Credit: Courtesy of Bokisch Vineyards
Thanks to its sunny weather and cooling proximity to the Pacific, the western edge of North America is heaven for grapes, as winemakers in regions like Napa Valley discovered long ago. But that western edge is also long—it encompasses not just California, but Oregon, Washington, and, once you leave the United States, Mexico, too. There are great wine regions all along the way, some truly coastal and some inland, and many as worthy of a wine-focused visit as more famous places like Napa and Sonoma. Consider, for instance, Walla Walla, in Washington State; the Columbia Gorge, straddling Oregon and Washington and bisected by the Columbia River; Lodi, California, south of San Francisco; and the up-and-coming Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California. All off the beaten path and all amazing.
Walla Walla, Washington
Credit: Photo by Ben Lindbloom for The Walls Vineyards
Great vineyards surrounded by an ocean of wheat—that’s how the land outside this one-time farm town has been described. While Walla Walla was once the kind of place where you could get a permit to drive a tractor down the main street at age 12, it’s now an utterly charming wine destination, with tasting rooms, terrific restaurants, and top notch-hotels.
Washington native and local winery owner Kyle MacLachlan, of Twin Peaks and Fallout fame, is a regular visitor. For restaurants, he’s a fan of the local-winemaker-fave Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen and the Southeastern-inspired Hattaway’s on Alder. “It’s a beautiful room, and the fish, particularly, is terrific,” he says. “If you can get out to Waitsburg, don’t miss Bar Bacetto for cocktails and really great pasta.”
The Finch is a great hotel option, with infographics from local artists on the walls of its map room and room furnishings from local suppliers and craftspeople. For a splurge, MacLachlan suggests the luxurious Inn at Abeja, on a historic 49-acre farmstead along with the acclaimed Abeja Winery.
Try MacLachlan’s own Pursued by Bear wines at his downtown tasting room with its 1920s-era storefront. When the weather is nice, the outdoor patio at The Walls and Pášxa is a must-visit, and the $45 Reserve Flight at Rasa Vineyards is superb. The all-volunteer staff at Vital Wines is incredibly friendly, and each sale helps fund health care for vineyard workers.
As anyone knows, a long day of tasting wine is best started with a fine cup of coffee. MacLachlan, no surprise, has an opinion on that: “Oh yes — the Walla Walla Roastery. No question. But followed closely by Carte Coffee downtown.” Agent Dale Cooper knows his beans.
Wine to find
2022 Pášxa Rockgarden Estate Vineyard Syrah
Credit: Courtesy of Pášxa
Lodi, California
Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, California
Credit: Courtesy of Bokisch Vineyards
“Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again.” Let me just note, when John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival sang that verse back in 1969, he’d never actually been to Lodi. So ignore it — because Lodi is one of the best wine regions in California.
Go in the spring or early summer, says winemaker Tegan Passalacqua of Sandlands wines, who’s been working with Lodi grapes since 2003. “To paint a picture, there are still a lot of cherry trees here. Cherry blossom season is beautiful. And you can kayak down the Mokelumne River — it’s one of the most beautiful places to watch wild birds in California.”
Passalacqua recommends Bokisch Vineyards, which has been making some of the state’s top Spanish-varietal wines for years. Michael David Winery is another pick. “They have an amazing café for breakfast and lunch, with homemade pies for sale,” he says. “And Acquiesce: They focus on Mediterranean white varieties — I buy their wines just so I can show them to other wine people.” His own Sandlands doesn’t have a tasting room; to try the wines, contact the winery directly.
Passlacqua always hits local fave Guantonio’s for pizza and adds: “Don’t miss Ruby’s Bakery, too. It’s a husband-and-wife team who both worked at Tartine in San Francisco. The pastries and coffee are at an amazingly high level. People are always like, ‘I had no idea there was a place like this in Lodi.’”
