I guess I’ve been living in a little bit of a hole.
When I think, “wine tasting”, I think Napa.
Period.
Wine tasting in Washington?
Well, I have been educated. Apparently there is a bit of Napa in my own backyard… if you count a trip over the mountains one’s own backyard. Or a 45 minute flight.
Recently, I was given the opportunity to (wine) tour a portion of Washington Wine Country (Walla Walla), courtesy Buick.
We hopped a short flight from Seattle to Pasco then hopped in a fleet of Buicks to begin our tour. The above car is a the sport sedan, the Buick Regal.
She’s a pretty sweet ride. This mini-van driving mama sure did love some sport sedan time, complete with OnStar with 4G LTE and standard built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. And honestly, any Buick I could have chosen would have been a sweet ride…
We tasted delicious wines, ate a wonderful lunch, and I found a Chardonnay I love (I’ve never considered myself a Chardonnay lover).
Attendees drove from the airpot to the first winery…
I mean. Look at that Regal.
Such *torture*.
Between wineries we were chauffeured in the fleet of Buicks. Pretty sweet, right?
Our first stop was the Woodward Canyon Winery. It was there I found Chardonnay that I LOVE. I never considered myself a Chardonnay kind-of person. Apparently I’d been drinking the wrong kind-of Chardonnay.
We had lunch at Woodward Canyon too. And a little tour of the cellar…
One thing I learned on that trip… pace yourself.
So.
Next stop… Garrison Creek Cellars.
You guys. It was the most gorgeous of days in a most gorgeous of places.
Our transportation wasn’t too shabby either…
We were taken downstairs and were treated to tasting straight from the barrels!
I LOVE this building. Just gorgeous…
And it was fun getting to know some new people. Wine helps when getting to know a bunch of new people. It also helps that these people aren’t afraid of a camera…
Our final winery stop was Basel Cellars.
It was at Basal I discovered a Rose that stole my heart. The Basal Cellars 2014 Rose of Syrah. I hesitate to link to where you can purchase this because I don’t want there to be a shortage. For me. But I will. Because I can’t not tell you where to find goodness… so this is where you can find it.
Wine tasting in Washington. Gotta love it.
We were given a short tour of the grounds and inside the cellar.
I’m with the lovely Julia Wayne, bottom left.
Though I enjoyed all 3 winery experiences, the one at Basal was my favorite. They brought out cheese, and had oversized Jenga and cornhole and it just felt like a fun party.
And that Rose…
We wrapped up the day with a delicious dinner – and dessert at Whitehouse-Crawford.
Aaaaaaanand then, because hanging out and winery touring all day wasn’t enough… we all headed to a local bar and carried on for a couple hours more. But it was a long, fun day – and the thought of some Zs was lovely. We stayed at The Marcus Whitman Hotel…
In the morning we walked to Bacon & Eggs where some ate Chilaquiles (breakfast nachos) (I had NEVER heard of chilaquiles before!) and I had chorizo. BECAUSE CHORIZO.
Once breakfast was over, we had time to kill before our trek home and we window shopped, and checkout out the local farmer’s market – where I experienced another new thing – garlic scapes.
Eventually, it was time to go so we loaded our luggage and our bodies into our choice Buick (I got to drive the Enclave with Kim and Kerri as my trustee companions and headed back to the airport…
It was a very quick, super-fun trip. I met new people. I experienced Buick on a level I had not before. I experienced WINE on a level I had not before… Trying new things. I need to do that more often.
Do you enjoy wine? What is your current favorite?
*This post is not paid/sponsored. My travel and accommodations were paid for by Buick.*
