April marks kick-off to Wine Tasting Season in Walla Walla

WALLA WALLA, WA — Spring is here — and with it comes high wine tasting season in the Walla Walla Valley.

“We see traffic in wine tasting rooms really start to pick up in April,” said Duane Wollmuth, Executive Director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. “The weather in Walla Walla is generally mild, and it’s a great time of the year to visit.”

The Walla Walla Valley wine region is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, as it continues to gain accolades as a top wine region in the world. Earlier this year, Wine Enthusiast named Walla Walla among the ten best wine travel destinations, and Snooth.com put it on their list of five great wine destinations for 2014.

There are a number of event weekends coming up to bring in the tasting season:

• Unofficial kick-off weekend: April 4-6, 2014

• Feast Walla Walla: April 11-12, 2014

• Spring Release Weekend: May 2-4, 2014

Many wineries begin to pour their new releases during unofficial kick-off weekend, and almost all of the Valley’s wineries are open for Spring Release Weekend. Feast is downtown Walla Walla’s premier wine and food festival.

“During these special event weekends, visitors can be among the first to take home a selection of wines, many of which can be found only by visiting the wineries and tasting rooms themselves,” Wollmuth said.

A full schedule of events for each weekend can be found online at http://www.wallawalla.org.