Amavi Cellars

3796 Peppers Bridge Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-3541
A sister winery to Pepper Bridge, Amavi, a mashup of the Italian words for love (amor) and life (vita), produces premium wines, most notably cab sauv and syrah, that are approachable—in drinkability and price point. The stylish, modern Walla Walla tasting room offers views across vineyards on the south end of town.

Bledsoe Family Winery

229 E. Main St.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 792-3510
Bledsoe Family Winery is the second label founded by former NLF quarterback and Walla Walla High School alum Drew Bledsoe. (He also established Doubleback.) The varietals include a chardonnay, rosé, syrah and cabernet sauvignon. The downtown tasting room is open by appointment only (Wed.-Sun.).

Canvasback

1825 J.B. George Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 524-9820
The group behind Napa Valley's Duckhorn Vineyards established Canvasback in 2012. The winery has since expanded its focus from Red Mountain cabernet sauvignons to a wider array of Washington varietals. The winery and tasting room are set among vineyards on the south side of Walla Walla. Fun fact: a canvasback is a duck species found in Eastern Washington.

Castillo de Feliciana Winery & Vineyard

85728 Telephone Pole Road
Milton-Freewater, OR
Phone: (541) 558-3656
The Castillo family focuses primarily on Spanish-inspired varietals and blends, including a remarkable albariño and intense tempranillos. The grounds (pictured above) include two spacious patios where you can sample wines while nibbling on light bites and admiring views across vineyards and wheat fields out to the Blue Mountains. Concerts, events and activities such as salsa dancing and "Havana" nights keep things fun and lively from spring through fall.

Doubleback

3853 Powerline Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-3334
Founded by former NFL quarterback (and Walla Walla High School alum) Drew Bledsoe, Doubleback produces small lots of three premium Walla Walla Valley wines: a chardonnay, a cab sauv and an estate reserve cab sauv. Tours and seated tastings at the swanky winery, on the south end of town, are available by appointment only.

Dusted Valley

1248 Old Milton Hwy.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-1337
Founded by a fun-loving group of Wisconsin transplants in the mid-2000s, Dusted Valley produces about 5,000 cases a year of intense cab sauvs, syrahs and petite sirahs under its main label, as well as another 20,000 cases of its value-priced Boomtown wines. The tasting room at the site of its original winery offers dramatic views stretching out to the Blue Mountains.

Eternal Wines

602 Piper Ave.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 240-6258
Winemaker/owner Brad Binko crafts small lots of stellar wine at his boutique winery near Walla Walla airport. The lineup skews toward syrah, but white and other red varietals are also represented.

Five Star Cellars

840 C St.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 527-8400
WInemaker Matt Huse, son of founder David Huse, produces rich red varietals and blends that reflect the luscious nature of Walla Walla Valley fruit.

House of Smith

35 S. Spokane St.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 526-5230
Charles Smith's downtown Walla Walla tasting room offers an airy, industrial-chic setting for sampling his team's diverse portfolio of wines, including those produced under the K Vintners and Substance labels. Concrete floors and exposed brick retain the historic charm of the renovated space, a former auto repair garage dating back to 1917.

L’Ecole No. 41

42 Lowden School Road
Lowden, WA
Phone: (509) 525-0940
Founded in 1983, the third oldest winery in Walla Walla (after Leonetti Cellar and Woodward Canyon) stands as one of its most respected. The winery takes its name from the 1915 brick schoolhouse that houses its winery and flagship tasting room. L'Ecole also has a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla and another in Woodinville. But there's nothing like drinking in the flavors of its deep, complex varietals and blends at the source.

Long Shadows

1604 Frenchtown Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 526-0905 ext. 1
This innovative venture founded by the late Allen Shoup, once president and CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle, brings winemakers from other parts of the world to Washington to craft wine from some of the state’s premier vineyards. The Walla Walla winery offers tours of the production facility and seated tastings in a lounge adorned with Dale Chihuly's glass art. It also has a pretty sleek tasting room in Woodinville.

