Summer Celebration Aims to Highlight Walla Walla Valley Wine
In lieu of the annual Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine events, festivities including winemaker talks and exclusive wine offerings headline summer months.
WALLA WALLA, WA – The Walla Walla Valley’s signature wine event, Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine – The World of Syrah, was slated for July 16-18, 2020. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, crowd size concerns and health guidelines postponed the event to July 15-17, 2021. The event postponement, however, is not stopping the wineries of the Walla Walla Valley from celebrating this summer. Walla Walla Valley wine enthusiasts can join in on a Summer Celebration through a Valley-Wide Library Pour, virtual talks with winemakers, wine bundles available for purchase and more. These festivities have been designed to cater to all audiences, with both virtual and redesigned in-person experiences aligned to the phases of reopening.
“With legacy, large scale tasting events on hold for this year, we wanted to provide a different way for wineries and wine enthusiasts to celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine together,” says Robert Hansen, Executive Director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. “The Summer Celebration will allow people to engage with and enjoy Walla Walla Valley Wine, whether they are near or far.”
In place of the original event dates, July 16-19, Walla Walla Valley wineries are teaming up to host a Valley-Wide Library Pour. One of the most beloved Celebrate events, Vintage Pour, offers attendees the opportunity to taste exclusive, vintage wines. To recreate this experience outside of a large tasting event, thirty participating wineries are adding library wines to their tasting lineups for the weekend. Patrons are encouraged to make appointments with the participating wineries of their choice to ensure their ability to partake.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning July 9, Walla Walla Valley winemakers and principals will be taking over the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance’s Instagram feed to conduct engaging, ten-minute discussions on various topics related to the wine industry. Topics include “Growing Up and Coming Back to the Walla Walla Valley”, “Most Misunderstood Things about the Walla Walla Valley & Winemaking” and more. Over the course of the month, there will be nine sessions with eighteen total guests featured in the series.
In addition, select retailers across the Northwest including Belle & Bottle in Seattle will be offering “Grand Tasting” bundles, showcasing some of the most popular wine varietals in the Valley. These creative wine packages will allow wine lovers to get a taste of what the Walla Walla Valley has to offer.
List of participating wineries, featured speakers and wines can be found online at www.celebratewallawalla.com/summer-celebration .
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About Celebrate Walla Walla Valley
Formed by the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance in 2013, Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine is the region’s signature wine event held annually. The event series is structured to showcase a different wine varietal each year, historically focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot. Over the course of three days, the events demonstrate how wines can vary among the world’s leading regions resulting from different growing conditions, winemaking styles, and vineyards through special tastings of rare vintage wines, educational seminars, and one-of-a-kind winemaker dinners.
About the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance is a nonprofit wine industry membership organization whose primary mission is to build an internationally acclaimed Walla Walla Valley wine brand among consumers, media, and trade by providing marketing programs on behalf of member wineries, vineyards, and partners. The Wine Alliance functions as the leading informational resource for consumers, media and trade interested in learning more about the Valley’s wine industry.
Media Contacts:
Liz Knapke
Communications & Marketing Director, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
[email protected] | (509) 526-3117 office
Shelby Pryor
Communications & Marketing Coordinator, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
[email protected] | (509) 526-3117 office
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