to finalizing distribution in the Seattle area which would be huge for us and our retail/restaurant clients.

 

Holiday barrel was another successful weekend at both locations.  We were tasting our Eternal Zen, and we sold a good amount of futures for this Spring 2019 release.  Let’s talk about our Spring release for a second.  We are releasing our 4^thvintage of our Eternal Beauty rose, 3^rdvintage of Eternal Perspective Grenache Blanc, Eternal Sunshine Viognier, Eternal Darkness Syrah, Eternal Zen Syrah and Eternal Discovery Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

These winter months you are more likely to find me in the tasting room at The INK as if there are no customers it gives me time to run labs, do barrel work, or prep wines for bottling.  Swing by and taste the new wines with me.  We still serve bottle beers at The INK too so you have no excuses not to visit!  The Sam Smith oatmeal stout pairs perfect with the cold.

 

Our downtown tasting room is open 5 days a week:  Wed. & Sun. 12-5 pm and Thurs.-Sat. 12-8 pm.

Our airport location is open Friday-Sunday 12-5 pm.

*We are open later for special events.

Free live music is from 5:30-7:30 pm.  Locals taste our Drink Washington State wines for free. 

UPCOMING EVENTS 2019:

1/24/19:  McKenzie Lindsay plays downtown.

 

2/25/19: Walla Walla Wine in Seattle, WA.

 

4/14 – 4/15/19:  Reveal Walla Walla.

 

5/18/19: Rising Stars in Prosser at the Clore Center 1-4 pm.

 

6/22/19: Wine and Brews in Renton, WA 2-5 pm.

*Bold locations in Walla Walla

As always, thanks for reading.

-Drink Wine Be Happy

Brad Binko