Next Stop
Issue: September/October 2009
Destination: Walla Walla
No melancholy, only merlot in these blue hills
Anyone who describes the eastern half of Washington as all dried up is advised to spend a weekend in Walla Walla, where verdant hillside pillows ring a lush oasis filled with culture, cuisine, cycling, fishing, golf and, oh yes, wine.
"When you arrive somewhere this special you wonder when the developers will come in and ruin it," says Barney Barnhart, my affable "cycling shepherd," as we pedal through the pristine Whitman College campus en route to one of several winery rows, this one adjacent to the airport. "But I look out at these hills and I realize it would take someone a long, long time to spoil this picture."
Downtown Walla Walla feels cozy beneath its oak- and tulip-tree canopy. Unlike so many towns of similar size (about 30,000), rare here is the vacant storefront due to the mosaic of tasting rooms that line Second, Third and Main streets. Driving out to cast for steelhead, I spy hills of wheat folded into each other like wrestling toddlers beneath the low sky where a few clouds linger without getting in the way.
Few of us have to travel too far to find tasting rooms and wineries. Yet, only Walla Walla offers total immersion in the viticulture, where more than 200 winemakers vie for attention amid an idyllic valley where the amber waving grains really do invite you to stay awhile.
THE BASICS:
For more information, pick up the Oregon & Washington TourBook® from any AAA office.
ZZZZZs:
The Marcus Whitman Hotel is a poster property of the restored landmark movement. Once slated for demolition, this 76-room classic provides the hub for the region’s viticultural celebrations. 6 W. Rose St., (866) 826-9422.
YUM:
T. Maccarone’s is one of several excellent urbane eateries, where a packed house feasting on contemporary Italian cuisine invites you in for a post-tour wind down. 4 N. Colville St., (509) 522-4776. www.tmaccarones.com.
Brasserie Four serves lunch and dinner of authentic bistro fare in a clean, well-lighted space on Main. 4 E. Main St., (509) 529-2011.
Fun For All:
Wine Valley Golf Club is an outstanding new prairie links course just outside of town.
176 Wine Valley Road, (877) 333-9842
www.winevalleygolfclub.com
Stone Creek Fly Fishers will have you casting on the Touchet or Walla Walla River within 30 minutes of town. Guide-owner Skip Pritchard will lead novice to expert.
(509) 520-7039,
stonecreekflyfishers.com.
Allegro Cyclery is located in the heart of downtown, but with wineries in almost any direction, you can jump on a bike and take off for an hour or a day.
200 E. Main St., (509) 525-4949
www.allegrocyclery.com
The Incubators, at Piper and Lockheed avenues, are five funky wineries that house young winemakers for six-year stints as part of a joint state-county enterprise. Make time for Five Star Cellars, Patit Creek Cellars and especially Dunham Cellars, one of the granddaddies of the Walla Walla wine world.
