Winter in Walla Walla: Your Guide to the Season's Events

Most people picture Walla Walla in summer, with the vines heavy and the patios full. We'd argue for winter. The crowds thin out, the tasting rooms light their fires, the winemakers have time to talk, and the valley puts on three of its best weekends of the year between the first frost and the first bud.

This is our guide to the season, month by month. It's also our first winter keeping the gates open, and we'd love to share it with you.

Held the first weekend of November every year (November 6 to 8 in 2026), Fall Release is the moment harvest becomes something you can drink. Wineries across the valley pour their newest vintages, many of them available only in person, and fill the weekend with winemaker dinners, live music and seasonal pairings.

It's the busiest weekend of the season, so book your stay and your dinner reservations early. Our winery partners can hold tasting slots for our guests on release weekends; tell us where you'd like to go and we'll set it up before you arrive.

If you're here that weekend, Grenache Fest runs in nearby Waitsburg: a kickoff dinner on Friday, November 6, and the festival itself from 1 pm on Saturday, November 7. It's a relaxed, winemaker-led celebration of one grape in all its forms, about twenty minutes up the road and a good counterpoint to the Cabernet-heavy release lists.

Back in town, the same two afternoons bring Taste of the Walla Walla Valley, the Chamber of Commerce's restaurant passport. Buy a five- or ten-tasting passport, pick from eighteen restaurants, wine bars and cafes, and sample your way around downtown between 1 and 4:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. Under-10s are free. It's an easy way to try the places you've been meaning to, with no reservation and no full meal required.

The first full weekend of December (December 4 to 6 in 2026) is Walla Walla's holiday kickoff, and it has something for everyone.

Wineries open their cellars for barrel tastings, a chance to try wines still a year or two from release. Friday night brings the Barrel Full of Money auction and reception, and on Saturday the Westside wineries pair with local makers selling holiday wares, while the downtown farmers market sets up indoors.

Then bundle up. On Saturday evening, the community tree lighting takes place at 5 pm at First and Main, followed at 6 pm by the Holiday Parade of Lights: more than 100 lit floats, cars, bikes and horses travelling Alder Street to Main, with Santa on the last float. Around 6,000 people line the route, so arrive early and bring a thermos.

January is when the valley belongs to the people who live here. Tasting rooms have no wait, dinner reservations are easy, and the Blue Mountains are at their most dramatic with snow on the ridgelines.

The Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival holds its winter session in mid-January: four nights of intimate performances in tasting rooms, wineries and other unexpected venues, with tickets around $30. Dates are announced at the start of the year.

Late in the month, Southside Snow Day brings the wineries of the Southside district together for a day of tasting; the date changes each year.

January is also Dry January for many visitors, and Walla Walla has become surprisingly good at zero-proof. We've written a whole guide to it: Walla Walla Without the Wine: A Zero-Proof Guide to Wine Country.

For the whole of February, nearly three dozen Walla Walla restaurants offer fixed-price menus at three price points, built around their best dishes. It's the ideal excuse to try somewhere new, and a good reason to plan a late-winter weekend. Mid-month, BrewFest brings around 30 breweries and cideries into downtown shops and bookstores for an afternoon of pours.

Friday. Arrive in the afternoon, settle into your suite, and watch the sun set over the fields from your private Zen garden. Dinner downtown, ten minutes away.

Saturday. Tastings at two or three of our partner wineries, arranged before you arrive. A long lunch. Back to the Barn for an hour by the fire in Julian's Hall before heading out for whatever the weekend has on: the parade, a concert, a release party.

Sunday. One slow morning. Coffee in your suite, a walk along the farm road, a final tasting on the way out of town.

• The two big weekends, Fall Release and Holiday Barrel, sell out across the valley. Book as early as you can.
• Pack layers. Days can be mild and sunny; evenings drop fast.
• Roads are generally clear, but check conditions if you're driving over the passes from Seattle or Portland.
• The pool, hot tub and outdoor showers are winterised from November through April. The fireplace in Julian's Hall is not.
• Tell us what you like. We'll arrange your tastings and reservations before you arrive.

Seven private suites on ten acres of farmland, ten minutes west of downtown. A fireplace and library in Julian's Hall, open around the clock. Complimentary tastings at seven premium wineries, a $340 value, rising to $435 with a stay of four nights or more.

And two ways to save: for stays through December 31, 2026, 20% off your rate with code BARNESCAPE. For stays from January 1 to April 30, 2027, 20% off your rate with code BARNESCAPE27.

Book directly with us for the best rate and a direct line to your hosts.