We started off our second full day in Walla Walla, Washington, with a visit to the local farmers market. It turned out to be the first market of the season, and there were lots of both locals and visitors milling about. Held on the transit mall right in downtown, this market features not only local farmers’ wares but also the work of artisans, crafters and bakers and a smattering of food trucks.

The first stall we came across offered all kinds of furniture crafted from wine barrels. I have seen such work before, but these designs included some unique and cleverly imagined (and practical) pieces. I had to admire the craftsmanship involved in each piece. Nearby, amusing sculptures crafted from recycled tools and metal bits and pieces were displayed; some would make nice garden art. We made no purchases there, but we did decide to pick up some freshly foraged mushrooms from one vendor, and we couldn’t pass up the beautiful bundles of asparagus offered at a few different stands. I enjoyed the colorful displays of late winter/early spring vegetables, but our cooler would hold only so much on our trek home,    so I didn’t pick up any. We bought a few cookies at one of the bakeries to sustain us later in the day and then headed off for some more wine tasting.

We stopped only briefly at The Walls to pick up a case of wine my husband and some friends had bid on earlier in the year for a charity event. When we first tasted there several years ago, the tasting “room” was alloted a very spartan corner of the production facility (but the wine has always been superb!); now it includes several cozy seating areas both inside and out, a special glassed-in “library” and a boardroom-like private tasting room.

From there we moved on for a light lunch before our afternoon tastings. We discovered Graze some time back and always make at least one stop each trip. It’s a simple sandwich shop, but the sandwiches are anything but simple. The menu board includes paninis, hot and cold sandwiches, two soups made fresh daily, half a dozen salads and nonalcoholic beverages. The magic comes in the interesting and unique combinations of ingredients in each offering, which together create delicious and satisfying meals. On this visit Harry opted for the Sexy Time panini, a savory combination of grilled chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, mayo, chili flakes and thyme, and both brie and provolone cheeses. It was very gooey and good. (I admit to having a nibble.) I decided to go “healthy” since we were having such an indulgent weekend, but my Roasted Pear salad was far from staid and boring. Roasted pears, blue cheese and candied cashews sat on a bed of mixed greens with a cup of Champagne vinaigrette served on the side. The combination of fresh greens; crunchy cashews; and creamy, rich cheese was delightful and delicious.

Our next stop was bittersweet, as we knew it would be the last time we would visit Prospice Wines, lovingly know as “The Little Pink Winery.” We’ve been visiting founders/winemakers Jay and Matt since the winery opened in 2018 and have come to know them well. Their wines are always superb, but Jay in particular admitted that the pressure and the pace of the business was just crowding out his wish to follow other interests, so they have decided this is their final season. We sat in the garden, sipped wine and enjoyed a long chat with each of them, sad to see the business dissolve but glad to have met them and see them move on to new ventures.

Our final stop of the weekend came late that afternoon at Corliss, a beautiful winery housed in a huge old brick building, formerly a warehouse and bakery. The three-story open interior features art and collectibles from owners Michael and Lauri Corliss’ travels, making for an interesting interplay between the rustic surfaces and gleaming crystal and silver, modern sculpture and paintings. Corliss red wines (Cab Sauv, Syrah and a blend) are meticulously crafted from estate-grown grapes and spend extra time in the barrel and bottle, only released five years after the vintage. Their once-a-year tasting events always include the new releases plus, usually, a barrel taste of a young wine and a treat of one of the older bottlings.

There is no skimping on the food served alongside these rich, complex wines. A long table laden with fresh fruit, small bites, sweets, crackers and breads, and a range of domestic and imported cheeses stretched down the center of the room. We circulated between it and the various pouring stations, allowed to revisit each wine as often as we liked. We took up a perch next to one of the tall windows, using the wide stone sill as our table as we nibbled and sipped and enjoyed the lovely evening sun streaming through the room. It was a perfect end to a wonderful, somewhat nostalgic weekend in Walla Walla.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor