Our Guide to Planning a Wine Tour of Walla Walla Wineries

Last Updated on October 4, 2022 by admin

Walla Walla, located in Washington State, is famous for its wines. With over a hundred different wineries in the region, you’ll definitely want to visit more than one during your visit! Each of the wineries has a distinct theme, vibe, and decor. While you’re visiting, we definitely recommend that you book a wine tour. When you book a wine tour, you’ll be able to visit multiple wineries without having to worry about driving. In this post, we share everything you need to know about booking a wine tour in Walla Walla.

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About Walla Walla Wine Region

Walla Walla Valley covers over 3,000 acres in Washington and Oregon. The city of Walla Walla, though, is located in Washington State.

Walla Walla Valley is Washington’s second American Viticultural Area (AVA). About 95% of the area is planted with red grapes, with the remaining 5% dedicated to white grapes. The region is especially famous for its syrah and cabernet sauvignon, so be sure to try those types of wine while you’re visiting!

The Walla Walla Valley is comprised of 6 different wine districts: Westside, Downtown, Airport, Eastside, Southside, and Oregon.

There are over 120 wineries in Walla Walla!

See 10 of our favorite wineries in Walla Walla here!

Wine Tour in Walla Walla at Va Piano — *Tasting wines at Va Piano*

Why You Should Book a Wine Tour in Walla Walla

There are over 140 wineries in Walla Walla that are located in 5 separate districts, so there is a lot of ground to cover!

We recommend a wine tour for the following reasons:

Safety: The first reason is that it’s extremely important to drink responsibly. If you don’t have a designated driver, then it’s simply not safe to visit multiple wineries. When you book a wine tour, you’ll have a driver that can take you to all the wineries you want to visit! You’ll be able to enjoy the wine tastings without having to worry.
Air Conditioned Vehicle: If you’re planning to visit Walla Walla during the warmer months, you’ll be extremely grateful that a cool vehicle can pick you up when you’re ready to go to the next winery.
Cooler for Snacks: The cars have a cooler, so you can pack some of your own snacks and they can stay fresh.
Knowledgeable Guide: The wine region in Walla Walla is pretty big, and each winery has their own story. It’s definitely helpful to travel around with a local!
Customizable: This tour option allows you to customize your own trip. You can work with your driver to plan out which wineries you want to visit during your trip. (No forced schedule!)
Hotel Pick-Up and Drop-Off: This tour will pick you up from select hotels. That means it’s super easy to head out for the day and enjoy everything the valley has to offer.
Stress-Free: Finally, booking a wine tour is a carefree way to explore the wineries. You won’t have to worry about navigation, maps, or ability to drive safely. All you have to do is show up and have fun!

Book your wine tasting tour here!

How to Book a Wine Tour in Walla Walla

It’s super easy to book a wine tour of Walla Walla wineries. There are different tours and companies to choose from, and below we’re sharing one such.

First, click on the booking website.

Choose a date and enter the number of people.

Depending on the size of the group, you might get the option of choosing which type of vehicle you prefer.

They offer a full-sized van, mini-van, and car.

After that, you just enter your pick-up location, and you’ll be all set!

The tour duration is 8 hours, so you’ll get to see plenty of wineries!

The tour guide can also help you to create an itinerary to minimize driving time between wineries. (We spent a lot of time researching our last self-guided wine tour, so that’s a huge advantage! It definitely helps to visit the wineries that are clustered together!) Your tour guide may also be able to help you to make individual wine tasting reservations at each winery.

Just click here to book your tour!

See our article on 25 Things to Do in Walla Walla! (We’ll share lots of activities besides wine tasting!)

Wine Tour Wineries at Walla Walla (Yellowhawk Resort) — *Walking through the vineyard at Yellowhawk Resort*

The Best Walla Walla Wineries

I’ve been to Walla Walla to go wine tasting twice, and I’ve gotten to visit almost a dozen different wineries.

