The Palouse region of southeastern Washington and Idaho has long been known for its rolling fields of wheat and lentils, rival university towns and unforgettable sunsets.
Now, winemakers strive to make a name for its budding wine culture.
Echoing the Northwest wine industry's growth, four wineries have opened their doors in the region since 2004, joining the region's pioneer - Camas Prairie Winery of Moscow, Idaho.
Amid the buzz, locals are enjoying new tasting rooms and wine bars that now dot the region.
With its unique combination of agrarian and academic expertise, this four-city region is positioned to become one of the Northwest's newest wine destinations.
"With the five wineries here and the consumer's increased interest in wine, I think it's a great time for everyone to be doing what they're doing," said Patrick Merry of Merry Cellars Winery in Pullman, Wash.
About 30 miles south is the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. It's significantly downhill. The elevation drops by 1,600 feet, and temperatures are an average of 7 degrees warmer. This combination explains why it was home to a thriving grape-growing and wine-producing region more than a century ago.
More than 40 grape varieties were planted, but the wine industry withered under Prohibition.
Fortunately, this new influx of winemakers is returning the valley's lands to their once-prolific roots.
One could call it a case of "the more the merrier."
Merry Cellars
Pullman, Wash.
This 2,400-case operation is affixed in the historic, marble-floored Old Post Office building in downtown Pullman.
A native of Montana, Patrick Merry broke from family roots in the hydraulics industry to enroll in Washington State University's graduate program in computer science.
Meanwhile, his love for winemaking outgrew its hobby status, so he decided to take time off from his studies to complete WSU's enology program.
His first commercial vintage was 2004, and he continues to dabble in home beer brewing.
"I've decided that I'm not going to start any new hobbies," he said with a smile, "because the last one I started ended up here."
His interpretation of a 2005 Carménère, crafted with fruit from the Seven Hills Vineyard, created a fan base for this obscure Bordeaux variety.
"I feel that people are looking for something a little different, and Carménère certainly is nothing, if not that," he said.
To meet his customers' demand, Merry tripled production of the variety during the past three vintages.
He's also shown savvy with vineyard-designate releases of Merlot and Semillon from Stillwater Creek Vineyards in the Frenchman Hills near Royal City, Wash. Fruit from Pepper Bridge and Les Collines in the Walla Walla Valley goes into a red blend Merry coined as "Crimson," a tribute to one of WSU's school colors.
Summer is the height of wine tasting season, and it's also when the Palouse becomes awash in vibrant shades of green and gold, making it an ideal time for alumni to rediscover the beauty of their former stomping grounds.
"It's not what they remember," Merry said. "There's a lot to do here, in addition to the wine experience. We have a lot of good restaurants, art galleries and artisan shops and wonderful tourism activities - Hells Canyon is just south of the valley - and an afternoon drive through the Palouse is quite nice."
Camas Prairie Winery
Moscow, Idaho
Stu Scott, the patriarch of Palouse winemakers, taught business classes at the University of Idaho for several years, so he knows that more wineries will mean more wine tourism.
"It's been very difficult," Scott said. "Nobody comes to Moscow, Idaho, for the wine. Now they get here, and it's a pleasant surprise to find there is a local winery and a good local winery, so that's nice.
"But we're now trying to develop the wine industry in this region. We now have a total of five. Now five's not quite enough, but if we had 10 wineries, we could be a wine destination."
His 2,300-case production includes award-winning sparkling wines, gold-medal meads, delicious fruit wines and unbelievably inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Lemberger from Champoux Vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills.
Scott began making wine in Moscow in 1983. His history of success and consistency earned him Wine Press Northwest's 2007 Idaho Winery of the Year.
He points out the five Palouse-area wineries support each other with their knowledge, skills and equipment. Together, they enjoy the increasing support of local residents and restaurants.
"You have, right now, all small producers that are in the business because they love what they're doing, and it shows in the wines," he said.
Each step of the winemaking process will continue to be performed by themselves for many years. Scott said those qualities help make the Palouse wine experience a pleasant change of pace.
"Wine can be done at the artisan level or at the production level," he said. "Coming to the Palouse, on the other hand, you're going to interact, in an awful lot of cases, with the winemaker. And I think that adds a lot of value."
Basalt Cellars
Clarkston, Wash.
Rick Wasem and partner Lynn DeVleming believe in the future of local fruit.
"There are a lot of people in the planning stages as well as a couple of vineyards already in the valley, but we'd like to see more people planting vineyards," Wasem said.
Wasem, DeVleming, and three partners met at the 2002 Grape Symposium - a joint WSU Master Gardeners/Walla Walla Community College symposium staged in Clarkston. Soon after, they founded Clarkston's first winery.
Today, Basalt Cellars has grown into a 1,500-case winery on the banks of the Snake River.
Their 2005 Perimeter Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux and Milbrandt vineyards, Cab Franc from Sagemoor, Merlot off Pepper Bridge and Wasem's vineyard in Clarkston, with a touch of Petit Verdot via Elerding Vineyard. Their 2005 Verhey Vineyard Malbec recently medaled at the Seattle Wine Awards.
Only recently did Wasem discover that winemaking and grape growing has been a part of his family tree for 200 years.
"I think there's something in my blood that's driven me to this industry," he said.
DeVleming, though, hasn't always shared his passion.
"I picked grapes in France when I was 21," she said. "I was broke and I hated wine."
"They paid us $15 a day plus two liters of wine, but I never took the wine because I didn't like it," she explained, laughing. "I didn't start liking wine until I was in my 40s - and it became a passion at 40 - so I'm a late bloomer."
Wawawai Canyon Winery
Pullman, Wash.
Pullman native Ben Moffett saw potential in his family's Wawawai Canyon Vineyard in the hills above the Snake River, so he began crafting his own wine.
"It was hard at first because our fruit from the canyon was very big, acidic and tannic, and tended to take a lot of aging," he noted.
While attending the Viticulture and Enology program at Walla Walla Community College, he met partner Christine Havens, who was a sculptor at the Walla Walla Foundry until the bottom dropped out of the art market following 9/11.
Her touch with orchids shows in the winery's art-filled tasting room. They strive to craft their 600 cases to be different from big, jammy profile and vineyard-designate, single-variety reds.
"There's a part of me that likes something a little less obvious, a little more subtle, so we really go for notes of cedar and earthiness," Havens said. "I think there's something seductive about a blended wine. This year was really fun because we brought in several small lots - a ton of Carménère, Malbec and a couple of tons of Barbera - so we really like to play."
This spring, Wawawai Canyon released a 2006 Walla Walla Valley Sangiovese, as well as 2005 Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley, and a new blend - Volare - that takes Roussanne and Viognier from Snipes Canyon in the Yakima Valley.
They debuted their first estate wine - a Sauvignon Blanc.
At this point, Havens designs all of Wawawai Canyon's labels. She does plan to produce "artist series" labels, which will showcase the work of Palouse artists on their small-lot, limited-release wines.
"It's more than just, 'I'm a producer, you're a consumer,' " Moffett said. "For us, it's much more relationship-based."
Clearwater Canyon Cellars
Lewiston, Idaho
Winemaker Coco Umiker and her partners at Clearwater Canyon Cellars welcome the area's new embrace of wine and vineyards.
"When it comes to style," she said, "what ends up in the bottle is a reflection of all of us."
Umiker hails from a family of former wheat and barley farmers in the Lewiston Valley and is working on a doctorate in food science with an emphasis on wine microbiology.
She began making wine as an undergrad and gained hands-on experience at Whitman Cellars.
In 2004, she and her soil-scientist husband, Karl, partnered with three other couples to establish Clearwater Canyon Cellars, which produces 275 cases.
She and Karl also operate a 3-acre vineyard on their family's land where they grow 10 varieties of wine grapes.
The partners at Clearwater Canyon craft a Malbec, Merlot, Viognier and a blend called Renaissance Red.
The business plan is to reach 600 cases by 2009 - and the focus will be local.
"Our mission and goal is to make premium wines from grapes grown here in the valley," Umiker said. "Although we do source some of our grapes from outside the valley, we're each year trying to increase the amount of grapes grown locally, and that's really what we want to do - bring back the tradition of great winemaking from local grapes in the LC Valley." e
Quick Facts
Summer tasting room hours
Basalt Cellars, Clarkston, Wash:
Wednesday-Saturdays, noon - 5 p.m.
www.basaltcellars.com. Beamer's Hell's Canyon Boat Tours depart from a dock just a few hundred feet from Basalt Cellars' front door. Full-day, half-day and dinner cruises are available and are a "can't miss" in warmer months. www.hellscanyontours.com.
