Washington State Wine Country: Growing Up

WALLA WALLA, Washington

Four of us were sitting in a small, unpretentious storefront restaurant, Saffron, marveling over the spectacular food after a pleasant afternoon of wine tasting at various wineries. The day before we'd packed our cooler with French cheeses from the nearby Monteillet Fromagerie farm and enjoyed dining at the only 4 star restaurant in Eastern Washington, the Patit Creek, in "downtown" Dayton. It brought to mind a similar experience a few years back in Provence, where one expects such things, but this was Walla Walla, Washington. Wine Spectator has stated Washington State "ranks second only to California in total wine production in the United States"*.

Area adding wineries every year

The wine industry in Walla Walla is growing up and so is the selection of restaurants. Only four years ago there were 59 wineries; today there are more than 100, with close to 1,800 acres of vineyards and 10-20 wineries added each year. The region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. White wines are less common but also available. Tasting rooms are scattered throughout the countryside; in modular buildings in the vincinity of the airport; and in attractive store fronts in downtown Walla Walla. The Walla Walla Wine Alliance publishes a helpful map that lists all the wineries and pinpoints the tasting rooms of your favorite.

Washington could be two different countries

If you've visited Seattle and not explored the less populated part of the state east of the Cascades you'll probably be surprised to learn that most of the state outside of the Puget Sound area is sunny with cold nights, a perfect climate for grape vines.

Washington state could be two separate countries and all parties would feel better about it. There's Seattle, a blue collar city trying to be cosmopolitan with its theater scene, a first class symphony, and up and coming restaurants, still a little surprised at its sudden growth from Boeing bombers to world class jets; at hometown REI, a small mountain equipment cooperative not too long ago to a national outdoors store; and at the sprouting up of giant newcomers like Starbucks and Microsoft. It rains a lot in Seattle, people wear Gore-Tex & fleece to work, but on a warm sunny day watching a ferry glide across Elliott Bay framed by the Olympic Mountains you'd swear you'd found Paradise.

Then there's the East Side of the Mountains, as Seattleites call it, as though it were an insignificant part of the state, when in truth, the land mass of the east side of the Cascade Range is about two thirds as large as the west side. Once over the mountain passes the ubiquitous, tall Douglas Fir trees and lush greenery of the west side changes to austere, drought-loving Ponderosa Pine, thinning to sand-colored, erosion-carved cliffs of the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and eventually to the rolling golden hills and winding roads of the Palouse, or wheat, country.

A half day's drive from SeaTac Airport

There are several ways to get to the wine country; the more popular one (and the shortest), crosses the mountains over Snoqualmie Pass on I 90, but two others are more scenic. One is State Route 2, north of I 90, over Stevens Pass on State Route 2, and the other, if you're really into scenic drives (and this is one of the most beautiful in the state), much farther north, over State Route 20. Both roads are accessible from I-5. The latter, over the North Cascades Highway, depending on your tolerance for driving long distances, would typically take more than one day, but if you have the time the beauty of it will be well worth the effort. It's over 400 miles of "must stop views" and changing vistas, some over winding mountain roads that are forced by snow to shut down every winter. An ideal plan would be to make a loop, going over Snoqualmie Pass on the way to Walla Walla and coming back on the northern route through the most beautiful part of the Cascades, with an overnight somewhere along the way.

After driving all of them in the past we usually opt for the "middle" route when we go, over Stevens Pass, but if you've arrived after hours of travel you may choose to stay in the Seattle area overnight and continue on in the morning, for Walla Walla, over Snoqualmie Pass, is 280 miles from Seattle.

We like to stay in Dayton the first night, rather than go into Walla Walla, since this longer route takes us northeast of Walla Walla, where we enjoy driving through what is known as the Palouse, mostly hilly, waving fields of grain that seem to add a calming quality to our drive. The best place to stay in Dayton is the Weinhard Hotel, a remodeled saloon and lodge hall built in 1889 by Jacob Weinhard, a beer brewer and now remodeled in Victorian decor, including four poster beds. The area was explored by the Lewis & Clark expedition on their return trip from the mouth of the Columbia, where they camped on Patit Creek, just east of the town. The small, 10 table Patit Creek restaurant, which is easy to miss with its unpretentious plain green siding, is named after this landmark. Reports of its excellent food were not exaggerated.

Walla Walla, clean & pleasant & full of fall wine tourists

Walla Walla's main street reflects careful restoration efforts and is remarkably clean and pleasant. Many buildings have been renovated and rehabilitated, including the Marcus Whitman Hotel where we stayed. We ate lunch there, too, and were pleased with the food, but the desk clerk, when pressed for something different, recommended the Saffron as the best restaurant for dinner. We made reservations and were glad we had, for by the time we left the place was jumping.

Wine tours can be booked or you can drive yourself

We prefer to plan our own tours and do our own driving, but there are guided tours, too. The Walla Walla Wine Alliance produces a brochure that lists all the area's wineries and pinpoints them on a fold out map. For a list of tour companies go to Tourism Walla Walla.

Since we were driving we were able to manage a case of wine in the car with no trouble, but if you plan to bring it aboard a plane be sure you first check out the airline's policy as well as printing out TSA's policy from the Web (see this site for advice on checking wine) in case airline employees are misinformed. There are hair raising stories of airlines refusing to allow passengers to check wine, as well as employees' misinterpretation of their own airline's policy and that of the TSA. If you can whip out a copy it should help.

*Wine Spectator magazine ran a cover story on Washington wines in their December 15, 2010 issue. Full access to their website requires paid membership.

Photos, top to bottom:
Two of our entrees at Saffron
The Palouse
Joan Monteillet, co-owner of Monteillet Cheese, helps customers decide
L'Ecole winery tasting room is an old school house