Washington State Wine Trip - Recommendations Needed!

Hello all. New to Wine Berserkers and to posting in online forums altogether. My wife and I are thinking about a trip to Washington State this summer for a week and am at a loss on wineries, lodging, restaurants, etc. and would welcome any thoughts on all of the above. We’re open to flying into Seattle or Portland to make our way to wine country. We like smaller non-commercial operations - cabs, chards, other varietals are all welcome. Would be helpful if others have done this trip for suggestions as to how to map it all out conserving how spread out everting is in comparison to Sonoma, Napa, etc. Thanks in advance and hope everyone has had a great start to 2020!

I’m planning my second wine trip to WA this spring. Maybe some of my research can help you.

Having been to both Yakima and Walla Walla, my focus is entirely on Walla Walla. But if you are flying into Seattle then you’ll want to look into the Woodinville wineries as well.

For Walla Walla…

Wineries are mostly clustered in town tasting rooms, or south near the Oregon border. There are others scattered around, plus a bunch at the Walla Walla airport.

You can plan to hit the downtown tasting rooms one day, along with some of the better restaurants. And then try to cram in the southern wineries another day.

Town Wineries:
Rotie Cellars (reservation required)
Mark Ryan
Charles Smith (for the Sixto and K Vintners labels) *
Gramercy Cellars (reservation required if it’s not a Saturday) *

Town Wine Store:
The Thief (great selection here, and a chance to buy local wines that don’t do tastings, like La Rata, Delmas, Reynvaan) *

Town Restaurants:
Brasserie Four (there is also a little wine shop in the back, very well stocked from around the world, and you can buy a bottle to take to dinner) *
Whitehouse-Crawford (they have Cayuse syrah on their wine list)

South:
Sleight Of Hand *
Grosgrain
Saviah
Va Piano
Waters
Dusted Valley
Rulo
Amavi
Force Majeure (this one is just over the Oregon border, and requires reservations)

Other Areas:
Tranche
Buty

    • anything marked with a star I can personally vouch for (everything else I have just heard good things and have not tried yet)

This is great! Thanks so much for your insights!!

In town … I would add Corliss (by appointment only) and Gramercy

Out of town and also by appointment only I would add Reynvaan

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Thanks Joel. Will do!

It has been a couple of years since our daughter graduated from Whitman, so some of this may be dated.

In town, I would add Kerloo and Maison Bleue, and I also second the recommendation for Sleight of Hand. Also, The Foundry, if not for the wine, then for the art. It is one of the largest foundries in the country, and always has pieces on display. Jim Dine, Deborah Butterfield, among many others have had work created there, and they usually have interesting pieces on display.

Garrison Creek makes very good wines, but you’ll need to make an appointment.

As for restaurants, Passatempo, and Saffron. If you go to Passatempo, have a mixed drink. Jim German, who is in charge of the bar, is a legend in WA. For breakfast, Bacon and Eggs. There are some good Mexican restaurants. Taqueria Yungapeti comes to mind. Oh, and Andrae’s Kitchen.

Thanks Jeff!

+1 this is all really sound advice in my experience

Excellent advice from Sean. We also visited most from his list. Some of our favorites from his list:
Rotie
Rulo
Va Piano
Amavi
Mark Ryan

  • Brasserie Four-messes up our reservation and were rude. We turned around and walked-out.

Saffron-was excellent! Ended-up eating there twice as we went there after the above incident.

Where are you flying into?

Thanks Albert. We’re planning on flying in to Seattle as my wife has never been and wants to see the sights. Will then head towards Walla Walla with some interim spots before heading back towards Seattle and doing Bainbridge Is and some hiking. Can’t wait!

A plus one on Amavi where we received a warm welcome from long-established winemakers and who also gave us useful pointers elsewhere.

One thing nobody has yet mentioned. On the highway coming into Walla Walla from the west you’ll drive past two of the oldest of old-school wineries: Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole 41. Of the two I much preferred Woodward Canyon but if you can’t wait to get started on the tasting this is a great way to dive straight in.

Since you are driving from Seattle to WW, try Los Hernandez, in Union Gap (just South of Yakima). The best tamales. Try the asparagus tamales, if you are there when it is in season.

Thanks for the tip! I love eating both so we’ll make this a priority!

How long is the drive from Seattle to Walla Walla…would flying in to Portland be of any advantage?

I would suggest spending at least a couple of days in Woodinville. There are gobs of tasting rooms in that little town. I only had 6 hours, but made the most of it. Some of my favorites were:

Gorman Winery - I still remember The Pixie Syrah, and that was 8 or 9 years ago.
Sparkman Cellars - Wilderness Red is a nice rustic Rhone style blend. They make a ton of wines. Fun family.
DeLille Cellars - Excellent Bordeaux style wines. D2 is terrific. Note: DeLille is now at least partially owned by Bacchus Capital. Their production (and distribution) has ramped up but hopefully the quality is still there.

If I were to go back, I’d allow 3-4 days in Woodinville. You’d get a real feel for the whole of Washington State wines.

We flew into Seattle (I will consider Portland next time) got in early and spent the afternoon in Woodinville. That was plenty for us as we prefer being out in the vineyards (YMMV). We headed out early the next day (8am) towards Richland. We stopped and did a couple of tastings in Yakima on our way to The Lodge at Columbia Point (2 nights). The hotel is on the river and close to everything. The next day we visited Red Mountain wineries: Hedges, Cooper and Col Solare. The following day we headed towards Walla Walla. We stayed at the Cameo Heights Mansion which is a bit of a drive from most of the wineries but it’s an awesome place to stay. I highly recommend both The Lodge and The Mansion.

Cooper, Col Solare, Rotie, Rulo, Amavi, and Garrison Creek were highlights for us.

Portland is shorter by 30 minutes and drive is much more scenic.

Thanks!

I have driven both routes. The drive from Seattle is also quite beautiful and the transition from rain forest to dry high desert is fascinating. Owen Roe is about midway and there is a great wood oven pizza place at the next exit. The drive from Portland is stunning.

Lots of great suggestions from the forum so far. If you make the drive from Seattle a couple more wine related stops could be Treveri (sparkling wines), and JB Neufeld (awesome winery and Berserkerday supporter). Should anyone take the Portland route I have always enjoyed driving the Washington side of the Columbia even though its slower. Plenty of wineries to visit in Hood River on the Oregon side and in the Underwood/Lyle area on the Washington side I love Syncline, Cor and Savage Grace.

For food in Walla Walla I’d also include Cugini Italian as a great spot to grab lunch.