My wife and I are heading to Walla Walla next weekend and would like to discover a new winery or two. I know there are several threads on Walla Walla, but I’m hoping folks can direct us to some new wineries or perhaps some that have been flying under the radar for a year or two. We visit about once per year, and our usual stops include:
Gramercy
Kerloo
Waters
Maison Bleue
aMaurice
Rulo
Seven Hills
What are we missing that fits in with this list? Thanks in advance…
Nothing to do with new wines but if you want to have a great lunch, grab some food stuff from the Italian style deli downtown and head out to 3 rivers and sit on the porch, drink wine and play on their par 3 course.
It’s a great way to break up the day and just damn enjoyable…
If you visit once a year then you know the area better than me, but the only one I’d add to the ones above is Kontos, which we very much enjoyed back when they were in the incubator space. I know they have a “real” tasting room downtown now, so might be worth a stop.
Such a great area. I hope to get back their in 2015.
Rulo - what a blast from the past. Their 2007 Syrah remains one of my all-time favorites from the states and I think it was $24. I need to reacquaint myself with all of these wines - great thread.
I’ll second the Rasa recs, but not if you are looking solely for QPRs. IMO their wines are priced on the higher side. But if you like what you taste, get on their mailing list and buy pre-release where you save 20%. Also, the past few years they’ve had a big sale at year end for list members.
Sleight of Hand - Amazing guys run this winery, and it is a unique tasting experience. Very fun place to be.
Gifford Hirlinger - Definitely the best QPR I’ve found in Walla Walla. Run by a husband/wife team who are really down to earth.
Pepper Bridge - Wines aren’t cheap ($50-$65), but always solid & delicious.
Dusted Valley - Wide variety of wines that always seem to deliver.
We use to go to Amavi, but their prices have creeped up a bit so they aren’t quite the value they use to be, and we have not had very good experiences the last couple times we’ve been there. Rasa is definitely the opposite of QPR, as they are one of the more expensive portfolios. Garrison Creek is the estate winery for Les Collines vineyard, where they make about 1,000 cases from estate fruit. Definitely higher end, but really enjoyable, age-worthy wines.
If I was on the hunt for more QPR wines, I’d focus on the airport area, especially the incubator. The locations there are going to be much less capital intensive to get into, so you’ll likely find lower priced wines, and smaller wineries just getting started.
Thanks for the recommendations! Keep 'em coming. Especially if they’re newer wineries or offer good QPR. There are several names that I don’t have personal experience with:
Trust Cellars (been meaning to check in here)
Garrison Creek
Trio
Bunchgrass
Corvus
Tamarack
Kontos
Gifford Hirlinger
And a couple, like Rotie and Sleight of Hand, are worth checking back in on.
I’ll try to do some research to see which of the suggestions might be in my wheelhouse. Though there are exceptions, I generally prefer the higher acid, lower alcohol end of the spectrum. For example, the couple Dusted Valley Syrahs I’ve had have been bigger, more extracted, and oakier than my sweet spot.
I appreciate all the Rasa recommendations but they’ve been around for a while and don’t necessarily qualify as QPR unless you’re a baller. Unfortunately, I am not.
Let us know where you end up. Regarding Rasa, while I’m also priced out of most of their delicious, delicious reds, if you’re into rieslings they make a couple of excellent ones for about $30. Decent QPR there, I think.