A new event highlighting the Milton-Freewater, Oregon winegrowing region known as “The Rocks”—part of the unique cross border American Viticultural Area (AVA) that is the Walla Walla Valley—took place in late July to a large and enthusiastic crowd eager to taste wine for a good cause.
Named for the soils consisting of basalt cobblestones that define the growing region there, the Basalt Bash was organized in coordination with the Milton-Freewater School District and the City of Milton-Freewater to provide support for mental and behavioral health services for the local school district. The Bash was held Friday, July 25th and Saturday the 26th with a series of ticketed and free events held throughout Milton-Freewater, culminating with a barrel tasting and auction fundraiser.
Steve Robertson, president of the Rocks District Winegrowers (RDW) and Chair of the Basalt Bash, explained the idea for the fundraiser came about a year ago, when the RDW started thinking seriously about how to be more responsible neighbors within the community.
“The town of Milton-Freewater actually sits within the AVA of the Rocks District, however most of the winegrowing activity really doesn’t have anything to do with the town. That’s not right on multiple levels,” Robertson said. “Milton-Freewater is made up of pretty close to 50% Hispanic residents, a goodly percentage of those are living below the poverty level, [and many] that work within the labor force that supports the wine industry.
“There’s no place on planet Earth, any winegrowing region of consequence, where there isn’t a strong identification to all the people that reside within it,” Robertson said, citing other winegrowing regions such as Napa that have a history of organizing similar benefits for their communities.
Putting these ideas into action, the weekend festivities kicked off with a wine and tamale tasting held at Watermill Winery in downtown Milton-Freewater that featured 22 wineries pouring tastes of their wines sourced from the Rocks, a hearty spread of locally-made tamales by Evailia Cuevas, and the bright, vibrant tones of Mariachi Jalisciense.
The party continued on Main street in downtown Milton-Freewater for the city’s Freewater Fiesta, part of its summer Friday Nights on Main series. The evening included performances by Ballet Folklorico Estrellas de México, live music by Buenas Vibras, an agricultural equipment show, a salsa tasting contest, and more.
Bright and early Saturday morning, the “Winemaker’s Fore” teed off at the Milton-Freewater Municipal Golf Course, as small groups of four, each with their own winemaker, took to the fairway for fun, prizes, and bragging rights.
An intimate VIP Bubble Lounge, with French champagne from the Rocks’ own Christophe Baron, and other luxury producers, preceded the main barrel tasting and auction event, all taking place at Davis Orchards, where large fruit storage and wine production facilities had been converted into a farmhouse-chic event space. 32 wineries from the Walla Walla Valley donated barrel lots made exclusively for the auction, including nine collaborative wines made between wineries, with top bidders to receive their respective case or cases once the wine is finished aging and bottled.
By all accounts, the weekend was a success with $75,000 raised. For turnout, he estimates that about half the attendees for the weekend came from outside the Walla Walla Valley, a “super encouraging” signal Roberston said indicates that the Rocks District is gaining influence outside of Walla Walla and Washington state.
“For this thing to be successful, for everybody, for all the stakeholders, we have to get beyond our own region.” This not only reflects the mission of the Rocks District Winegrowers, Robertson said, but its goals to support the local community in a holistic, and truly sustainable way.
“We’re trying to tell a bigger story,” Robertson said.
Mark your calendar for next year’s Basalt Bash – July 24-25, 2026!
All photos courtesy of the Basalt Bash.