Vancouver, Washington, July 26th – Guests will create their own custom wine blends on the Vancouver Waterfront when Willamette Valley Vineyards opens a state-of-the-art Red Blending Experience on Friday, August 4.
The Red Blending Experience showcases wines grown on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla wine-growing region and represents the third blending system introduced by Willamette Valley Vineyards. It is located in the Vancouver Tasting Room & Restaurant that overlooks the Columbia River on Waterfront Way.
Wines in the Red Blending Experience include Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot – all sourced from Willamette’s vineyards.
“Vancouver has a wonderful clientele that’s excited to experience wine and learn the story about these beautiful reds,” said Founder and CEO Jim Bernau. “Guests have a lot of fun making their own blends. They even get competitive seeing who can make the best blend.”
The Walla Walla AVA blending system at Willamette’s Vancouver Waterfront location was developed by David Markel, Research and Development Manager for Willamette Valley Vineyards, in collaboration with local artist Josh W. Kinsey. It is similar to the Pinot Noir Blending Experience at Willamette’s Estate in the Salem Hills, also developed by Markel and Kinsey.
The systems on the Vancouver Waterfront and at the Salem Hills Estate are variations of the company’s original prototype that launched in 2019 at Willamette Wineworks in Folsom, California. Kyle Gunsul, a shareholder and retired Oregon Health & Science University medical technician, designed the original system that features red varietals from the Willamette Wineworks Natoma brand.
Wines in Vancouver’s blending system come from several vineyards, including Pambrun Vineyard on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley in SeVein and Maison Bleue Vineyard in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator called this area “the most distinctive AVA in the United States.”
Bernau honors his family’s connections to the area through the winery’s Pambrun brand. Bernau is the fourth great-grandson of Pierre and Kitty Pambrun, who operated the Walla Walla Trading Post for the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1832. Pierre was named Walla Walla’s First Citizen and Bernau, inspired by his family’s heritage, set out to grow and make elegant, terroir-driven wines.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning August 4.
Cost: $35 for the blending experience; includes a 15-minute experience where guests taste each varietal and then decide on 2 custom blends. Additionally, custom blend glasses and carafes are available for $20 and $75, respectively.
Where: Willamette Valley Vineyard’s Vancouver Tasting Room & Restaurant at 801 Waterfront Way, Ste #205, Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone: (360) 718-7312
RSVP: https://www.exploretock.com/
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Founded in 1983 by CEO Jim Bernau with the dream of creating world-class Pinot Noir while serving as stewards of the land, Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown from a bold idea into one of the region’s leading wineries, earning the title “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. In addition, all the vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon-Safe programs.
