We just returned from Walla Walla and an extraordinary wine tour that we put together as an auction lot fundraiser for Hospice of North Idaho. We will have a second article next week about the entire trip but this week, we wanted to report on some of the wonderful conversations we had with old friends in wine country - the kind of chats you can only have over casual dinner or in the barrel room tasting, when we are out of our everyday element.

One of our first stops was at Seven Hills Winery, located in downtown Walla Walla. Seven Hills was the fourth winery in Washington state, and our friends Casey and Vickie McClellan have been at it for over 30 vintages. Sadly, Casey and Vickie were out of town but Julie, who runs the tasting room, spent some valuable time with us. She communicated in a way that comes with having spent a long time with the winery.

Much has changed at Seven Hills over three decades, but Vickie and Casey maintain their spot atop the heap of ever-expanding choices by producing great "juice" from "fruit" they mainly grow themselves, and by lending a hand not only to organizations like Hospice, but to other winemakers in the area. They never say no, and have earned great respect and appreciation.

Gordy Venneri from Walla Walla Vintners hosted a wine dinner for us and the folks who bought the auction lot. We have known Gordy since we opened the shop and, like the McClellans, he has never said no to any cause. Gordy makes frequent trips to North Idaho and supports the retail businesses here like no other. Gordy and his partner Miles started making wine as a hobby, and they still approach the business that way - always opting to share first, knowing that the business will follow.

To say Gordy is beloved in the wine community doesn't fully cover it. After spending the evening with him and his wife Kate and our guests at dinner we saw countless folks, even some we know from North Idaho, walk past the table, see Gordy and greet him with a heartfelt embrace. He knew a group was coming to the same restaurant that night for a special occasion and brought a free magnum of Walla Walla Vintners wine for them - a small touch that will engender loyalty for years to come.

Gordy has always understood that you give a bit here and there, and you build customer relationships that last for years. He certainly remains on the top of our list as one of the most generous and dear people we know in the business.

Rich Funk from Saviah Cellars hosted dinner the other evening. We had one of the best chats we have had in some time, more about life than the business of wine. Saviah is new by the standards set by Seven Hills and Walla Walla Vintners, launching their first vintage in 2000. Rich recounted the harrowing early days of the winery, which resonates with anyone who has started a business driven by passion that still must face the everyday challenges tied to economics.

"One stone at a time" is how Rich referred to his early days. Wanting the sales to come more quickly, facing each day saying, "I will sell some wine today," and dealing with those disappointing days of little or no progress early on. It was a fascinating conversation, leaving us with great joy for this most generous person who is "making it" now, but who built it quite literally one stone at a time.

Rich has built it the right way, too, caring for others in the business and occasionally passing opportunities to others that could have benefitted him. This collaborative approach is on full display with the vintners of Walla Walla; in fact, the McClellans and Gordy and Miles were some of the folks who helped Rich get off the ground - an interesting and compelling legacy that leaves us, as wine professionals and wine consumers, with the desire to support these folks just as they have done with their community and with all of us, as wine consumers.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles, as well as other great wine tips, by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.