We might be biased, but Washington State is truly one of the most beautiful and varied states in the entire USA! We recently had the opportunity to visit Walla Walla winery central, which is located in the bottom right corner of the state, about a 5-hour drive from where we live in Seattle, WA. We’ve both been to Walla Walla before but never together, so we were excited to explore the area and see all that it has to offer as a girls’ getaway destination! And of course our friend Dawn of Partytildawn also came…she always brings the party!
Walla Walla Day 1
With a 4pm wine tasting appointment scheduled for that evening, we planned to leave at 9am for the 5-hour drive, including stops for coffee and lunch. We combined both at a stop at Starbucks in Yakima. If you’re wanting an iconic lunch spot, check out Miner’s, which is legendary for their dinner-plate sized hamburgers.
Back on the road, we couldn’t resist a quick detour in Zillah for a photo op at the Teapot Dome historical site!
Arriving in Walla Walla
We arrived in Walla Walla around 3:30pm. Since our rooms at the Marcus Whitman Hotel weren’t quite ready, we strolled down main street, checking out the cute shops and restaurants. We couldn’t resist a little tryon at Walla Walla Clothing Company, a store we’ve visited on the west side of the state at their Kirkland location. They have such a great selection of elevated brands!
Back at the hotel, we checked into our rooms, and freshened up a bit before meeting with the General Manager for a hotel tour. The hotel and restaurant have recently undergone an extensive renovation that is truly impressive! The decor is mid-century modern meets Old World glam and is just so stunning! In addition, more renovations are scheduled in the near future, including a rooftop bar, an outdoor dining patio, updated rooms, and more. Not sure why you’d want to stay anywhere else in Walla Walla!
Wine Tastings
Our first tasting of the weekend was at Seven Hills Winery, which was literally a one-block walk from our hotel. Looking back, we all agreed the wines here were the best of the weekend. Don’t let its in-town location fool you, the historic building is impressive and the service and wines are second to none!
Dinner Plans
Back at the hotel, we dressed up and ended the evening with an incredible dining experience at The Marc restaurant in the Marcus Whitman Hotel. The upscale menu and sophisticated dining room make you forget you’re in small town Eastern Washington!
Walla Walla Day 2
With four wine tastings scheduled for today, we knew we wanted to get an early start. We squeezed in time for an iced coffee from the hotel and enjoyed a morning walk in the glorious sunshine! We couldn’t ask for a better start to the day!
Wine Tastings
Our first tasting of the day was at Abeja Winery and Inn. From the wine glass greeting the minute we stepped out of our car, to the historic farmhouse and on-site restaurant offerings, we were blown away. We can’t stress this enough… Abeja Winery is a MUST VISIT if you’re planning a Walla Walla getaway or looking for a wedding venue! You can even stay at the farmhouse, and honestly if we did that, we’d probably never want to leave!
Next, we visited Saviah Cellars, which was about a 20 minute drive from Abeja. A smaller winery, we loved tasting their exclusive wines from “The Rocks”. Relaxing around the fire pit on their outdoor patio was a highlight!
A mile up the road, we turned into the entrance of Valdemar Estates. This is owned by the Valdemar family of Spain, and is the first non-American winery in Washington state. Known for their wine and tapas pairings, we enjoyed our wine tasting at probably the most stunning venue of all. A blend of modern architecture and elegant design, it was hard to believe this place is in the heart of farmland and vineyards and is less than a day’s drive from Seattle! Highly recommend the Beetroot Salad and Basque Cheesecake!
Our final wine tasting was back in downtown Walla Walla, Dossier Wine Collective. Founded by former Seattle Seahawk Sidney Rice, the vibe is modern, urban, and masculine. A game of golf played on the big screen TV as we sipped our wine on the deep leather sectional. We tasted some of our favorite wines of the day. Between the stellar wine offerings and the fun banter with our host, it was a perfect way to end our tour. We all left with at least one bottle to take home!
Dinner Plans
For dinner, we were lucky to grab a table at Passatempo Taverna. This was recommended by more than one Walla Walla local, including our host at Dossier Wine. It did not disappoint!!
Walla Walla Day 3
The next morning, we did one last iced coffee stroll down Main Street, window shopping and wandering into a few of the fun shops before checking out of our hotel. Don’t miss Main Street Furniture Co. for fun browsing and unique decor!
A Quick Lunch
After checking out of our hotel, we heard from locals that grabbing a sandwich from Graze was a must. We checked it out before hitting the road back to Seattle. We ate our lunch at the new plaza in the heart of Main Street. I had the cold steak sandwich with chimichurri and mama lils peppers–it was sooo good!
We packed a lot into our Walla Walla winery weekend! You could easily stretch out the tastings with hiking, a round of golf, or spa treatments for a longer stay. It was such an incredible getaway that we all agreed we want to plan a time to come back. Spring, summer, or fall, Walla Walla is an easy drive from Seattle and such a fabulous destination!
Xoxo Julie & Krista
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You all are lovely! Would love to visit Washington wineries someday. I live in Virginia so we have a lot of wineries too, but most are not as glamorous. One question, how did you all do 4 separate tastings in one day and still stand up? I am such a lightweight, I couldn’t handle it. Wish I had your stamina!
Haha good question!! We paced ourselves and did light sips only! When we heard we had been scheduled four tastings in one day, we had the same reaction as you! I (Julie) was the designated driver, so I was very careful with my sips and Dawn and Krista also only tasted in moderation. It ended up being just fine! We loved the Walla Walla wineries and hope to be back again. Hopefully you’ll get to visit someday too! –Julie