Camas Prairie Winery, Moscow, Idaho: Monday - Saturday, noon - 6:30 p.m. Downtown Moscow at 110 S. Main. 800-616-0214, www.camasprairiewinery.com.
Clearwater Canyon Cellars, Lewiston, Idaho: Housed in a new building near the foot of the Lewiston Grade. Closed summers. Open Saturday 1-5 p.m. Oct. 1-Dec. 24. www.cccellars.com.
Merry Cellars, Pullman, Wash.: Monday - Saturday, 1-6 p.m., Friday open until 8 p.m. Visit Aug. 22-23 during the National Lentil Festival in Pullman when the winery introduces its summer releases. www.merrycellars.com.
Wawawai Canyon Winery, Pullman, Wash.: Friday - Saturday, noon-7 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Housed in a picturesque space shared with Prairie Bloom Nursery, look for their sign on Highway 270 between Moscow and Pullman. www.wawawaicanyon.com.
Where to stay
The Palouse can become frustratingly crowded during university event weekends. Call ahead for accommodations during the school year.
The Hazelton House Bed & Breakfast, Pullman. This stately home celebrates its 100th birthday this year. It has great presentation, and the owners are responsive and helpful. The Hazelton House B&B, 210 NW Olsen St., Pullman, Wash. 509-334-0408, www.hazeltonhousebb.com.
MaryJane's Farm Bed and Breakfast, Moscow. For a more rustic experience, try one of the surprisingly comfortable wall tent accommodations at MaryJane's Farm. Open from May 1-July 15, each wall tent is equipped with a full-size bed, woodstove, towels and some unique amenities. Enjoy a bottle of your favorite Palouse wine under the stars at your personal fire pit and savor MaryJane's organic breakfast the following morning. Accommodations sell out quickly. MaryJane's Farm B&B, 1000 Wild Iris Lane, Moscow, Idaho, 888-750-6004, www.maryjanesfarm.com.
Cliff House Bed and Breakfast, Clarkston. Experience a commanding view of the Snake River and Lewis & Clark's campsite via the bedroom suites at this unforgettable and convenient location. The Cliff House B&B, 1227 Westlake Dr., Clarkston, Wash., 509-758-1267, www.cliffhouseclarkston.com.
Where to eat
Nectar, Moscow: This hotspot focuses on local ingredients and regional wines. Owners Nikki and Brett Woodland purchase ingredients from the Moscow Farmers Market and Eaton's Natural Beef, a local producer of hormone- and antibiotic-free, grass-fed beef. Nikki graduated from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland and worked at both Luna and Mizuna Restaurant and Wine Bar in Spokane. Nectar, 105 W. Sixth, Moscow, Idaho, 208-882-5914.
Swilly's, Pullman: A mainstay on the Palouse for more than 20 years, Swilly's is a cozy, bistro-style restaurant with Northwest-inspired dishes, good coffee and a balanced wine list. Reservations are recommended during Palouse event weekends. Swilly's, 200 NE Kamiaken, 509-334-3395, www.swillys.com.
Sycamore Street Grill, Clarkston. Owner Pat Morrison was one of the original partners at Basalt Cellars and offers several of their wines. Sycamore Street Grill, 900 Sixth St., Clarkston. Wash., 509-751-0881.
Wine shops
Old Post Office Wine Cellar & Gallery, Pullman: In the same building as Merry Cellars, the "Gallery" upstairs features excellent food pairings and an impressive wine list heavily weighted toward the Northwest. Old Post Office, 245 SE Paradise, Pullman, Wash., 509-338-9463, www.opowines.com
Wine Company of Moscow: This is where Muscovites go for the largest selection of quality wines. It's around the corner from Camas Prairie Winery. 113 East Third, Moscow, Idaho, 208-882-6502.
Jana Lien is a freelance writer and native of the Palouse. She lives along the Puget Sound and remains passionate about Northwest wine, buying local and the WSU Cougars. This is her first article for Wine Press Northwest.
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