Walla Walla Eastside Wineries

Walla Walla has a number of tasting districts that make it easy to organize a day of wine tasting without driving all over the valley. The Eastside is one of the most picturesque, and perhaps one of the most defining in the region.

The vineyards in the area benefit from proximity to the Blue Mountains, from higher elevation plantings, which helps mitigate the effects of frost while also balancing ripening, to excellent air flow and higher-than-valley-average rainfall. But the wineries nestled throughout, tucked alongside rolling wheatfields around Mill Creek, benefit too, with expansive territorial views.

Spend a day exploring the Eastside at one or a few of these iconic wineries.

Abeja: From its Instagram-ready vibes to its award-winning wines, this sprawling former 1800s homestead, now painstakingly converted into a luxury inn, winery, and event space, could easily be in wine country anywhere on the planet. But this world-renowned wine destination is home grown, with a legacy of pioneering Washington winemakers behind each bottle, and a range of seasonal tasting experiences to choose from.

2014 Mill Creek Road | 509-526-7400 | 11–3pm daily, by appointment only 

Aluvé: How do two former Air Force pilots start a winery in Walla Walla? You’ll have to ask owner and winemaker JJ Menozzi when you stop into Aluvé for a tasting, as you’re likely to be served by the man himself. Menozzi started the venture with his wife, Kelly, in 2010, producing mostly cabernet and chardonnay from their 10-acre estate vineyard in Mill Creek. Today, Menozzi carries on the work in honor of his wife, who loved making wine in Walla Walla, where the couple’s second career took flight. 

100 Aluvé Lane | 509-520-6251 | 10:30–4:30pm, Friday–Sunday, reservations requested, walk-ins accommodated space and schedule permitting

Bledsoe/McDaniels: Along with being one of the few former professional football players to own a winery in town, Walla Walla-raised Drew Bledsoe, with his winemaker, Josh McDaniels, is also one of the few to offer cool climate-loving pinot noir in hot and dry eastern Washington. Sourced from vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, these wines, alongside Walla Walla syrah, are a specialty here, and add more variety to the brand’s excellent cabernet and merlot, found at Doubleback, a short drive away. 

178 Vineyard Lane | 509-392-7050 | 10–3:30pm, Wednesday–Sunday, by appointment, walk-ins welcome subject to availability

College Cellars: For a taste of how Walla Walla wines are evolving, do not miss College Cellars, the teaching winery of the Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program. Guided by expert instructors, students learn the fundamentals of planting and harvesting grapes, and process their own vintage into wines. These bottlings consistently sweep awards across wine competitions, and graduates often stay locally and contribute their expertise back to the community. Most of the wineries on this list have direct ties to the program.

3020 Isaacs Ave. | 509-524-5170 | 11–5pm Thursday–Sunday, reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome subject to availability

Echolands: They say “grapes like a good view,” and once all of Echolands’ still-new estate vines are fully productive, they are bound to be happy grapes indeed. People, in the meantime, get to enjoy the view at this new winery on Mill Creek, a state-of-the-art production facility and tasting room with floor to ceiling windows that maximize the serene setting. Highly-rated, elegant wines with moderate alcohol and bright fruit character make up the rest of the pretty picture.

3281 Mill Creek Rd | 509-676- 2109 | 11–5pm, Wednesday–Monday, with extended summer hours until 7pm, reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome subject to availability

For part 2, click: Walla Walla’s Eastside District: A Guide to Touring and Tasting, Part 2