Our trips to Walla Walla, Washington, for winetasting weekends always involve visiting old favorites alongside trying up-and-comers and places new to us. In my last blog I wrote about a new restaurant and new winery we visited, but our second day in the valley had us visiting some old haunts.

We started the day at Isenhower Cellars, one of the few mid-sized husband and wife-owned and -operated wineries in the state. We have known them for more than 15 years and have watched their three girls grow from pre-schoolers to college students. They make delicious wines and always make visitors feel welcome and at home. We also stopped in at Amavi Cellars,  recalling when we visited their first location in an old reconstructed log cabin in town. Many years ago they built a modern tasting room south of town, set above their production facility and offering magnificent views over the valley  and to the Blue Mountains beyond.   We tasted a range of their wines originating in their estate vineyards and enjoyed the peaceful setting ahead of the weekend crowds.

Lunch was purchased at Graze: A Place to Eat, a far-from-ordinary sandwich shop on the west side of town, where we picked up two scrumptious paninis from their drive-through window. We’ve found Graze builds unique sandwiches from quality ingredients and have yet to be disappointed with any of its creations. On this trip we also discovered their original location downtown (who knew?) with lots of outdoor seating; it will be on our list on the next trip.

Our friends Jim and Amber arrived in town that afternoon, and with them we visited Prospice Wines, where we have been members since its inception. Winemakers/owners Jay and Matt, a former lawyer and architect, respectively, met while in the Walla Walla Community College enology program, and the rest is history . . . and some really great wines. The next night we would return again for their wine club members party, complete with a food truck and all the wine you could drink. This evening, however, we headed to another favorite, Hattaway’s on Alder, for our evening meal.

We discovered the restaurant several years ago and have always appreciated its melding of Pacific Northwest ingredients with the culinary inspiration of the Southeast and rural America.  Only in the last few years did we start reserving the private “Wine Room,” a glass-enclosed space which houses the restaurant’s wine collection.  The round table seats six comfortably (eight would be a tight fit) with a lazy Susan in the middle to simplify sharing bottles and plates; and while it is a little cool in there in order to accommodate the wines, the glass blocks out most of the noise of a busy restaurant outside. You can also listen to your own playlist using the room’s Bluetooth speaker setup, so it becomes a very bespoke experience.

Harry and I started by sharing the celery Parmesan salad,  garnished with hazelnuts, grated Parm and wine-poached figs; a really tasty and unique winter salad. Our friends shared the farmhouse salad . . . really, portions are large enough here that a couple can easily share a side and each enjoy a hearty portion. We then ordered some rib-sticking entrées, perfect for this chilly November evening: Harry got the braised beef cheeks ragout over housemade pasta,  I ordered the grilled pork coppa served over fermented barley risotto and with a perfectly paired cranberry and spiced pecan chutney,  and friend Jim ordered the chicken and grits, with a fried chicken schnitzel and a spicy jalapeno grit cake.  We all shared bites of a slice of the decadent flourless chocolate torte to top off a wonderful meal in a fun setting.

Our final day of wine tasting started at SuLei Cellars on their rustic outdoor patio adjoining their production facility.   Co-founders Elaine Jomwe (operations manager) and Tanya Woodley (winemaker) create wonderful wines and a relaxed, welcoming space in which to enjoy them. We then took a break for lunch at the Walla Walla Bread Company. They provide bread for a number of restaurants around town, but they also serve up brunch and lunch at their restaurant, offering an assortment of pastries, wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, soups and salads. Service is quick, the food is delicious, and the bread in particular can’t be beat.

We had to stop at Rulo Winery to visit Vicki and Kurt Schlicker, another husband-wife duo we have known for many years and who produce remarkable wines, always reasonably priced. They have been threatening retirement for a while now, so we’re always happy to find they are still there and pouring their wines.

We wrapped the weekend at Corliss,  another longtime favorite and producer of truly elegant red wines. The tasting room itself is a work of art, and for this event they had a display of their large-format wines,  available for purchase along with the season’s new releases. All wines are at least five years old upon release, and the extra time in the bottle shows in the silkiness on the mouth and the exceptionally balanced tannins and flavors. We tasted two of their older library wines, the 2014 Corliss red blend and the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, both still lively and full of fruit. We tasted this fall’s releases, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 Corliss red blend and got a sneak peak at next spring’s release of the 2019 Syrah. We also looked further into the future with a barrel tasting of the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon. Though young, we could see it would mellow into another rich, beautiful wine.

As always, our Walla Walla sojourn was a wonderful opportunity to visit with old friends and sample new experiences.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor