Daniel Sogg (left) and Jonathan Edelman, Foolhardy Vintners

Washington’s Foolhardy Vintners has opened its first tasting room. The tasting room is located in Walla Walla at 134 West Poplar Street in the historic McDonald Feed and Sale Stable building, built in 1905.

“We’ve been wanting to have a place to meet and present us and our brand for a while,” says co-owner Jonathan Edelman. “This was a great opportunity for us.”

The tasting room has approximately 1,500 square feet of interior space, which includes bar seating, banquette seating, lounge chairs, and a group table. Foolhardy will be presenting all of its offerings, including two whites and six reds, four of which are single vineyard wines.

“We want to have the opportunity to tell our story, our philosophy on wine making, and why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Edelman says. “We have yet to serve a single pre-defined flight. We pour what people are interested in.”

Edelman and co-owner Daniel Sogg started making wine at Foolhardy in 2016. However, since the initial releases, the wines have been sold exclusively through distribution and on-line sales.

“We’ve probably been known better in Seattle, Spokane, and Coeur d’Alene than we have been in Walla Walla because we didn’t have a tasting room,” Edelman says. “So we’re really introducing ourselves to the community.”

Foolhardy sources grapes from some of Washington’s premier vineyards, including Red Willow, Bacchus, Elephant Mountain, Southwind, Les Collines, and Evergreen. The winery has dedicated rows at all of its sites.

“We focus on vineyards we believe can help us craft wines with our aesthetic and farmers who are willing to work with us as partners,” Edelman says. “Both attributes are essential.” The new tasting room features an old vine planted in 1972 at Bacchus Vineyard Block 10 that was originally in the rows from which the winery now sources.

Edelman and Sogg met as students at Bowdoin College in Maine, living across the hall from each other freshman year. The two bring varied experience to Foolhardy.

Edelman attended culinary school in France and subsequently worked at Michelin-starred restaurants before returning to the U.S. Once back in the country, he worked in technology and finance before transitioning to a career in wine. Edelman worked at Remoissenet in Burgundy for ten harvests before launching Foolhardy.

Sogg, meanwhile, has worked in restaurants, retail, and as a journalist. He spent nine years as a wine critic and editor at Wine Spectator, reviewing wines from California and New Zealand. Sogg has winemaking experience in Bordeaux. In addition to his work at Foolhardy, he has represented Tonnellerie Cavin, a high-end French barrel producer located in Burgundy, since 2009.

At Foolhardy, Edelman and Sogg put an emphasis on wines that go with food and that come from older vines. As I have previously noted, all of the Foolhardy wines are high quality with a clear voice. They are worth seeking out. Now, with a tasting room, it will be easier for visitors to Walla Walla Valley to try the wines.

“it’s going to be Dan and I pouring the wines, with my wife helping us from time to time,” Edelman says. “We are our brand to a certain degree, our life experiences and how we got here.”

The Foolhardy tasting room will formally open Spring Kickoff weekend April 4th through 6th. Reservations are recommended for event weekends. Foolhardy’s tasting room was most recently home to Elephant Seven.

Images courtesy of Foolhardy Vintners. 

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