Discover Walla Walla

Every so often I will read a national news article about Walla Walla wine country and sure enough, the author will eventually bring up the same old platitude they think is so original, “Walla Walla is the next Napa.”

No!  With every “Walla Walla is the next Napa” comment I read, it makes me wonder if the author of the article has even been to Walla Walla, let alone taken the time to ask the Walla Walla wine community if they believe it or even want to be “the next Napa Valley.”

Last summer I revisited the Napa wine country.  Frankly, the only things Napa and Walla Walla have in common are that both areas produce and sell wine. The climate, soil, flora, and of course, the wines are very different.  One area isn’t necessarily better than the other, just very different.  I found the people of Napa to be very generous with their hospitality, but of course so is Walla Walla.  In Napa, tourists visit several beautiful and ostentatious old world chateau-like buildings.  Sure, in Walla Walla we have some beautiful new winery structures, but we also have many World War II airport barracks and old farm machinery sheds that have been converted into personable and functional working wineries.  It isn’t rare to find a winemaker in Walla Walla actually pouring his or her wines and giving tours.

I often overhear comments regarding how the locals do not want to see Walla Walla grow like Napa and become a “wine Disneyland for adults.” I don’t think we will.  Our area has a new vigor because of the wine community, but not only have we learned from Napa on how to promote great wine tourism, but most important I believe we have also learned on what not to do.  And besides, the biggest thing that will keep Walla Walla from becoming like the Napa area is that the nearest large metropolitan center is 4.5 hours away from us, unlike St. Helena  in the Napa Valley has a close driving distance to the ever expanding San Francisco area.

No matter how many wineries we “grow” in Walla Walla, we are still very much an agricultural community that has been with us since the 1800’s.  During the recent Spring Release weekend, I was reminded of how many third and fourth generation Walla Walla farmers have embraced our wine community and added vines and wines to their own agriculture portfolio, such as the wineries of Couvillion, Locati Cellars, Robison Ranch, Spring Valley and Woodward Canyon to name a few.

So, to my Napa Valley wine friends, when they get a little haughty about their wines and their area, I often have to remind them:  Napa produces car parts. Walla Walla produces wine.