The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance announced Thursday its signature event will be postponed until next year. Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine has been pushed back to July 15th-17th of 2021.

The 8th annual celebration was scheduled to take place July 16th-18th of this year.

“With so many moving parts, including international and domestic travel for our esteemed speakers and panelists, along with guests traveling to the Walla Walla Valley from around the country - we wanted to provide the appropriate amount of time to modify arrangement and peace of mind for attendees, participating wineries and hospitality partners by rendering a decision. All ticket purchases will be refunded in full,” said Robert Hansen, Executive Director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. “With over 1,200 tickets for sale to over 10 events, our Board of Directors felt it most prudent to take the step of postponing Celebrate in the best interest of the health and safety of our communities.”

Celebrate, as it’s known, highlights a different wine varietal each year, and this year’s event was slated to focus on celebrating Syrah, the second most widely grown grape variety in the wine region. In addition to being widely grown, Walla Walla Valley Syrah is among the most popular wine varieties in the region. Syrah lovers need not fret –Syrah will still be the focus of the event next summer.

“Walla Walla Valley Syrah has earned a world-class reputation for delivering a premium, terroir driven wine experience,” Hansen added. “We look forward to honoring this exciting varietal in 2021.”

“The decision to postpone Celebrate was a difficult one to make. This postponement will deeply impact the small businesses within the wine industry in the Walla Walla Valley including wineries, hotels, restaurants and transportation providers, along with many others,” says Hansen. “We encourage those who would have otherwise visited the Walla Walla Valley and are able to support the industry in other ways to do so. There are some great promotions and creative packages available for wine lovers online, gift cards are available for future visits and of course, we hope everyone will save the date for next year’s event.”

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com

More From PNW Ag Network