Maison Bleue

20 N. Second Ave.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-9084
Established in 2007, Maison Bleue produces small lots of highly rated Rhône-style varietals and blends. Its sister label Pambrun produces Bordeaux-style varietals and blends. Tastings for both labels are available in their downtown Walla Walla tasting room. Fun fact: Pierre-Chrysologue Pambrun, an ancestor of winery owner Jim Bernau, was an administrator at the Hudson Bay Company's Walla Walla–area fort in the 19th century and is credited for brokering peace between Native Americans and settlers.

Mark Ryan Winery

26 E. Main St. Ste. 1
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (425) 481-7070
Founder Mark Ryan McNeilly crafts intense Bordeaux- and Rhône–style blends and varietals with grapes sourced from some of the state's most prestigious vineyards, including Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun on Red Mountain, as well as Red Willow and Olsen in Yakima Valley. The Walla Walla tasting room sits in the heart of downtown.

Otis Kenyon

23 E. Main St.
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-3505
This small, family-owned winery produces full-throttle syrah and cabernet sauvignon, in addition to a few other red and white varietals that also reflect the robust characteristics that Walla Walla Valley wines can achieve.

Pepper Bridge Winery

1704 J.B. George Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-6502
Founded in 1998 by Norm McKibben, one of Washington's modern wine pioneers, Pepper Bridge primarily produces powerful, savory red wines, though a sauvignon blanc is also available. Each release reflects a commitment to craftsmanship that begins in sustainably managed estate vineyards and continues through production.

Rôtie Cellars

84328 Trumbull Lane
Milton-Freewater, OR
Phone: (509) 301-9074
The winery's name reflects winemaker Sean Boyd's love for Rhône-style varietals and blends—reds and whites. In addition to southern- and northern-Rhône-inspired blends, his portfolio includes a growing number of single-varietal gems. The winery and tasting room at the Rôtie Rocks Estate provides views across the Rocks district's vineyards. Can't make it to Milton-Freewater (it's right across the state line from Walla Walla)? Head over to Rôtie's tasting room in Seattle's bustling SODO Urban Works wine and food park.

Sleight of Hand Cellars

1959 J.B. George Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 525-3661
Established in 2007, Sleight of Hand Cellars combines delicious wine with a rock 'n' roll vibe, thanks to vinyl tracks setting the tone in the tasting room. The team's Bordeaux-style blends and syrahs—as well as a chardonnay and rosé—are gaining increasing favor from critics and fans. The reds tend to show a balance between boldness and suppleness, with well-integrated flavors of fruit and barrel spice. The winery also operates a tasting room in Seattle's SODO Urban Works.

Tranche Cellars

705 Berney Drive
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 526-3500
Tranche earns raves for its Rhône-inspired blends. Its luscious Pape Blanc, a southern Rhône–style blend, will make even the staunchest of "red-only" drinkers rethink their preferences. The winery's cab sauvs and chardonnays never disappoint. Wood, glass, steel and thoughtful art give the tasting room and patio a stylish modern feel; warm weather brings live music to the winery on Friday evenings, April through October.

Va Piano Vineyards

1793 J.B. George Road
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 529-0900
Founded by fourth-generation Walla Wallan Justin Wylie, Va Piano does a lot of things really well. Tannins in the cabernet sauvignons and syrahs provide the structure they need to avoid becoming overly unctuous. Rosé fans will love the Yakima Valley cab franc rosé, when available; the bright, acidic wine provides tightly wound notes of melon that loosen up with food.

Valdemar Estates

3808 Rolling Hills Lane
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: (509) 956-4926
This state-of-the-art winery on the south side of Walla Walla is the first venture outside of Spain for the Bujanda family, who have been making wines in La Rioja for five generations. Their spacious tasting room and patio offer views out to the Blue Mountains, providing a scenic setting to nosh on tapas from the on-site restaurant while sampling Valdemar's Spanish wines alongside its Washington releases.

Woodward Canyon Winery

11920 Old Hwy 12
Lowden, WA
Phone: (509) 525-4129
Rick Small established Walla Walla Valley’s second modern winery in 1981 on his family's wheat farm. Today, Woodward Canyon produces elegant cabernet sauvignons, Bordeaux-style blends and more. The winery sources grapes from its 41-acre estate vineyard and four other esteemed sites, including the revered Champoux Vineyard, in which it has an ownership stake. The tasting room occupies a restored farmhouse along the highway, about 13 miles west of downtown Walla Walla.