Whitman Cellars winery is located a few blocks west of downtown Walla Walla. It's in the same industrial area where Amavi Cellars and Canoe Ridge wineries are located, but is situated on a corner underneath some trees giving it a sense of being "in the country".

Their tasting room is spacious and offers one of the most unique ways to go beyond the bottle while sampling their wines. As soon as you enter the front door, there is a glass wall that allows you to see right into the barrel room. What a great design idea to help showcase what is going on inside the winery.

While enjoying this unique view, I was greeted with a friendly smile and a warm hello from Kathi, their tasting room manager. Kathi’s energy and enthusiasm for Whitman Cellars wines was evident throughout my experience sampling their wines. It made for a fun and enjoyable visit.

Kathi handled the $5 tasting fee issue very well, basically explaining the waiver policy when purchasing wine and then stating that we could worry about that later after the tasting. I really enjoyed how Kathi guided me through each of the 8 wines Whitman Cellars offered (a viognier, two merlots, two cabs, two bordeaux blends, and a syrah).

What I liked most about Kathi was her down-to-earth, approachable manner in explaining what comprised each wine in terms of their grapes and winemaking style. She even admitted to not being able to talk in technical terms. This suited me just fine, as the last thing I wanted to hear was someone talking about pH levels or residual sugar percentages. The detailed tasting notes on the bar covered this anyway, therefore hearing Kathi share stories about each wine was great, especially her own experiences enjoying a bottle with food or friends.

I especially liked Kathi's focus on the terroir for each of their wines. She did a great job explaining the vineyards and where they were located, although it would have helped to see a VinMap of these places. Regardless, Kathi's stories about people and places helped connect me to their wines in a way that went beyond the bottle.

As I finished the last sip, Kathi told me about some of her recent experiences visiting different wineries around Walla Walla. She even offered some useful recommendations on places to visit. This is what I love about the Walla Walla wine community: they support one another as neighbors would. It’s no wonder the Walla Walla Valley has developed such a strong presence of wineries (70+ at last count) producing great wine in this part of the state.

I really enjoyed visiting the Whitman Cellars winery and feel much more connected to their wines as a result of my experience there. I think you will as well.

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