Walla Walla
Walla Walla for wine lovers: tastings from 20 to 40 dollars, refunded with a purchase, and Dunham Cellars’ 50 dollar cellar tour, with hours and tips.
At a glance
- Four wineries compared, with tastings from 20 to 40 dollars per adult
- Every tasting fee here is waived or refunded with a purchase
- Two of them in Lowden, west of town, on the old Highway 12
- Dunham Cellars’ cellar tour, by appointment, costs 50 dollars
- 1culinary experience
Culinary experiences in Walla Walla
Generalissima, CC BY
Map of Walla Walla
What to taste in Walla Walla
Walla Walla sweet onion
The valley’s mild onion, harvested in early summer and eaten raw, grilled or in rings.
Premier Cru and Grand Cru flights
L’Ecole Nº 41’s two tastings, 25 and 40 dollars, in its schoolhouse at Lowden.
Recent releases
Six wines in Gramercy Cellars’ 25 dollar Tasting Room flight.
Walla Walla is a small city in the far south-east of Washington, close to the Oregon line, in a wine valley that spills across the border. Wheat fields surround it, and its sweet onion carries the town’s name.
Two places to taste in Walla Walla
- In town: Dunham Cellars, at 150 E. Boeing Ave., and Gramercy Cellars.
- Lowden, to the west: L’Ecole Nº 41, in a former schoolhouse at 41 Lowden School Road, and Woodward Canyon, at 11920 Old Hwy 12.
An appellation on both sides of the border
The Walla Walla Valley became an appellation in 1984. It covers about 121,000 hectares and counts more than 120 wineries, many of them among the oldest in the state.
- The border: just over half of the planted vineyards are on the Washington side.
- Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are the valley’s best-known reds.
- Climate: 230 to 560 mm of rain a year (9 to 22 inches), cooler and wetter than several Washington appellations.
- Soils: sandy loess over slackwater deposits of the Missoula Floods and fractured basalt, with Freewater cobbles.
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, a smaller appellation inside the valley, lies on the Oregon side.
The sweet onion, from Corsican seed to state vegetable
- Late 1880s: Peter Pieri brings sweet onion seed from Corsica to Walla Walla.
- 24 May 1995: the US Department of Agriculture issues Marketing Order 956. Only onions grown in the valley, in south-east Washington and north-east Oregon, may be sold as Walla Walla sweet onions.
- 20 April 2007: the onion becomes Washington’s official state vegetable, after three years of lobbying by students.
Before you go
- Hours: L’Ecole Nº 41 opens daily 10 am to 5 pm, Dunham Cellars daily 11 am to 4 pm, Gramercy Tuesday to Sunday.
- Walk-ins: welcome at Dunham and Gramercy. L’Ecole seats walk-ins when space allows.
- Arriving: Walla Walla has a regional airport. Seattle is across the Cascades.
- Alcohol: the minimum legal age to buy alcohol is 21.
- Getting around: Lowden is west of town. Plan a car and a driver who skips the tastings.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a wine tasting in Walla Walla?
20 to 40 dollars per adult at the four wineries compared in this guide (2026 prices).
Are Walla Walla tasting fees refunded?
Yes at all four wineries in this guide, with a wine purchase.
Where is Lowden?
West of Walla Walla, along the old Highway 12. L’Ecole Nº 41 and Woodward Canyon have their tasting rooms there.
What is Walla Walla known for besides wine?
Its sweet onion, a mild variety grown in the valley.