Planning a Washington Wine Trip
Nestled in the eastern hills of Washington lies one of the most charming wine towns in the world. With over 120 wineries, Walla Walla is a force in the Washington red scene. Known for more bold reds than their Oregon cousins, we were very excited for our Washington Wine Trip!
Why Walla Walla?
When we initially started planning our Oregon-Washington adventure, we had several different itineraries. Some revolved around hiking the Seattle area near Olympia or even Mt Rainier. In the end, I identified two wine regions that we would enjoy - Oregon's Willamette and Washington's Walla Walla because these areas produce earthy and bold reds compared to the rest of the PNW. While the Walla Walla region is most well known for syrah and cabernet sauvignon, they also produce Bordeaux blends, merlot, and other "old world" grape varietals that are our style!
Once I began researching the wineries, it became a foregone conclusion. Finally, the biggest clue was our friends were driving through Walla Walla on the way to a wedding so it would be an ideal roadtrip for us!
Roadtrip
As we quickly learned, most people drive from one of the major cities that are all located within 4-5 hours of Walla Walla. From Seattle or Portland, the drive is beautiful! Be prepared as there may not be a lot available in terms of food or rest stops but there are quite a few activities to do along the way to break up the trip. For example, from Portland, we stopped in Hood River to walk around the tiny downtown and enjoy a brewery visit!
Flight
Since we wanted to get home in the fastest way possible, we opted to fly out of Walla Walla with Alaska Airlines. Compared to a 4-5 hour roadtrip back to a major city, this was much preferable! Unsurprisingly, the airport is very small and it does not take long to make it from your car to the gate. We were there early since we had to check 2 items and still had plenty of time.
Pro Tip: One of the best unknown promotions is the "Wine Flies Free" with Alaska Airlines. Each person can ship a case of wine for free as long as they fly from select cities. Had we known this before the trip, we would have changed our strategy!
Lodging
Deciding where to stay in Walla Walla is one of the toughest decisions! From big brand hotels in Marriott and Hilton to boutique B&Bs to picture perfect vineyard views, there are many options! The best piece of advice is book early! Because we were booking late compared to others, we had slim pickings. Initially, we wanted a vineyard hotel or B&B as that would be an unique stay, but all were sold out for Memorial Day.
Since we could not book a vineyard stay, we decided to pick a hotel that was within walking distance of downtown Walla Walla. Torn between the Courtyard by Marriott or The Maxwell House B&B, we obviously chose the B&B!
We stayed in the New York room which is located up a beautiful wooden staircase. Despite our late arrival, our lovely hostess, Penny, ensured we had an easy check-in and even left us chocolate chip cookies! Our room had a separate living area that had plenty of space to lay out our luggage and our wine purchases! The bedroom was spacious and the bed was extremely comfortable. For breakfast, Penny cooked a wonderful home-cooked meal that usually involved a sweet and savory dish. Parking was very easy, but we usually walked the 15-20 minutes to Walla Walla Main street as it is shaded and very nice. By far, the daily fresh chocolate chip cookies were the best! We cannot wait to stay again and highly recommend!
Rental Car
In Walla Walla, there are very limited rental car options. There are a few shops in the airport, but most rental car spots have special hours so we were extra flexible in our pickup times! Surprisingly, there is a really useful Enterprise location within 5 minutes of downtown Walla Walla. On our first morning, I walked from our B&B to Enterprise and drove back with a car all in 30 minutes! The airport drop-off is even more convenient since you leave the car in the parking lot and leave the keys in a drop box.
Public Transportation
For those who do not want to rent a car, Walla Walla does offer a decent bus schedule, although it does not run on Sunday’s and good luck trying to get to the airport for a 6am flight! Below are the details.
Foodie's Delight
If Walla Walla really surprised us in one area, it would be the tasty food! Whether you like breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there are options for everyone. However, there is one drawback - You have to make a reservation! Even if you're cotemplating a trip, go ahead and book out a few spots as it will be booked solid within a month of your trip. Here are several highlights:
Bacon & Eggs: If Penny's delicious homemade breakfast did not fill me up every morning, I would instantly head here! Beware, the line will be around the block before 8:30am!
Maple Counter: If you want a sweeter breakfast, I would go to Maple Counter. Similar to Bacon and Eggs, get here early!
Graze: Perfect for an easy lunch or a wine tasting picnic, Graze is the local's favorite and our favorite lunch spot! You can order in advance and it is great in between wine tastings.
Brasserie Four: With a French flag in front, this famous French eatery serves the finest French food. More importantly, it has terrific steak and frites!
Passatempo Tavern: Because we love Italian food, we had to eat at the best Italian shop! While we were slightly disappointed with the plain carbonara, the specialty pasta was a hit!
Click here for our full list of great restaurants and wineries throughout the PNW!
Choosing your winery visits!
First of all, this is no easy feat! With over 120 wineries, some more popular than others, this task is extremely daunting! Here is how I began my search...
Phone a friend! We asked around and although people had not heard of Walla Walla, they told us they liked Washington reds...
Ask a local wine shop! Definitely the most helpful tool, we asked our friend Nick at Highland Wine Shop in Atlanta. Within minutes, he produced a lengthy list as well as helpful links.
Read their tourism site. Because Walla Walla is heavily dependent on wine tourism, their website is very helpful and points out the various wine districts within the city.
Be Flexible - Ask around when you are there! We found one of our favorite wineries when we followed the advice of another couple at our B&B.
Because I am a nerdy travel planner, once I compiled the list, I went to Vivino and just put in some of the wineries to see if we would like their type. For us, because we like reds, I tried to stay away from whites and lean more towards syrah, caberanet sav, merlot, and Bordeaux blends. Once I narrowed down the list to about 10 wineries, I looked at their reservation times, prioritized my favorites, and then tried to find the best times for each one based on availability and location.
Now, to find out our full list of wineries, click here to read our full Walla Walla wine debrief!
