Washington Wine from the Walla Walla Wine Woman

There's a new source for tasty, affordable wines from Washington. I don't know about you, but I had some trouble last year for WBW #34 when I looked for Washington Cabernets. In LA, I could find a lot more wine from Oregon than Washington. But I really enjoyed the wine I had back in June, and have been thinking that I need to get some more Washington wine in stock. Now I have a great source.

Fellow blogger Catie of Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine has opened an online retail shop that specializes in wine and food from her beloved Washington State. Born and raised in Walla Walla, Catie's family made their own beer and wine long before shops in strip malls offered up this possibility to suburban types.

The Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman Shop focuses on wine that is from Washington state and is priced under $25. As always, you may find some exceptions along the way, but I found a number of interesting looking bottles that I will definitely be ordering after payday this month. The 2005 College Cellars Lemberger definitely beckoned to me at just $12, and will give me a great chance to try Washington's iteration of Blaufrankisch. I also liked the sound of the NV Forgeron Smithie Red ($16), a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel. And the 2005 Couvillion "Hoobie" Sauvignon Blanc ($18) has the kind of great story behind it that always adds to my pleasure when I drink a glass of wine. Catie even has some of her own Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman labels: a 2004 Merlot ($16) and a 2004 Red Blend ($18) of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.

Swing on by, check out all the bottles that Catie's selected for us, and support this new entry into the ranks of specialty wine retailers. Despite all the advantages of the big chains, retailers like Catie who provide a focused list of wines in their area of passion and expertise offer something special to the wine world--we need to show them we appreciate their efforts.