Hey, I’m Pooji!  I’m an ambassador for 4EVRGRN.  A couple weekends ago, I had the pleasure of going on a trip with two co-owners of 4EVRGRN, along with my fiancé, for our 3rd annual trip to Walla Walla.  With the presence of Covid-19, we were aware that it would be a different trip.  Knowing that it might be difficult to find wineries that were open, we were still excited to go on this trip because we would be with great friends and have been forced to stay home for months due to the pandemic.  We were more than fine with grabbing some sangria and wine, and just hanging out at our Air BnB!

We stopped in at our favorite winery, Castillo De Feliciana in Milton-Freewater, for some sangria growlers to-go!  Although they weren’t open for dining-in, we were happy to grab our favorite sangria.  The next day, we ventured into downtown Walla Walla to find some lunch.  Downtown has embraced the restrictions of Phase 2 and closed down a few blocks so that they could setup multiple outdoor seating arrangements to ensure there is social distancing.  It was really cool to see a community come together to help local businesses stay open.  We stumbled across Yamas Greek Eatery.  The food was amazing!  Authentic, tasteful, and great customer service!  I highly recommend eating there if you’re ever in Walla Walla.

We then set out to find new wineries we had never tried and were open.  Our first stop was Abeja Winery.  Pulling up, we discovered their gates were closed and nobody answered the phone, so we were off to the next stop.  Rasa Vineyards was next on the list.  They were open, however they were by reservation only and couldn’t accommodate our party of 4.  So we took this time to call a few others on the list to see if they were open and made a reservation for later in the evening.  Tranche Cellars was next on our list and were open so we headed there and ordered a bottle of Pape Blanc and a bottle of Syrah and sat out on the patio.  The property was huge, and we discovered they often have live music in the open fields, which would be a great experience when there isn’t a pandemic.  The sun started to shine through the clouds, so it was our cue to head out.  We then went to Waterbrook Winery where we enjoyed some wine flights, mimosa flights, and some appetizers.

Valdemar Estates was our final stop and where we had reservations for the evening.  This place was beautiful!  We sat outside next to a water wall feature, as we got to see the moon become brighter as the night set in.  We had more wine flights and appetizers, which all were great.  The building was very modern, the sound of the water wall, the scenery, and the great company, made for a perfect end to the day.  I highly recommend checking out Valdemar Estates!

Alas, it was time to head back to the other side of the mountains.  But first, we had to return to Castillo De Feliciana to refill our growlers with sangria.  Yes, it’s that good!  11+ hours on the road, 4 wineries, love, tears of happiness, and lots of laughter...  It was a great weekend in a different part of the PNW that most don’t think about, that just ended too soon...  I’m proud to call the PNW my home and hope you get to venture out and explore what it has to offer.

Much love.

Phuong (Pooji) Tran