CAVU Cellars

Aviation enthusiasts will delight in discovering a winery bearing the name CAVU — an acronym for “ceiling and visibility unlimited.” And how appropriate that CAVU Cellars is located at the Walla Walla Regional Airport’s “incubator complex” on Piper Avenue. But it wasn’t a case of kismet that brought CAVU to the complex. A flyover would reveal the location’s ready access to the most treasured crop: its vineyards. On the ground, CAVU’s efficiently designed 1,600-square-foot winemaking playground is the perfect space to make a dream a reality.

The winery’s name pays homage to winemaker/owner Joel Waite’s airline-pilot father, Jim Waite. It’s befitting because Joel’s parents (Jim and Karen Waite) are business partners and active participants in all aspects of the winery. The day of my visit found Joel and his dad racking barrels of wine in the production area. It was an unusually balmy January day, and the industrial-sized garage door was open, permitting easy access to the outside crush pad. The snow-covered Blue Mountains in the distance created an idyllic backdrop.

Joel’s winemaking style leans toward creating food-friendly wines and relies in part on atypical varieties such as barbera and Malbec. It turns out that his background includes considerable experience in the culinary arts as owner and chef of Catered Affairs, a Washington, D.C.–based enterprise that provided high-end private dinners. A later training stint at V. Sattui Winery, through the Napa Valley Cooking School, ignited his desire to pursue a winemaking career.

As Joel notes, it was during a trip to Walla Walla to attend a family wedding that he was struck with the notion of moving to the valley and immersing himself in winemaking and owning a winery. Once relocated, Joel traded his chef’s apron for textbooks at Walla Walla Community College’s respected Institute for Enology and Viticulture. Following some hands-on experience at Maryhill Winery, Joel opened CAVU Cellars’ doors in the spring of 2009, together with Jim and Karen. Phew!

By sourcing his grapes from prestigious vineyards such as Les Collines Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley and Alder Ridge in Horse Heaven Hills, Joel is off to a great start. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have noted wine critic Stephen Tanzer say of Joel’s 2008 CAVU Cellars Horse Heaven Hills Barbera, “I can’t think of too many other West Coast barberas that actually taste like barbera.” With clear skies ahead, CAVU Cellars is prepared for take-off with many vintages to come.