Walla Walla Wine Valley, Washington State: One of the world's top wine regions

Washington State's Walla Walla Valley AVA is without doubt a rising star in the wine world. The first wine making in the area dates back to 1840's. Wine making disappeared in this region during Prohibition. Fortunately the area experienced a rebirth in 1970's with the establishment of Leonetti Cellars. This was followed by arrival of Woodward Canyon Winery in 1981 and  L' Ecole N° 41 in 1983. The appellation AVA was granted in 1984. Today the Walla Walla Valley AVA is home to over 125 wineries, tasting rooms and wine bars. It is important to note that the Walla Walla Wine Region along with Douro Valley, Paso Robles, Rias Baixas and Stellenbosch are on the Wine Enthusiast's list of nominations for top wine regions for 2013. Naturally Spaswinefood was excited to visit Walla Walla to gain insights into what makes this wine region special. 

To help plan our visit to Walla Walla Wine Country we consulted sources, such as Walla Walla Wineries and Tasting Rooms and Walla Walla winery guide. If you are planning a trip to Walla Walla you might also like to view some of the videos on Walla Walla Wine Country.

Wine Tasting in Walla Walla Wine Valley

During our visit to Walla Walla here are some of the wine tasting stops we made:

1. L' Ecole N° 41, the third oldest winery, is an award winning winery. We enjoyed wine tasting at this second generation, family owned winery.

L'Ecole N° 41 © Spaswinefood

L'Ecole N° 41 © Spaswinefood

2. Seven Hills Winery is one of Walla Walla Valley's oldest and most respected wineries. The winery and tasting room are located in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford building in downtown Walla Walla.

Seven Hills Winery © Spaswinefood

3. TERO Estates & Flying Trout Wines Tasting Room located in the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel offers an excellent selection of wines for tasting. TERO Estates produces estate wines from Walla Walla's historic vineyard, Windrow Vineyard. Flying Trout Wines was added to TERO Estates in 2010, with Walter Winery being added in 2013.

TERO Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Plateau Block, Walla Walla Valley 2008© Spaswinefood

4. Dunham Cellars is a popular family owned and operated Walla Walla winery. Its production facility is located in a World War II airplane hanger near the Walla Walla Airport.

Dunham Cellars © Spaswinefood

Given there are so many wonderful wineries and tasting rooms in Walla Walla visitors need to come up with a short list. For suggestions on top wineries to visit see recommendations by delishhh, Julien Perry and Yelp. For further suggestions on wineries to visit do not forget to check out Tripadvisor, the five Walla Walla wineries in the top 100 in Wine & Spirits Magazine, the Seattle Met Wine list of Top Ten Washington State wineries and Walla Walla Wine Women's Top 2012 wine list. Katherine Cole's article on Rhône varietals being produced in the proposed Milton sub-appellation of Walla Walla is worthy of note. All the above sources suggests that Walla Walla is a wine region with many exciting wines to explore.

Walla Walla is known best for its red wines. The main reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo. The area is also known for its red wine blends. Its white wines include Chardonnay, Viognier, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris  and other white varietals.

Spaswinefood's visit to Walla Walla's Wine Valley was a great opportunity to:
1. explore the many great wines being produced,
2. discover Walla Walla wineries and tasting rooms, many of which are located in historic buildings, and
3. check out a thriving wine and food scene.

Do Not Forget to Check Out Walla Walla's Culinary Scene
Yes, our Spaswinefood's Walla Walla visit was a perfect opportunity to experience some of the uniqueness of this wine area. Fodor's article on Walla Walla captures the essence of this wine valley's wine and food scene. It was also a pleasure to read Daytonna Strong's, Wonderlust and Lipstick article on Walla Walla's food scene.

Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant © Spaswinefood

For suggestions on best accommodations in Walla Walla see Tripadvisor; see also Bed and Breakfast recommendations. For a list of Walla Walla Spas see Yahoo and Yelp.

It was so much fun to visit Washington State's Walla Walla Wine Valley.  I look forward to writing more on Walla Walla. You can also check out my travels in Washington Sate and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon
October 2013
Walla Walla, Washington State
© Spaswinefood

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