Walla Walla is a city in southeastern Washington along the Washington Oregon border. Walla Walla is known for their agriculture, including Washington apples, Walla Walla sweet onions, and wine grapes, making it a destination for wine tasting. The main goals of this trip were relaxation/soaking in some sunshine; wining; and biking. I would say all goals were met for a successful weekend trip. I also visited during a holiday weekend and it was surprisingly not very busy!

Wine Tasting in Walla Walla

Over the three days, we tasted at 5 different wineries. Our first wine stop was at Alexandria Nicole Cellars at their Prosser tasting room. ANC is an estate winery with vineyards located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. A driving break/leg stretch was much needed and supplemented by some tasty wines and a fun house charcuterie board. I’m a club member at Alexandria Nicole, so the tastings were complimentary. I typically frequent the Alexandria Nicole Woodinville tasting rooms, so it was fun to see another tasting room in Washington. The Prosser tasting room has the same cozy energy that the Hollywood Hills location has. We did not have a reservation to walk-in, but we were also able to be seated in the wine member area.

Once in Walla Walla, we visited some tasting rooms in downtown Walla Walla and tasting rooms in south Walla Walla, on the estate vineyards. Our first stop in downtown Walla Walla was at Spring Valley. Spring Valley is also an estate winery, sourcing all of their groups from their vineyard in Walla Walla. The tasting room is two stories and has great light from all the windows. The tasting experience was really lovely, with some crackers, waters, and chocolate truffles included with the tasting. Our server was also amazing to explain the Spring Valley’s history in Walla Walla and the family’s journey with their wines and the farm. We did have reservations, but walk-ins were being accepted!

Next we popped across the street from Spring Valley to Barons Winery. For the holiday, there was a special Rose and Sausages event in which their rose was paired with a special sausage made by the butcher in town where the rose was infused into the sausage. We also had a chocolate truffle here that was paired with another wine. We did have reservations here, but walk-ins were also being accepted. Wines here were very well priced and one bottle waived the tasting fee for both people. Our server here was also great to explain the wines and all the AVAs in which their grapes are sourced from.

My favorite tastings of the trip were those in south Walla Walla at the estate wineries. Summer happens earlier in Walla Walla than in Seattle, so the weather was amazing for outdoor tastings. Views of the rolling hills and endless grape vines were so beautiful. Our first south Walla Walla stop (and my favorite of the entire trip!) was at Kinhaven. We were able to walk in for a tasting and sat on the gorgeous patio. They recently planted new grapes, so only one of their wines at the time was made from their estate grapes. I recommend bringing some snacks here and lounging on the lawn with your wine! They even provide blankets for you to lay on.

Our last wine adventure brought us to Gifford Hirlinger, right on the Washington/Oregon border. The winemaker poured our tastings for us, explained the wines, and answered all the questions we had about owning an estate winery. Walk-in for a tasting was easy and there was no tasting fee as cash donations were being accepted for a local food bank.

Biking in Walla Walla

Walla Walla is so flat compared to Seattle, making biking a breeze. Streets are very wide and many have bike lanes to allow for vehicles to easily pass. If biking to the south Walla Walla wineries, be aware of your surroundings, as agricultural vehicles can approach quickly even though the roads are generally very empty. A roundtrip ride from downtown Walla Walla to the south Walla Walla wineries passed quickly and was around 15 miles total. This was a great reference for deciding our bike path: Walla Walla Valley Road/Hybrid Bike Routes

Restaurants in Walla Walla

I’m a great snacker and snack packers, so there were only a few restaurants that we actually ended up visiting while in the area.

One day’s breakfast ended up being a double header of Colville Street Patisserie and Maple Counter Café. Maple Counter Café had a crazy wait for tables, so we ended up ordering online via their online portal and headed across the street to the bakery for some pastries. Colville St. had such flaky, buttery pastries. I loved their kougin-amann and the savory asparagus bechamel croissant. We picked up a mushroom omelet, side of bacon, and three stack of pancakes with syrup and whipped cream from Maple Counter Café. Weather was lovely so we ended up eating sitting in the bed of the truck.

For dinner one day, I wanted to try Walla Walla Steak Company. There is a location in Woodinville, but it’s named after Walla Walla! Of course we have to try it in Walla Walla. We sat inside, but a more relaxed dinner probably would have been better on their patio. The best thing we had here were the scallops.

For our last night in Walla Walla, we tried Hattaway’s on Alder, southern inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine. The patio had a great view of the sunset and the cocktail menu was so fun. Plates came out well paced and they were so kind to help us split a salad. Our favorite was the smoked oysters and a reservation is definitely highly encouraged if you come here – we heard a group of four had waited over 2 hours to be seated!

Conclusion

Walla Walla is definitely gorgeous and a nice getaway from Seattle if you’re craving summer. Flat open roads make for great biking and adventuring. The food options here (except for those pastries) really pale in comparison to the wines. Woodinville has great tasting rooms, but there’s something about lounging in the vineyards with the warm sun and summer breeze with a glass a wine that hits different.

My last trip: Three Days in New Orleans (March 2023)