Wine and Spirits Travel

After a good night’s sleep in my apartment at Walla Faces Inn , Erica Waliser of the Washington State Wine Commission picked me up for my final day in Washington.  We went over to L’Ecole No 41 winery to meet with Marty Clubb, a member of the family that has owned one of the region’s oldest wineries for nearly 30 years. In the 1980s L’Ecole only produced about 1,000 cases and they were all self-distributed.  The wine can now be found in all 50 states and has also become popular in Canada and Japan, producing 35 times what it did at the beginning. The winery itself is housed in an old schoolhouse built in what was a small French town in the early 20 th century. They make wine under three labels: L’Ecole No 41, Columbia Valley and Salmon Safe. L’Ecole is known for its Merlot, but the collection here includes something for everyone and it seemed like Marty was ready to pour it all for me to try! My favorites were the 2010 L’Ecole No 41 Chenin Blanc, crisp and slightly sweet, with l

The sun continued to shine as I made my way east through Washington.  I had plenty more to see and taste, but first I had to eat some chocolate. Jordan from Tri-Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau met me for breakfast at the Courtyard Richland early in the morning. I was a bit curious why we needed to get up early to stop by a “ Country Mercantile ,” but that question was answered when we got there. This was no country store, this was the country store.  As we toured with Max, I saw aisles and aisles of local products from produce to sauces to to tamales. This family-owned business has a place to get fresh made sandwiches and an area filled with over 40 flavors of homemade ice cream – not far from all the homemade fudge in every flavor imaginable.  And, in the back, there is a chocolate factory that would make Willy Wonka jealous! I left Country Mercantile with some goodies (it’s worth a trip just for the Big Foot, full of nuts, caramel and chocolate), not imaging a better plac