Posted by: Administrator in Wine, Business on
Jan 31, 2012
Meet Chuck Reininger, passionate winemaker and passionate outdoorsman. Born and raised in Bellevue, Wash., Reininger calls the Walla Walla Valley home mainly due to his love of the outdoors, the region's spectacular geography and rich history. The former mountain climbing guide says all of this passion is reflected in his wine. Hence, nearly every vintage of Reininger Winery has been made solely from Walla Walla Valley fruit.
"I am proud of the Valley. I am proud of the Northwest," says Reininger. His adoration for the area is seen not only in his wine, but also in the winery's tasting room. Basalt columns from a local farm, created by the great flood thousands of years ago, serve as the wine pouring counter top. A grapevine weave serves as the bar's exquisite façade, and local barrel staves form its columns. The spacious tasting room is highlighted by wooden plank flooring, salvaged from the old potato sheds that now house the winery and tasting room (see photos below).
Elements of the Walla Walla Valley and the Pacific Northwest are apparent everywhere at Reininger.
When Chuck Reininger is not plying his trade as a winemaker or chatting with tasting room guests, you'll find him skiing down the steep face of a snow laden mountain, backpacking up a challenging trail, or out on his bike gliding through the Valley's rolling hills of wheat and vineyards. His steely frame, tanned face and agile movements all reflect a man who has spent his life actively immersed in Mother Nature and recreational sports.
Posted by: Susan Monahan in History on
Jan 23, 2012
When I say Walla Walla Sweets, I am not referring to baseball or onions. I am talking candy. Residents and visitors certainly appreciate Bright's on Main Street and many remember fondly the many years Russell's Candy was in business. But there is a "ghost sign" on an elegant brick building at 108 South Third that marks Walla Walla Candy Co., an important business in our town's candy history. The sign is faint, but one can make out "Manufacturers and Jobbers." The candy made in this factory was sold wholesale -- all over town and beyond. This company existed for years with various owners and different names, but maintained the tradition of supplying the sweet stuff to young and old.
An 1889 ad says that the Walla Walla Candy Company (then on Main Street) are "Manufacturers of the Finest French and American Candies and Confectionery. Tropical and domestic Fruits and Nuts. Arctic Soda, Ice Cream and Oysters in their Season." Oysters? Yes, oyster sales often went hand in hand with candy, and many places that you could buy candy sold tobacco too. The vocation of candy maker could be a prestigious one. The Walla Walla Candy Company brought Earl Remington Davenport and his family all the way from Seattle in 1927 to be "head confectioner" and manage their company. By this time the company was owned by two gentlemen whose names Bybee and Burton merged into Burbee, and the Burbee Candy Company became famous not only for their chocolates, but also, for their Bingo Bar. (I'd love to know what a Bingo Bar consisted of).
