Waterbrook Winery
The new Waterbrook Winery tasting room might be 11 miles west of downtown Walla Walla, but it is a million miles away from its former digs. Its previous tasting room in downtown Walla Walla is now the site of Walla Walla Wine Works, where parent company Precept Wine Brands offers a variety of labels for visitors to sample, including Waterbrook’s wines. But if you have an ounce of free time, hop in your car and head west, young wine traveler, and check out the results of a love affair with Washington wine and great business acumen.
Opened in 2009 (coincidently on its 25th anniversary), Waterbrook Winery’s new tasting pavilion is much more than a simple tasting room. It’s a statement — a statement about Waterbrook Winery’s amazing success story as well as a commentary about the Washington wine industry as a whole. You can’t help but be impressed by the contemporary Northwest-style, 5,000-square-foot facility and more than a little curious about experiencing the award-winning wines that brought you here.
Situated on 75 acres, Waterbrook Winery’s tasting center is where most visitors will come and linger. Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows provide a view of the 53,000-square-foot production facility beyond the pond. As you swirl and sip, try to imagine the 10,000 wine barrels resting in the production facility as they age wine for Waterbrook and other Precept Wine Brand labels. This is production on an advanced scale.
The friendly tasting room staff will guide visitors through a robust line-up of winemaker John Freeman’s creations, which include dry whites, crisp rosés, and smooth but complex reds. My personal favorites are Waterbrook’s varietally true chardonnay and its signature “Mélange Noir,” which answers the age-old question “What do you get when you blend merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and sangiovese?” Answer: liquid joy.
Inside the tasting room, there’s plenty to marvel at, including the high ceiling with its huge beams, the natural earth tones, and the pleasing textures. The space mirrors the beauty of the surrounding Walla Walla Valley’s rolling wheatfields and the Blue Mountains beyond. Lucky visitors on weekend nights can spring for a cheese plate and a glass (or two) of Waterbrook wines, and retreat to the outside patio and contemplate the meaning of life. Or, you can do what I do and relish the moment.
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Waterbrook Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla WineTrail West on page 436!
