Goodbye Napa Valley, So Long Sonoma County: This Pacific Northwest Region Is Underrated For Wine And Craft Brews

Napa Valley may be the reigning monarch of U.S. wine tourism, but America's Pacific Northwest is proving to be a powerhouse of its own. One underrated wine country gem in Washington state has been gaining recognition for its bold reds, particularly syrahs, cabernets, and merlots, in addition to a hearty beer and cider scene and charming small-town life. Welcome to Walla Walla, a valley, a county, a city, and an American Viticultural Area (AVA) spanning southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, encompassing 300,000 acres, or 468 square miles.

Walla Walla Valley AVA was established in 1984, the second AVA in the state after Yakima Valley. It's home to some of Washington's oldest wineries and has the state's largest concentration of wineries. Somm Select even boldly declared that Walla Walla "produces some of the most prestigious and collector-driven wines in Washington, consistently rivaling the quality and critical acclaim of top Napa and Oregon vineyards." Compared to Napa Valley, which welcomed roughly 3.8 million visitors in 2025, Walla Walla wineries and tasting rooms recorded over half a million visits in 2023. For oenophiles looking to avoid the crowds and commercialization of well-known hotspots like Napa or Sonoma, Walla Walla offers a charmingly low-key yet world-class alternative.

Before it became wine country, Walla Walla was home to a fur-tradingfort, a stop along the Oregon Trail, a gold rush hub, and eventually, an agricultural powerhouse producing wheat, potatoes, grapes, and famously, sweet onions. As Wine Folly declared, "[Y]ou could drive for miles with the distinct smell of alliums wafting into your car." But it turns out the region's varied soils and basalt bedrock, along with its semi-arid continental climate, create ideal vine-growing conditions. In 1977, Gary Figgins, grandson of Italian immigrant farmers, established the region's first commercial winery: Leonetti Cellar. In 1982, Leonetti won national recognition for its cabernet, putting Walla Walla on the oenological map.

After Leonetti Cellar launched Walla Walla's commercial wine industry in 1977, more wineries soon established themselves: Woodward Canyon, L'Ecole No. 41, and Waterbrook Winery. By 1998, 16 wineries were part of the Walla Walla AVA; today, there are more than 120. Walla Walla Valley AVA is divided into six districts: Downtown, Airport, Southside, Eastside, Westside, and Oregon. The Oregon district includes The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, a sub-AVA located entirely within the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The AVA has a handy, interactive guide for finding and filtering Walla Walla's many wineries.

For first-time visitors, an excellent place to start is in downtown Walla Walla, named one of America's most charming small-town main streets and the county seat. Downtown's more than 30 tasting rooms are within easy walking distance, giving visitors easy access to a wide range of wines. Admire the art-forward bottles at women-led DAMA Wines; sip deep reds at Otis Kenyon; or sample the signature Bordeaux-blend Pentad red at Seven Hills Winery, located in a former wood mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearby, try acclaimed cabernet from former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe at Bledsoe Family Winery, which moved from downtown to Peppers Bridge Road in 2026. Reset between tastings with golf, hiking, fine dining, and shopping, all accessible from downtown.

Although cabernet put Walla Walla on the nation's wine radar, the region's known for its Bordeaux-style reds, Rhône varieties, merlots, and, perhaps most of all, for its syrahs. Some of the most noteworthy syrah producers in the region include K Vintners, whose wines can be tasted at House of Smith, an edgy tasting room in a converted auto repair shop downtown, or at the winery's Mill Creek Road property. Maison Bleue and Pambrun share a tasting room, where visitors can sample Maison Bleue wines from Oregon's The Rocks District, known for distinct reds.

Wine's not the only thing on offer in Walla Walla County, and Visit Walla Walla has conveniently mapped more than a dozen breweries, cideries, and distilleries. Five Dollar Ranch Brewing Company serves a rotating lineup of beers from its Peppers Bridge Road location, where visitors can also take in Blue Mountain views. Five Dollar Ranch is "[t]he kind of place that makes you accidentally stay all afternoon," as one Google reviewer declared. Additional standouts include Quirk Brewing with its outdoor patio and taps ranging from lagers to hazy IPAs, and Burwood Brewing, which hosts rotating food trucks with occasional food and beer specials and trivia nights. Downtown, Walla Walla Beer Parlor features a massive selection of beers, ciders, and yes — wines. Food pop-ups, darts, TVs, free popcorn, plus a dog-friendly, convivial vibe round out the experience.

Washington's known for its apples, and local ciders are plentiful, particularly from Blue Mountain Cider Company and Freewater Cider Company, both located in the southern end of Walla Walla Valley just over the Oregon state line. Blue Mountain uses Walla Walla Valley-grown apples, Washington-grown pears, and cranberries for its crisp ciders, and Freewater also produces wine.

Walla Walla is still considered an under-the-radar wine region that deserves more hype. The AVA isn't yet 50 years old, and its geography also puts southeastern Washington off the beaten trail, far from major urban centers. One of the best ways to see the region is by car; take the scenic "wine and waterfalls" road trip through Walla Walla and Yakima Valley, where you'll get a taste of how different the Pacific Northwest's interior can be from its coast. Walla Walla Regional Airport (ALW) is close by, while Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco is roughly 50 miles west and offers more flight options. Spokane is about 150 miles north, Seattle some 260 miles northwest, and Portland, Oregon, about 245 miles southwest.