Story: One of the USA's top-producing wine regions is still a fairly well-kept secret

It is easy to underestimate the diversity and vastness of Washington State. Visitors generally only see the western locales like Seattle and the San Juan Islands. But essentially there are two Washingtons, divided in half by the volcanic Cascade Mountains which provide a rain shadow for the eastern portions of the state. From Puget Sound, roads east depart dense, verdant forests and lead to alpine mountain passes before descending to the low rolling hills of first fruit orchards and then desert sage brush and ultimately wheat fields as far as the eye can see. At the remote southeastern corner of the state, close to the borders of Idaho and Oregon lies Walla Walla, a city of around 30,000 made famous by a local variety of onion. This unassuming town built on the bounty of undulating wheat fields has in the last forty years burgeoned into one of the most prolific and distinguished wine growing regions in the world. But to many it is still a well-kept secret.

It was Lewis and Clark who first blazed a trail through the region around 1805. French-Canadian trappers ventured there next, setting up forts around 1820 among the local Cayuse indians. Copious amounts of sunshine and good soil made farming productive. Grapes were first planted there in the 1850’s. But the small fort became a true boomtown a decade later when there was a gold rush in nearby Idaho. The sweeping hills were eventually planted with wheat which became a bumper crop for the better part of a century. The region sits in the middle of what had been an expansive ancient lake that had gone through many periods of damming and flooding at the time of the last Ice Age. Deposits of glacial silt and volcanic minerals richly fortified the soil.

Early vineyards were more of a novelty than anything else and the few remaining grapes still growing there by the early 20th century were removed when Prohibition came to the region early in 1917. It wasn't until the late 1960’s that curious grape-growing pioneers began to consider Walla Walla for its benefits and by the early 70’s the first vineyards and wineries began to take root. There were about ten wineries in Washington State in the beginning. Forty years later and there are more than 400 with many starting up each year. More than seventy of those are in Walla Walla. Washington is only second in wine production to California but perhaps is less well-known as many people hear "Washington" and think only of our nation's capitol. Eastern Washington also has some key advantages over places like Napa, California, such as consistently dry seasons, deep freezes that control pests and mold, as well as additional hours of sunlight.

Washington produces excellent chardonnays with a particular balance of fruit and acidity. It also produces more reislings than any other US state. But it is the reds, particularly syrahs, that I find most remarkable. They are big, fruit-forward, cherry and blackberry bombs with deep, inky color and creamy mouth-feel and they seldom disappoint. Vineyards like Northstar, Va Piano, Isenhower, L’Ecole, Nicholas Cole and others seem to have figured out how to take best advantage of their amazing juice. My favorites are a handful of the vineyards, like Pepper Bridge and Cayuse, that are using biodynamic and sustainable organic farming processes to produce some of the best wines in the Walla Walla Valley.

Cayuse in particular is producing what are arguably among the best syrahs in the country and, principally due to extremely limited production, the most rare and sought after. What makes this winery most interesting is the land that the winemaker chose. The French-born and trained vintner Christophe Barron decided to plant his grapes on plots of land that were packed with baseball-sized rocks so dense that it almost appears there is more rock than dirt. The rumor was that the quality of the land reminded Barron of similar vineyards in France and that he thought the presence of the rocks would challenge his vines to produce grapes of greater complexity and character. The astounding wines that are a result motivated botanists to study this practice and they came to the additional conclusion that the rocks also create a thermal mass that retains heat for hours after the sun goes down, nurturing the grape vines longer than any other land.

Despite decades of a growing reputation as a center for important wine making, the city’s remote location and predominance of wheat farming still give it the appearance of a small agricultural outpost. But certain refinements are creeping in as local business owners have adroitly responded to wine-seeking travelers who are showing up in increasing numbers to tour their favorite wineries. Increasingly upscale inns have been proliferating. Downtown you’ll be just as readily directed to Colville Street for patisserie as you would be to the local seed and feed store. Cured meats at Salumiere Cesario will tide you over until dinner at Creektown Café, Whitehouse-Crawford or any other of the intriguing local favorites with endless wine lists packed with local bottles.

Walla Walla’s winemakers are hardly resting on their laurels. They are constantly exploring new frontiers, constantly evolving. Old vineyards are being replanted with new ones. Experiments are being undertaken in various aspects of vine density, row orientation, pruning, trellising and water management, all designed to bring about increased flavor and complexity with lower alcohol levels. Many experts in the know are saying that Walla Walla is going to one day be bigger than Napa. If the quality of wines emanating from its best vineyards are any indication, it already is.