Whether you are looking for a casual place to sip or in a serious mood to taste, these five recently opened Walla Walla wineries and tasting rooms offer a range of experiences sure to please every preference.
Bloc 46: In a town of 120 or so wineries, even the most dedicated trip planners can become overwhelmed. Mull over your options at downtown’s just opened Bloc 46, a serve yourself wine bar featuring a rotating menu of options from local wineries. Fancy a flight of local whites? Or high octane, heritage Cabernet? Choose your own adventure with self-serve machines that dispense wines by the desired volume—a sample taste, or a full glass—order a full bottle, or choose from select beer options. After a few sips (and perhaps a suggestion or two from any locals within earshot), you’ll have a game plan in no time. Outdoor seating during the warm season, regular live music, and great people watching along Main Street add to the fun.
127 S Main St | 509-200-5368 | Monday-Saturday, 1–8pm; Sunday, 10am–5pm.
Jett: Newcomers to Walla Walla, but not to wine, Jett is California-based Jackson Family Wine’s first brand to plant a flag in Washington state. A boutique imprint, the expansion has proved a good thing for lovers of fine wine. Jett’s inaugural 2021 vintage, especially the Cabernet produced from its new estate vineyard, Skysill, in the Eastside’s Mill Creek area, received rave reviews. From Mill Creek, a little west over on Melrose, you can taste a selection of four Jett wines at its new tasting annex, formerly the Figgins tasting studio. Allocation members get first dibs on these limited production wines, so what’s pouring is subject to availability. Signing up for the mailing list before your scheduled appointment may help your chances to purchase the greatest variety.
2900 Melrose St | 509-202-4300 | By reservation: Thursday and Friday, 1pm and 3pm; Saturday, 10:30am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm.
R|A Family Wines: For fans of the Milton-Freewater Rocks District, famous for its earthy Syrahs, this new collaboration between local winemaker Matt Reynvaan (of Reynvaan Family Vineyards) and his family friend, developer and hospitality veteran Rob Andrews, should shoot straight up the list. Tastings are by appointment only, at the Reynvaan winery in Walla Walla, and of the R|A wines, there is as yet just one: a 2023 Syrah, the JDA Project (its initials short for J. David Andrews, Rob’s dad, from the Rocks District vineyard of the same name). This promising new brand, with a precise and intentional winemaking focus, is yet another reason to book a tasting at Reynvaan, Matt being a student of sorts of the vigneron, Christophe Baron of Cayuse, who first identified the viticultural potential of the area.
6309 Cottonwood Rd | 509-525-3462 | By appointment.
Reali: An Italian heritage guides the inspiration and sensibility of this new estate winery and tasting room, perched just above Eritage Resort on the city’s North end. Winemaking is led by former Spring Valley winemaker, Serge LaVille, with a focus on French and Italian varietals, the latter including Barbera, Sangiovese, and the just released 2025 Vermentino, a dry white Italian variety and one of the few of its kind in the state. It’s excellent, and the first release from the winery’s newly established estate vineyard on the property, where owners Ken and Kristin Reali are aiming to produce 80% of the winery’s vintages in the future.
800 Vintners Vista Lane | 509-342-0159 | Monday–Wednesday by appointment; Thursday–Sunday, 11am–6pm.
Windrow Estate Winery: Tucked away at the base of SeVein Vineyards in Milton-Freewater, this estate winery, formerly Tero Estates, is now under new ownership and a charming Air Bnb to boot. The source of its wines, Windrow vineyard, is one of the oldest in the Walla Walla appellation, and like neighboring Seven Hills vineyard, Cabernet shines here. Tasting room guests can expect a small selection of wines from these still-producing old vines across a range of vintages, picturesque views of the surrounding area and the Blue Mountains, and maybe a friendly boop from one of the winery’s resident weed patrollers, a small herd of charming black and white sheep, or from an assortment of winery cats and dogs.
52015 Seven Hills Road | 509-593-0162 | Reservations recommended, Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–4:30pm.