New wineries, closings, and the pop-up trend arrives.

If there’s one thing Walla Walla has taught us, it’s that wine isn’t just about what’s in the glass.

If you haven’t checked in on Walla Walla lately, now might be the right moment. 2025 (and looking ahead to 2026) feels like a reset year — doors are closing, new ones opening, and some wineries are shifting how, when, and where they pour. Whether you’re a longtime local or planning your next visit (off-season is perfect), there’s a lot to explore. While many wineries are choosing to focus on Woodinville – think Disneyland for wine tasting rooms – the valley remains a creative incubator with small producers, experiments, pop-ups, and hands-on winemakers.

We’re not selling wine ourselves (yet) — but we love the small, scrappy, boutique-spirited wineries that make this place rich with possibility.

What’s Changing & Who’s On the Move

• Eternal Wine opened a new tasting room this year — leaving the Walla Walla incubators behind. We love to see the incubator wineries graduate!
• Armstrong Family Winery returned downtown after a two-year pause.
• Avennia closes downtown in December to focus on its Red Mountain and Woodinville tasting rooms.
• Truthteller Winery quietly shuttered this year but remains open in Woodinville, as does Otis Kenyon.
• Canoe Ridge Vineyard moved out to Waterbrook, so now you can appreciate two labels in one beautiful setting. And try the food from the Waterbrook Kitchen.

Bittersweet. But there’s also new energy, new tastes, and maybe even new legends forming.

New Wineries Opening

Despite closings and consolidations, Walla Walla still offers the chance to discover wineries first. Here are a few under-the-radar spots worth planning ahead for:

• Jett Wines — new name in the 2025 listings, worth checking for upcoming releases or occasional tasting events.
• Reali Wines — modest, focused output; good candidate for small-batch Bordeaux– or Rhône-style lots.
• Turtle Wines – very small production indeed – downtown and a must stop for a true small winery experience.
• And look for August Forest to move into an airport incubator space in early 2026 for their first tasting room….we can’t wait and neither should you.

Hidden Gems

And there are lots of small labels well off the Walla Walla beaten path. Not necessarily new in 2025, but still likely new to most. Reservations are a must. After all, they have wine to make, too!

• Floating Balance Cellars: Open for a while, but still not widely known. Outside of town on the south side, they are making a name for themselves.
• Foolhardy Vinters: With a wealth of Bordeaux experience, they are now sharing their wines. And they are well worth it!
• Lacewing Cellars — minimal production, thoughtful wines, and often tasting by appointment only.
• Mongata Estate Winery: Truly off the beaten path and up in the foothills, you’ll taste in the barn and enjoy the view with the wines. If you are visiting in winter….dress warmly and have a reservation. Sampling their sparkling wine by the fire pit is recommended.
• Sagemoor Estates: Another by-appointment-only place with estate wines. Earning raves from those making plans to be there.

The Pop-Up Watch

Many wineries are closing tasting rooms to bring the wine to you via pop-ups around Walla Walla and the Northwest. Marguerite is often a great place to catch some of them. For example, Brook and Bull has closed their tasting room specifically to travel to you. And SMAK is moving to a pop-up format for their all-season rosés as they move out of an incubator space and August Forest moves in.

Don’t Forget the Future: College Cellars — Graduating the Next‑Gen of Winemakers

If you want a glimpse into the next generation shaping Washington wine, check College Cellars. Students produce wines under professional guidance — from Rhône-style blends to Cabernet Franc, reds, whites, and rosés. Visiting is like peeking behind the curtain — you get to taste the winemakers of tomorrow.

What You Can Do and Discover

• Hit tasting rooms (or pop‑ups) — even if just for a pour or a quick hello.
• Follow Walla Walla wineries on social media— stay curious, check social feeds, or sign up for their newsletters (or ours).
• Share what you find — reviews, tags, word-of-mouth go a long way for small operations.
• Gift intentionally — buying a bottle, club membership, or tasting-room certificate helps more than you’d think.

Why It Matters

The Walla Walla wine scene has never been static — and that’s a feature, not a bug. With tastes shifting, industry pressures growing, and consumption patterns evolving, the boutique and experimental model matters more than ever. It keeps the grapevines alive, the wine creative, and the community resilient. For those seeking the story behind the bottle, this is where the real magic happens.

So sharpen your Walla Walla map, call ahead, drop in — and toast to small producers doing big things. And raise a glass — to what was, what is, and what’s yet to come.