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Where to Stay, Eat and Sip

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There are three daily flights to Walla Walla from Seattle, but the closest airport—with direct flights from Seattle, Portland, and Denver—is in Pasco, less than an hour to the west. Summers in southeastern Washington are dry, with daylight lasting late into the evening—one reason the grapes tend to ripen so well. The shoulder seasons, spring and fall, linger, giving way to more extreme weather only after weeks of breezy sunshine.

WHERE TO STAY
Green Gables Inn
Classic, six-room B&B in a 1909 house on the Whitman College campus, with historic touches (Art Nouveau armoires, claw-foot tubs). DOUBLES FROM $125. 922 BONSELLA ST.; 509/525-5501; www.greengablesinn.com

Inn at Abeja
Each of the five cottages is different, from floor plan to décor. The inn is closed from mid-December through the end of February. SUITES FROM $200. 2014 MILL CREEK RD.; 509/522-1234; www.abeja.net

Marcus Whitman Hotel
A full-service property, near the restaurants and tasting rooms of Main Street. DOUBLES FROM $89, SUITES FROM $199. 6 W. ROSE ST.; 866/826-9422 OR 509/525-2200; www.marcuswhitmanhotel.com

WHERE TO EAT
Backstage Bistro
Eclectic New American bistro in a gallery setting. DINNER FOR TWO $40. 230 E. MAIN ST.; 509/526-0690

Grapefields
Wineshop-restaurant with light entrées. LUNCH FOR TWO $20. 4 E. MAIN ST.; 509/522-3993

26 Brix
Highly evolved food in a casual 1899 hotel. DINNER FOR TWO $100. 207 W. MAIN ST.; 509/526-4075

Weinhard Café
Storefront steak house with frilly accents across the street from a Victorian Hotel in rural Dayton, a short drive from Walla Walla. DINNER FOR TWO $50. 258 E. MAIN ST., DAYTON; 509/382-1681

Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant
Ambitious cooking, an extensive Washington wine list, and the most sophisticated scene in town. DINNER FOR TWO $100. 55 W. CHERRY ST.; 509/525-2222

WHERE TO SIP
Walla Walla's producers are far more informal than those in Napa. This means that face-to-face encounters with winemakers are eminently possible, but it also means you should call ahead to make sure someone will be there when you arrive.

Buty Winery
Beefy reds and a full-throttle Chardonnay in a glorified Quonset hut by the airport. 535 E. CESSNA AVE.; 509/527-0901

Cayuse Vineyards
Washington's most accomplished Syrah, along with sophisticated blends that belie their cartoonish labels. 17 E. MAIN ST.; 509/526-0686

Dunham Cellars
The Syrahs and Cabernets here are world-class. 150 E. BOEING AVE.; 509/529-4685

K Vintners
Offbeat producer Charles Smith makes complex Rhône-style Syrahs. 820 MILL CREEK RD.; 509/526-5230

L'Ecole No. 41
Taste consistently good wines made in a restored schoolhouse on the road to Pasco. 41 LOWDEN SCHOOL RD., LOWDEN; 509/525-0940

Seven Hills Winery
Drink sturdy Cabernets, Merlots, and blends while gazing into the Whitehouse-Crawford dining room. 212 N. THIRD AVE.; 877/777-7870

Woodward Canyon
A Walla Walla original that still produces one of the more reasonably priced of America's great wines. Cabs and Merlots are elegant and ageworthy. 11920 HWY. 12 W., LOWDEN; 509/525-4129

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