Appellation Lodi Wine & Roses Resort and Spa is the star hotel of the region. Co-owned by chef Charlie Palmer, it’s casually elegant, and at Palmer’s on-site restaurant Americana House, both the wine list and the food — with dishes like a Liberty duck breast and leg confit with five-spice beets and persimmon jam – are excellent.
OK, John Fogerty: Maybe being stuck in Lodi isn’t such a bad idea after all, right?
Wine to find
2023 Acquiesce Grenache Blanc
Credit: Courtesy of Acquiesce
Columbia Gorge, Oregon and Washington
Credit: Photo by Eva Kolenko
East of Portland, Oregon, the Columbia River cleaves through the Cascade Range, dividing Washington and Oregon. The canyon is breathtaking, and the vineyards here are no less stunning.
Oregon-based Food & Wine contributor Hannah Wallace says, “There’s so much new energy coming in here, so many ambitious young winemakers working with a lot of different grapes. You’ll never find yourself saying, ‘Oh, sigh, another Pinot… ’”
On the Oregon side, Wallace suggests the weekend winemaker lunch at Buona Notte, which owner Graham Markel cooks himself. Outside Hood River at Hiyu Wine Farm, the lunches and Saturday night dinners are magical. She also suggests Analemma Wines: “The winery is up on a hill, so there’s a spectacular view.”
Across the river in Washington, head to Loop de Loop tasting room and vineyard for Old World–style bottles from winemaker Julia Bailey Gulstine. “You sit in the tasting room and see the Gorge from the front windows and Mount Hood from the side windows.” Nearby Savage Grace Wines, owned by Michael Savage, is another top stop.
Also in Washington, The Society Hotel Bingen is an old schoolhouse retrofitted into a funky-cool property. Don’t miss local favorite White Salmon Baking Co. for breakfast; for dinner, hit Soča Wine Shop & Bar for locally sourced fare and a stellar by-the-glass list.
In Hood River, Oregon, the new Lightwell Hotel & Spa has stellar views from its rooftop bar. Farm-to-table Celilo Restaurant and Bar, Wallace says, “is always a standout. Or head to a brewery — there are a lot. You can’t get out of Hood River without going to a brewery.” Yes, it’s true: There actually is more to life than just wine.
Wine to find
2022 Analemma Mosier Hills Estate Mencia
Credit: Courtesy of Analemma
Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
Credit: Courtesy of Adobe Guadalupe, Cedric Angeles
Winemaking in Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, about 90 minutes south of San Diego, is both centuries old and utterly of this moment. Since around 2000, a wave of young winemakers has been making the valley a hotbed of ambition and experimentation. Winemaker Maryam Hariri moved here in 2020 and says, “I couldn’t have dreamed of a better launchpad. There are over 200 independent labels here now, I’m told.”
At Azizam Wines, Hariri makes natural wines — her lively sparkling orange pet-nat is a standout — in a winery in the heart of the valley. Hariri also recommends Mogor-Badan, “an example of really beautiful agriculture here in the valley,” she says. “Natalia Badan is the matriarch there, and she’s amazing.”
At Adobe Guadalupe, you can take horseback rides through the vineyards. Also don’t miss Vinos Palafox, founded in 1997 on land where vines were first planted in 1707, and Casa Magoni. There, winemaker Camillo Magoni has been putting an impressive Baja spin on Italy’s Nebbiolo grape (among others) since the early 2000s.
Lulú Martínez Ojeda at Bruma Wine Resort, a gorgeous hotel, winery, and restaurant, is a valley winemaking star, and the daily-changing tasting menus at Fauna, Bruma’s restaurant, are stellar. Mira Earth Studios, Hariri says, “is set right into the rocks, so you feel like you’re really embedded in the landscape.”
Before you leave, visit Wa Kumiai Tabita for breakfast, run by the Indigenous Kumiai people. “It’s rustic, and it’s real, and it supports an Indigenous community,” Hariri says, “which is just great.”
Wine to find
2021 Adobe Guadalupe Jardín de Tru
Credit: Courtesy of Adobe Guadalupe
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