W5

W5, that would be Walla Walla, Washington Wine Weekend.  Mike and Laura left me at home last weekend.  They went to Walla Walla for wine tasting with friends.  They rented a house south of town with 5 other couples.  This was there first visit to the AVA and enjoyed it a lot.  They set a record pace, 12 people may have slowed them down a bit but the visited 13 wineries.

One nice thing Mike liked about the area is that some wineries have taken up shop in the downtown area.  It makes it easy for the taster to sample with out driving miles to each winery.  They only visited 2 wineries down town, but the idea is great.  It supports other retailers in a down town area by having tasters walking through the town, not just driving through.

All in all Mike and Laura purchased about 4 cases of wine.  This is Cabernet Sauvignon country.  They got wine that is not distributed, that is, not sold anywhere but the winery.  Many of the wineries have limited the production, they are not growing the business.  They keep the production the same year after year.  This saves them in having to buy fruit form others and insures they sell out every season.  With that, demand has also increased.  Many wineries in the Walla Walla Valley have pre-sold the wine, year after year.  If you have ever been wine tasting, you will notice how wineries like to sign you up for their wine club.  That way they can ship you wine every season and make you a long time customer.  Some wineries in this region have filled their club lists, the only way to get the wine is to be on that list.  Now, because the lists are full, you are required to buy a certain amount of wine every release, let's say it's one case.  If you don't buy the case you are off the list.  Mike and Laura have friends who are on closed lists.  They buy the wine and sell it off to friends.  Mike and Laura are on a wait list for a few wineries.  If current list members don't buy, they move up the list.

All of it will be for their personal cellar as the cellar for The Craftsman B&B is local wine found within a few hours of Pacific City.  This is for our guests that are traveling from around the country, they want local wine.

All this may sound crazy.  Required to buy a certain amount, waiting lists and all.  But once you have tried the wine and like to go out for date night dinners, bringing your own wine and paying a corkage fee saves you hundreds of dollars.  It's also nice to explore different areas of the country searching for that perfect "whatever" you are into.  It gives your travel a purpose, a destination.  Just like people come to Pacific City on the Oregon Coast and our B&B, they want to relax, hike, fish and explore our beaches and forests.  We love it here and Mike and Laura also love to travel and experience food and wine from other regions.