Walla Walla Valley for wine lovers

Mainly in Washington State but crossing into Oregon, too, the Walla Walla Valley AVA is an exciting place to explore, with a wide choice of tasting rooms to visit and places to eat

- BROOKE HERRON

Situated between the Blue Mountains in the southeast and the low, rolling hills of the Palouse to the north, the Walla Walla Valley (which straddles two states, Washington and Oregon) has an interesting topography. While it feels in a low position compared with the nearby mountains and hills, the Walla Walla Valley AVA – itself a sub-region of the larger Columbia Valley AVA – is actually at 300m altitude.

It also has an ideal climate for wine-growing. Four hours’ drive east are the dry, sunny plains of Idaho, while the same distance west is coastal Seattle, boasting more rainy days a year than almost anywhere else on the US West Coast.

The Walla Walla Valley enjoys the middle ground: moderate rainfall, sunny days and slightly cooler temperatures than Washington’s more westerly Yakima Valley AVA. But it’s not that simple, as within the Walla Walla Valley there are clear variations. Its eastern border, which abuts the Blue Mountains, is colder than the west and gets three times more rain. This makes the valley’s wines difficult to define in terms of regional typicity. Consequently there is a focus here on individual vineyards and their distinct terroirs.

To date, the Walla Walla Valley only has one official sub-AVA – The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, on the Oregon side of the valley – but there are moves to define more.