From the heart of Washington wine country...

Day Three of Walla Walla 2009 Fall Release weekend. It's overcast and cool today in Walla Walla. Wineries we sampled/visited yesterday included K Vintners, Abeja, àMaurice, Rasa, Robison Ranch, and Va Piano. K Vintners had a crush of a crowd, so we weren't able to spend much time there unfortunately. Abeja has new releases of Chardonnay and Merlot. àMaurice, situated in an exceptionally beautiful location across from Walla Walla Vintners, has a number of new releases including a viognier which is always one of the valley's best. Rasa, a new winery from the Navarane brothers, has its first release, a syrah-centric blend called QED. Robison Ranch was celebrating its inaugural release with a large party at the ranch complete with raffle giveaways and delicious homemade smoked salmon. Va Piano was releasing their 2007 Syrah and Bruno's Blend V. Plans for today include stops at Gramercy, Trust, and Reynvaan among others. Sunday is typically a quiet day on event weekends with many heading back home. For those with a little more time to spend, it is well worth the extra day.

For folks who read my post about it raining dirt Thursday evening, see an excellent comment by local geologist Kevin Pogue who provides background information on this odd event. Dr. Pogue also gives some excellent car washing advice which, after spending so much time driving backcountry roads going to trailheads, you would think I would already follow.

Look for tweets throughout the day @wawinereport.