Kick Off the Holidays in Walla Walla with Winemakers’ Fête and Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend Join 

Walla Walla, WA (November 5, 2007) – Close to fifty Walla Walla wineries open their cellars for the 12th Annual Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend. Whether it is a locally catered spread of gourmet meats and cheeses, the infamous “Battle of the Soups” or local hand-crafted chocolates, each winery will offer something special for its guests. Also in the spirit of the season, the wineries of the Walla Walla Valley and the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance will be collecting donations for local charities.

In conjunction with Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend, Carnegie Art Center and the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance bring you the 2nd Annual Walla Walla Winemakers’ Fête. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, November 29, from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center.

“Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend began as a way for the wineries to give back to the community, while visiting with neighbors and customers of our burgeoning wine community. Twelve years later, that hallmark is still in place. What’s changed is that our guests now come from far and wide. Finding a way to share time with all our visitors, while still supporting our local community, was the driving ambition behind Winemakers’ Fête,” said Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance Executive Director, Elizabeth Martin-Calder.

As the opening event for Holiday Barrel Tasting Weekend, Winemakers’ Fête gives guests the chance to taste many of the Valley’s wines and chat with the winemakers who made them. For the opening reception over 30 winery representatives will be on hand to pour their wines during the varietal tasting. Guests will then enjoy a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Bear of the Marc Restaurant at intimate tables of eight hosted by one of twenty local winemakers. The evening will also include a silent auction featuring holiday-themed gift baskets and special large-format bottles with proceeds going to Carnegie Art Center.

"We are excited to partner with the Wine Alliance again this year to produce Fête. Art and wine are a natural pairing. Last year's event was a wonderful evening with great food and wine in addition to being great exposure for Carnegie," said Cheryl Williams-Cosner, Director of Carnegie Art Center.

Each winery will award a special magnum to one lucky tableside guest. Seating for the evening’s festivities is by chance, and attendees will draw a winery’s name the night of the event to learn which winery their group will be dining with. Whether your drawing seats you in the company of one of the founding winemakers in Walla Walla or a rising star of the Valley, the evening will be full of wonderful food, wine and cheer.

Participating wineries in the Winemakers’ Fête Dinner include: Canoe Ridge Vineyard, DaMa Wines, Dunham Cellars, Forgeron Cellars, JLC Winery, L’Ecole Nº 41, Long Shadows Vintners, Mannina Cellars, Nicholas Cole Cellars, Northstar Winery, Otis Kenyon Wines, Pepper Bridge Winery, Reininger Winery, Russell Creek Winery, Spring Valley Vineyard, SYZYGY, Three Rivers Winery, Trio Vintners, Whitman Cellars, and Woodward Canyon Winery.

Walla Walla Winemakers’ Fête is sponsored in part by the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center and Banner Bank.

Purchase your Winemakers’ Fête tickets through the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center and receive special deals on lodging for the weekend of Holiday Barrel Tasting. Packages are still available; please call The Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center at 509-525-2200 for more details.

A list of wineries participating in Holiday Barrel Tasting, their hours of operation, tasting fees, and any special events for the Weekend as well as further information about Winemakers’ Fête can be found at the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance Web site at www.wallawallawine.com.

The Carnegie Art Center is a non-profit arts educational organization, founded in 1971 to enrich the Walla Walla community with experiences in the visual arts. To that end, admission is always free to all exhibitions and many events. Carnegie Art Center operates year-round with one paid employee and a volunteer staff of more than 100 individuals who remain committed to the original mission. Operations include exhibitions, art classes, retail sales, paint-your-own pottery, and a variety of special events and community outreach efforts.

Carnegie Art Center occupies a historically significant piece of property and is charged with the maintenance and restoration of the 1905 Carnegie Library building, one of Walla Walla’s architectural treasures. All are welcome.

The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance is a winery and grower partnership committed to furthering the awareness of the quality wineries, wines, and vineyards of the Walla Walla Valley Appellation. Our mission is to support and promote quality and excellence in our wine industry and to further national and international recognition of our region. For more information, please visit www.wallawallawine.com.

For press information please contact Jordan Small, Communications Associate, at 509-526-3117 or at jordan@wallawallawine.com, or Elizabeth Martin-Calder, Executive Director, at 509-526-3117 or emcalder@wallawallawine.com.