Short Trips: So much wine, too little time in Walla Walla

[Editor's Note: The restaurant 26brix was incorrectly spelled in the original version of this article.]

Walla Walla is one of the world's hottest wine destinations. Frequently featured in national magazine spreads, the valley draws sophisticated visitors from around the world. Private jets often are parked at the teeny airport, and the burgeoning number of upscale restaurants and accommodations are booked solid through much of the summer.

Not bad for a town that some locals good-naturedly refer to as a wine-soaked version of Mayberry.

		Dan DeLong / P-I
	Abeja, a winery and inn on a farmstead, was opened by the original winemaker at Canoe Ridge.

Just a decade ago, it was possible to hit all the fermented grape high points in this town of 35,000 over the course of one afternoon. Now, there are more than 100 producers.

When I was a wine writer for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Walla Walla proved fertile ground for stories.

After returning to the Northwest earlier this year, I looked forward to checking out the new growth in the valley. It had been just four years since my last visit, but as the wine industry expanded dramatically, I almost expected to find a mini-version of Napa Valley, roads clogged with visitors, high-end boutiques and spas on every corner.

But when I pulled into a parking space on the nearly empty Main Street on a sunny weekday, I knew the burg hadn't lost its small-town charm.

"I don't think that's ever going to change," said Tom Glace, a Seattle native who moved to Walla Walla in the '90s and started Balboa Winery in 2004. "I don't think people would let it change."

		Dan DeLong / P-I
	Kimbrough Mauney of Bellingham samples wine at the DaMa Wines tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. There are at least a dozen tasting rooms in and around the city center.

This isn't the place to come for a day trip, or even a weekend, and expect to hit all the hot spots. Once you give in to that idea, once you relax into the rhythm of the sleepy scene, then you can enjoy discovering what makes this place such a draw for folks determined to turn fruit into wine.

Like all good grape-growing regions, it starts with soil. Terroir, as they call it in France.

Walla Walla, long famous for its onions and asparagus, has soil that's also ideal for grapes. The weather plays a major role in the fruit's development, bitter cold sometimes destroying a crop, so many producers also buy fruit grown elsewhere. But the landscape is covered with enough vines to remind you this is wine country.

While Walla Walla has grown up, there's still a good chance a wine tourist is going to run into a winemaker willing to spend some time talking about what makes this business so exciting.

The first stop on my recent two-day tour was at the Vineyards Lounge in the Marcus Whitman Hotel, a stately venue where presidents and visiting dignitaries have slept. Rachael Ray stayed here not long ago, the manager said.

		Dan DeLong / P-I
	The lobby of the Marcus Whitman Hotel, which reopened in 2003.

This beautifully renovated place reopened just a few years ago, its restaurant built on a cellar deep with the Valley's best-known producers. The bar pours generous wine flights -- three glasses of the same grape made by different wineries.

I walked to dinner at Luscious by Nature, a pretty dining room downtown, started last year by Seattle transplants Ceil Blaine and her son, Daymon Bruck. (My story on the Seattle transplants transforming the dining landscape ran on May 9. You can find it online at goto.seattlepi.com/314849.)

Like most of Walla Walla's restaurants, Luscious had a wonderful wine list, including a lovely Orange Muscat dessert wine from Yellow Hawk Cellar, which is open for tastings by appointment only. (There are at least a number of wineries with limited hours, including the dozen tasting rooms in and around the city center. It's always best to call ahead.)

The next morning, I drove west, to Lowden, a ZIP code that's home to Woodward Canyon, L'Ecole, Reininger, Three Rivers, one of the Valley's last asparagus farms (I bought five pounds for $4 at a roadside stand) and an enormous grain elevator.

		Dan DeLong / P-I
	Alexa Palmer (standing) chats with (left to right) Roy Schellenberg, Pete and Artis Palmer (her parents), and Lianne Schellenberg at the Fat Duck Inn. Alexa Palmer and chef Charles Maddrey own the B&B.

Woodward Canyon's Rick Small comes from a farming family, studied agriculture at Washington State University, and then talked his wheat-growing father into letting him experiment with grapes and making wine back in the '70s.

Just down the valley, near the state border, Pepper Bridge winery is situated amid a sea of vines, the Blue Mountains in the distance making for one of the best views in the area. This is a prime spot for that picnic you've packed.

In the winery's relatively short history -- it released its first wines in 2004 -- it has become one of the best-known Washington labels.

Managing partner Norm McKibben was one of the first in the region to hire an Old World winemaker. Jean-Francois Pellet, a third-generation winemaker from Switzerland, helped design Pepper Bridge's state-of-the-art facility. (Its gravity flow press means gentle treatment for grapes, and less bitter tannins in the wine.)

A crew was bottling wine on the day of my visit, glass making a tremendous racket as it moved through the mostly automated line, labels adhered at the end. This is the kind of daily routine that visitors might find hypnotic, witnessing the culmination of so much effort.

		Dan DeLong / P-I
	The interior of the Locust Suite in the carriage barn at Abeja, a winery and luxury inn located on a century-old farmstead. It costs about $200 per night to have a rare stay at a winery.

After lunch at 26brix in Walla Walla, I checked into Fat Duck Inn, opened in December by former Seattle residents who saw a huge opportunity. "I was coming over to visit, and had to sleep in my car. It was impossible to find a room," said Alexa Palmer.

Before dinner at the incredible Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant helmed by former Campagne sous chef Jamie Guerin, I drove to Abeja, one of the wineries that opened in the past several years. John Abbott's arrival in the valley was symbolic of the big things to come. He was the original winemaker at Canoe Ridge, a Walla Walla winery launched by California wine titan Phil Woodward in the late '80s.

Like many who have wine in their blood, Abbott positively bubbles when he talks wine, especially about the estate grapes planted around the historic property. The historic farm also has several guest rooms, some in the former carriage house and one tucked into a space that's referred to as the summer kitchen. All the suites are filled with gorgeous antiques. If you want to experience peace and quiet, this is where you should check in. (Except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when it's closed to the public.)

While it's great to visit with winemakers, it's also time-consuming. There were still at least a dozen places on my to-do list when I had to hit the road -- a sure sign of a good trip. I started planning my next visit on the four-hour car ride back to Seattle.

IF YOU GO

Where to stay

Accommodations typically are booked on summer weekends, so if you can go during the week, you'll have less competition for a bed and for a spot at the tasting bar of your favorite wineries. If you thrive in crowds, visit during Holiday Barrel Tasting (the first weekend in December) or Spring Barrel Release (the first full weekend in May).

The Fat Duck Inn -- 888-526-8718; fatduckinn.com; comfortable suites near downtown for $150-$200 a night; serves dinner on request.

The Marcus Whitman Hotel -- 866-826-9422; marcuswhitmanhotel.com; a variety of updated rooms from $150.

The Inn at Abeja -- 2014 Mill Creek Road; 509-522-1234; www.abeja.net; a rare chance to stay at a winery. Rooms around $200 a night.

Information

To map out your tasting tour, log on to wallawallawine.com for winery information. Most tasting rooms don't charge fees, but it's always good to contact them in advance for details.

To order a winery map of the region, call 509-526-3117.

Food

Pick up picnic supplies or sandwiches at Salumiere Cesario (20 N. Second Ave.) or Merchant's Deli (21 E. Main St.).

Cool off with an old-fashioned ice cream sundae at Brights Candy (11 E. Main).

Book a table at Whitehouse-Crawford, 55 W. Cherry St.; 509-525-2222; whitehousecrawford.com; one of the best restaurants in the state.

Look for more recommendations on my Whining and Dining blog at goto.seattlepi.com/r767