Wowed By Waitsburg

Heart BEAT

WAITSBURG - The first thing you see is a pan of the wheat fields, followed by a drive through town: the stately early-century homes, campus-like sidewalks and the downtown Main Street core.

Then suddenly, Paul Gregutt and Karen Stanton Gregutt are greeting you from the kitchen aisle of their new Three Maples Cottage on Third and West.

"You," that is, if you happened to be among the hundreds of guests attending the Auction of Washington Wines' Gala at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville near Seattle this past weekend.

The Gregutts pulled together items from a handful of Waitsburg businesses to make a "Waitsburg Awaits You" live auction package for four people for the big benefit, whose proceeds fund uncompensated care for disadvantaged youngsters at Children's Hospital in Seattle and the Washington Wine Education Foundation, which supports the WSU Viticulture and Enology Program.

Of the 33 live auction items, the Gregutt's Waitsburg package is the only one presented in video, thanks to Stanton Gregutt, a long-time producer of commercials and films, and her editor, Cindy Sangster.

"The publicity (for Waitsburg) is great," Stanton Gregutt said. "It's a cool way to introduce Waitsburg to this group. It's about getting Waitsburg into the fold of winemaker destinations."

And, it's about helping Children's raise money, which the Gregutts have done for more than a dozen years with Paul, a wellknown wine critic and musical entertainer, at times being the assistant auctioneer and supporting the event in many other ways.

He ran the silent auction and read the auction lots for the live auction before the bidding. He even played with a four-piece band at the picnic. But this year, the couple couldn't attend, so Stanton Gregutt decided to do a two-minute auction video summing up the items in the package and exposing Waitsburg to a well-heeled crowd in the process.

First started in 1988, the Auction Of Washington Wines consists of five events over four days with a total attendance of more than 3,000. This year, the goal is to raise $24 million. The other events include an evening at Col Solare Winery at Red Mountain, Picnic & Barrel Auction at Chateau Ste. Michelle, a winemakers dinner and a fun run.

"I wanted to show people the town and get them to go "Oh, my God, I got to go see that place,' " Stanton Gregutt said.

Following the Gregutts' introduction to the "package," the camera lands inside the jimgerman bar with a greeting from Jim German and Claire Johnston. Before you know it, you're joining Bryant Bader and Ross Stevenson, then pastry chef Val Mudry from the Whoop Em Up Hollow Café, followed by the Monteillet Fromagerie, Coppei Coffee Co., Betty's Diner, Izzy the Camel and master Mickey Richardson, and winemaker/ Anchor Bar owner Charles Smith.

Waitsburg "is the secret little town where Walla Walla winemakers, chefs, artists and in-the-know tourists go to eat, drink, see and be seen," according to the written introduction to the package in the online auction catalog.

"Waitsburg has already been profiled in Sunset Magazine, Gourmet, Fodor's and more. This auction lot is you key to a tour of this charming town and a chance to meet the people who are making the most insider wine destination in Washington.

The narrative goes on to say two lucky couples will escape "the city stress" to relax in comfort at the Gregutts' Three Maples Cottage four blocks from Main Street and about 20 minutes from Walla Walla.

" There are no traffic lights in Waitsburg, just peace and quiet, world class bike roads, nearby wineries, a brewery, coffee house, restaurants and bars, all awaiting your arrival," the catalog concludes.

The package includes three nights lodging at the cottage, wine tasting from Paul's private cellar, an evening hosted by the Gregutts (in the company of a mystery winemaker) and catered by the jimgermanbar and the Whoop Em Up, an evening at the Anchor Bar, a signed, etched and hand-painted 3-liter bottle of 2008 Charles Smith Wines' "Royal City" Syrah ,which has scored a perfect 100), a private tour and cheese tasting at Monteillet Fromagerie, breakfast for four at Coppei Coffee, a 1950s soda fountain lunch for four at Betty's Diner, a group shot with Izzy the Camel and an invitation to the first annual Charles and Charles Rose Festival and Parade in spring or summer of 2012.

The starting bid for the Waitsburg auction lot was $2,000. It sold to the highest bidder at $3,500.

"The winning bidder is the head of a large public relations and advertising agency in town and certainly understood the value of the lot," said Sherri Swingle, executive director of the Auction Of Washington Wines.

"The video was well-produced and provided a great overview of Waitsburg," she said. "The Waitsburg item did well considering there are a lot of folks who still don't know about Waitsburg."