WALLA WALLA VALLEY 3.0
Two decades ago, it was said that Walla Walla Valley was a beautiful place to visit and taste wines, but there were few actual vineyards to behold. Today, the appellation teems with thousands of acres of grapevines, including some of the world’s most picturesque and distinctive sites.
After the “big bang” of wineries that opened in the mid-2000s, the valley has entered another phase of aggressive growth. New players have come to the region, wineries are actively exploring different terrains and building construction has boomed.
The wine industry here will be forever changed. Welcome to Walla Walla Valley 3.0.
Outside Wineries Pour In
The newcomer that’s made the largest splash is Valdemar Estates, a project from the fifth generation of the family that founded Spain’s Bodegas Valdemar. When looking for a place to start a new endeavor, its first outside Spain, Walla Walla Valley was the resounding choice.
“We fell in love with Walla Walla—the community, the wines, the vineyards, everything,” says Jesús Martínez Bujanda Mora, CEO of Bodegas Valdemar and Valdemar Estates, who relocated to the U.S. to run the project.
