The Nectar of Deities

Blood of Gods Event returns to Walla Walla

By Sarah Murdoch

Five generations of the Walla Walla Valley course through Stacy Buchanan. His family’s roots run deep in the rich agriculture of the region. Wheat, peas and barley flow figuratively through his veins. So, too, does heavy metal music… and Northwest wine.

Buchanan left Walla Walla in 1999 to explore a career in the music industry, working for Century Media Records in Los Angeles and Germany. At the time, only a handful of wineries existed. After eight years in the music industry, he returned to discover 113 wineries thriving in his hometown. Buchanan worked in hospitality at Three Rivers Winery (sister company to The Four Graces) while gaining an appreciation for the connection among art, culture and food.

In 2020, Buchanan published the first printed issue of Blood of Gods, or BOG, a biannual zine, to demonstrate the intersection of heavy metal and wine. Buchanan describes the magazine’s origin as “a slow burn. I began noticing plenty of parallels between heavy metal and wine; the obsessiveness, habit of fans, the encyclopedic tendencies and innumerable quirks. I repeatedly noticed these occurrences and coincidences. I initially created Blood of Gods with more humor in mind, to poke holes through the elitism and gatekeeping in both wine and heavy metal, but interesting insights and earnest commentary soon followed.”

The publication, “continually blurs the lines between genre and craft, rebellion and obsession,” landed BOG a spot on Imbibe Magazine’s annual Imbibe 75 list. It celebrates “the people and places we think will inspire the way we all drink in the year to come.” In 2023, Buchanan also appeared on Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 Tastemakers list.

On Saturday, July 20, Buchanan hosts the third annual Blood of Gods Merrymaking event at Walla Walla’s The Motor Co., the exclusive celebration of heavy metal, wine and art. The ideal impression, Buchanan says, is “a sense of belonging. I want people to feel like they can shut off their intellectual side, just for a bit, and embrace the lizard part of the brain. Everyone should let their hair down and have fun together.”

• Noon – 2 p.m. No Holds Barred panel discussion
(free entry)
• 4 – 7 p.m. Merrymaking main event; $20
• 8 – 11 p.m. After-party concert with Armed for Apocalypse and Heiress; $20

The interactive panel discussion and Q&A include Justin Moore MS, Anthony Mueller (Wine Advocate), Marie Cheslik (Slik Wines), Christina Ward (Feral House Publishing/master food preserver), Garett Long (Troon Vineyard and “The Biggest Little Farm” documentary), and Marquis Sauvage (Burn Cottage Vineyard).

Main event attendees will sample wines and meet BOG magazine contributing artists: Victor Melendez, Pam Wishbow, Cryomera, Eric Sahlsten, Alex Murd, Christopher Herndon and Kyle Bond. All will be demonstrating their unique talents along with art available for sale.

Attend the after-party concert with Portland’s Armed for Apocalypse and Heiress from Seattle, and K Vintners pouring library wines by the glass.

The event transports Buchanan back to childhood and his history with metal. His older siblings and extended family’s musical tastes left a permanent impression on him. “I had young uncles who were soldiers in the KISS army. As the youngest of three, I was steered toward harder rock and metal. The kinetic, intense, fast and very tactile aspects of metal were normalized and formed my background music growing up.”

Happily, this fusion of metal and wine returns home to Walla Walla for everyone to enjoy.

Buy tickets at: www.eventbrite.com/e/blood-of-gods-2024-annual-merrymaking-registration-686881138977.

Blood of Gods

Saturday, July 20
The Motor Co., 11 N. Colville St., Walla Walla
eventbrite.com/e/blood-of-gods-2024-annual-merrymaking-registration-686881138977

Wineries pouring at Blood of Gods main event:
AniChe Cellars // Artist Block Wine // Burn Cottage Vineyard // Caprio Cellars // Cayuse Vineyards // Corliss Estates // Delmas Wines // Force Majeure & Holocene // Gramercy Cellars // House of Smith // Kobayashi Winery // Limited Addition Wines // Lingua Franca // Massican Wines // Ovum Wines // Pursued by Bear // Troon Vineyard // Vine Street Imports // Walter Scott Wines // Woodward Canyon Winery

Sarah (aka Sally) Murdoch runs Puncheon PR and has marketed many iconic sports and beverage brands, which eventually led her to the Oregon Wine Board where she headed communications for almost seven years. A native Portlander and Oregon Duck with a journalism degree, she is an avid tennis player and captains a number of tennis teams. She recently made Forest Grove her home, and her go-to winery is David Hill Vineyards & Winery. Visit sallymurdoch.com to learn more.