Amavi Cellars in Walla Walla Valley AVA
Walla Walla Wineries and Tasting Rooms – Wine Country Bonanza
The town of Walla Walla is one of the great wine towns in the Western US. It rivals that of Calistoga, St. Helena, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and Los Olivos. A stay in Walla Walla puts you within easy reach of a plethora of tasting rooms and boutique wineries. The pace is slow and easy in the land of Walla Walla.
Here is a novel idea. Main Street Drivers is a company that will drive you in your rental car or your own car for $35 an hour.
Revelry Cellars tasting room and wine cellars – lovely setting
Walla Walla Valley AVA
Walla Walla Valley AVA is in eastern Washington and extends to the top eastern corner of Oregon. Over 70 wineries and 2800 acres of vineyards are located in the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The wineries are mostly small and family owned. Many are recent and are taking a bold and innovative approach in producing spectacular wines. From the town of Walla Walla, many of the wineries are only a few minutes away by car. If you don’t have a car, walk the tasting rooms in town.
We visited several wineries in the Walla Walla Valley and our top five were:
- Revelry Vintners – young winemaker Jared Burns crafts fine wines. Aerials label is a collection of site-specific wines. They are spectacular, as is the tasting room.
- Solemn Cellars – another young winemaker, Justin Basil. The Syrah is one of the best in Washington.
- Amavi Cellars – beautiful setting and reasonably-priced wines that are excellent.
- Woodward Canyon Winery – starting date of 1981, delicious Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and red wines.
- L’Ecole – tasting room is in a historic 1915 schoolhouse. One of Washington’s most award-winning wineries. Third generation.
L’Ecole beautiful historic schoolhouse tasting room
Walla Walla Tasting Rooms
Seven Hills Tasting Room – Historic Whitehouse-Crawford Building
Step out of your hotel room in downtown Walla Walla, Washington, into a world of fabulous wine tasting. Within just a few city blocks, one can find 32 wine-tasting rooms. The Main Street area of downtown Walla Walla is a paradise for wine discoveries and delights. We say 32 plus because when any business storefront closes, a wine-tasting room moves in.
We spent a few days in the town of Walla Walla. We walked out of the Marcus Whitman Hotel to roam the streets, amazed at tasting rooms one after another. All the tasting rooms visited had a reasonable tasting room fee of between $5 and $10. They also offer wines by the glass. The setting is comfortable and laid back.
Don’t miss these three tasting rooms in the town of Walla Walla
- Otis Kenyon – the legend of Otis Kenyon, wines by the glass, comfortable and relaxing
- Armstrong Winery – another new breed winemaker, Tim Armstrong – fantastic wines and cozy tasting room. Try this wine: David’s Folly
- Seven Hills Tasting Room – in the historic and beautiful Whitehouse-Crawford Building. A classic winery in Walla Walla
Lodging in Walla Walla
- Marcus Whitman is a historic hotel and the most popular for business and conference meetings
- Courtyard by Marriott
- AirBnB’s are available and that might be the way to go for some
Dining in Walla Walla
There are a couple of decent places with pub food but for a classy meal try the Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant. We had an excellent dinner there. Whitehouse-Crawford has an extensive wine list which includes many Washington wines.
The Marcus Whitman also has an excellent restaurant: The Marc Restaurant
How to get to Walla Walla.
Walla Walla has a small airport with daily flights from Seattle and Portland. Fifty minutes west is the Tri-Cities Airport, a much larger airport with more choices. Alaska Airlines has the biggest presence.
There are drivers for hire, Uber, and renting a car. Many take the four-hour drive from Seattle and spend a few days in Walla Walla as well as the Tri-Cities area. We hired an Uber driver to get us back to the Tri-Cities Airport.
Did you miss our article on the Yakima Valley?
Winemaker Justin Basil with a barrel sample of Syrah from “The Rocks”