Bunchgrass Winery

Tom Olander, sales and marketing director for Bunchgrass Winery, uncorked a bottle of its Bordeaux blend with the intriguing name of “Triolet.” Naturally, I had to ask my host from where the name Triolet derived. It would seem all five owners of Bunchgrass Winery are well-read individuals equipped with college degrees, teaching credentials and a shelf full of books in the tasting room as tribute to their love affair with the English language. Pouring a deep purple sample of their red blend, Tom noted that a triolet is a one-stanza French poem of eight lines; the first, fourth and seventh lines are identical, as are the second and final lines. In a triolet, all the lines are in iambic tetrameter. Of course, I couldn’t let this alone. So with apologies for the out-of-sync iambic meter, here’s a triolet I penned for my new friends at Bunchgrass. I call it “Harvest Near”:

Throughout the valley, the vines grow faster,
The warmth of summer sends tendrils twining
Among green grapes — each sun-lit cluster
Throughout the valley, the vines grow faster,
Swelling sugars turn pulp alabaster
Growers keep watch for weather’s warning
Throughout the valley, the vines grow faster,
The warmth of summer sends tendrils twining.

Among Walla Walla Wineries, Bunchgrass Winery is a Lazarus of sorts. In 1997, Roger Cockerline began crafting small batches of premium wine with grapes from his now-dormant family vineyard. His plan was to eventually shut the winery down and enjoy his retirement. However, an unforeseen partnership came to pass to revitalize Bunchgrass Winery. The partners included the aforementioned Tom Olander, a certified sommelier and former restaurant manager at Whitehouse Crawford and more recently Inn manager at Abeja; Barb Commare, a business manager focusing on compliance paperwork; William vonMetzger, a Colorado transplant and winemaker at Walla Walla Vintners, and graduate of the Institute for Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College; Gordy Venneri, a longtime friend of Roger and cofounder of Walla Walla Vintners; and Roger himself .

Situated in a 1943 restored dairy barn Bunchgrass Winery is a tad small for moving barrels around, but just perfect for those visitors who are into quaintness. Quality over quantity is the mantra here. Long in barrel, long in bottle, Bunchgrass wines aren’t rushed to market. Let’s just say the owners are exercising their own take on poetic license.