Below are some of my favorite wineries and what I like about them:

(Listed in no particular order)

L’Ecole No. 41: The first winery we visited was L’Ecole No. 41. This winery is located in an old schoolhouse that was built in 1915.
Barons Winery: This winery is located in downtown Walla Walla. What we loved most about this winery (aside from the wine!) was the very personalized service we received. We learned so much about wine making!
Plumb Cellars: This downtown winery is a favorite for their wine slushies and live music. (Perfect for a hot day!)
Sleight of Hand Cellars: This is another one of our favorite wineries. The winery was rocking loud music and had a very unpretentious vibe. It was the perfect spot to just hang out!
Castillo de Feliciana: This winery is truly beautiful. The pretty white building is surrounded by mature lavender bushes.
Yellow Hawk Resort: This winery has a rustic lodge and you can walk through the vineyards. (Perfect for photos!)
Va Piano Vineyards: This was one of our favorite wineries. When you visit Va Piano Vineyards, it’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to a villa in Tuscany.
Valdemar Estates: This winery has an emphasis on all things Spanish. You can sip on Spanish wines while you eat tapas.
Long Shadows: This was another one of our absolute favorite wineries. Sitting outside on the patio in Adirondack chairs and sipping white wines was perfection.
Waterbrook Winery: We enjoyed sitting by the pond, drinking rosé , and playing bocce ball!

We hope this list helps you plan your own wine tasting tour!

Wine Tour Walla Walla Wineries Castillo de Feliciana — *Visiting Castillo de Feliciana*

How to Get to Walla Walla

Walla Walla is located in the southeastern portion of Washington State.

Walla Walla is about 261 miles east from Seattle. (It’s about a 4 to 4.5-hour drive depending on traffic.)

Walla Walla is about 153 miles south of Spokane. (That’s about a 2.5 to 3-hour drive.)

And, Walla Walla is very close to the Oregon border. (One of our servers told us that she prefers to get her gas in Oregon so she doesn’t have to pump it herself.) The state line is just about a 10 minute drive south of Walla Walla. Walla Walla is about 3.5 to 4 hours away from Portland, Oregon.

You can also fly into Walla Walla Regional Airport (ALW). The flight from Seattle to Walla Walla is just a little over an hour long.

Where to Stay in Walla Walla

Booking.com

There are lots of unique places to stay in Walla Walla. Here are some ideas:

The Finch: This hotel is centrally located downtown. This new hotel has fresh rooms and lots of outdoor gathering areas.
Eritage Resort: This luxurious resort has countryside views, a fine dining restaurant, and beautiful guest rooms.
Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center: The Marcus Whitman is the tallest building in Walla Walla. The historic hotel has decor from the 1930s and is centrally located. We stayed here during our last visit to Walla Walla, and we really enjoyed it. We’d definitely recommend it to others!
Cameo Heights Mansion: This luxurious bed and breakfast is located in the nearby town of Touchet. The mansion is adults-only and features uniquely-styled rooms, a pool, and a fine dining restaurant. This location would be perfect for a romantic getaway!
The Inn at Abeja: If you want to stay at a winery, check out the Inn at Abeja. This winery has cute cottages and suites.

For a full list of accommodations in Walla Walla, click here. (There are dozens of properties to choose from!)

We also wrote an article going into more depth about places to stay in Walla Walla. Click here to read the full article.

What to Pack for a Trip to Walla Walla

Here are a few things we recommend that you bring with you:

Comfortable walking shoes: Don’t plan on wearing heels or anything uncomfortable. Many of the wineries have gravel or dirt paths, so you’ll want to wear something comfortable. If you’re visiting during the summer months, I recommend a good pair of sandals.
Power Bank: We always keep a fully-charged power bank with us while we’re out exploring. That way, if our phone battery is running low, we can easily plug it in and re-charge on the go. We rely on our phones heavily for navigation and photography, so this product is a must for us.
Notebook: During our last trip to Walla Walla, we brought a notebook to take notes of the different wines we tried. We wrote down the different labels, types of wine, and our impressions. It was really fun to compare notes! (And it also helped us to remember our favorite wines to look for at home!)
Sun Hat: Don’t forget sun protection while you’re visiting the different wineries!
Small crossbody purse: To easily carry your identification and credit cards.

(Click on any of the above images for shipping and pricing information.)

Summary: Our Adventure in Walla Walla

I’ve visited Walla Walla to go wine tasting on two separate occasions. On my first trip to Walla Walla, I went wine tasting for a bachelorette party. We booked a wine tasting tour and it was a blast! We got to visit several wineries and we didn’t have to worry about driving. I’d highly recommend booking a tour if you’re visiting Walla Walla with a group!

Pinterest for Wine Tour in Walla Walla Wineries — *Pin for later!*

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Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please see individual websites embedded in this post for the most current trip-planning information.

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