WALLA WALLA, Wash. –

In February, the vineyards of the Walla Walla Valley look like little more than forests of dried twigs, rising in straight rows across the rolling hills of the southeastern Washington countryside.

From Pepper Bridge to Woodward Canyon, Seven Hills to Spring Valley, winemakers are pruning and trellising their vines to prepare for the growth that will turn the valley green by late spring.

Grapes appreciate Walla Walla’s temperate climate, its mild winters and warm, dry summers. Indeed, this valley has become renowned in the wine industry for the quality of its reds: merlots, syrahs, cabernets and blends. But many vintners are also producing some excellent white wines: chardonnays, rieslings, semillons. And even though the harvest and crush won’t take place until fall, this is a marvelous time to visit the wineries.

Although the tasting rooms of some Walla Walla wineries will remain closed until spring, many others are open year-round on weekends, for tours (usually by appointment) as well as tastings. Come in February or March, and you’ll encounter fewer visitors, less traffic and calmer winery employees.

And then there’s the charming town of Walla Walla itself. About half the size of Bend (together with adjoining College Place, the population is just under 40,000), it has far more to offer than wines and the sweet onions for which it is similarly famous. It has a vibrant downtown, several fine restaurants, three colleges (including nationally acclaimed Whitman College), and heritage sites that attract even teetotaling historians.

A little history

Comedians sometimes call Walla Walla ”the town so nice, they had to name it twice.” The name goes back to the journals of explorer William Clark, who wrote in 1805 that the Lewis and Clark expedition had encountered the friendly ”Wallah Wallah,” tribe in this vicinity. Later spellings for the name of the town dropped the ”h.”

A generation later, in 1836, missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman established a mission on the Oregon Trail just west of the modern city. In 1847, the Whitmans died in a massacre by a band of renegade Cayuse. Today the Whitman Mission National Historic Site recalls that early-pioneer era: trails wind through the foundations of mission buildings and past a mass grave site. Thirteen settlers were murdered, apparently because a measles epidemic was ravaging native settlements; dozens of women and children were taken captive. Another year of violence led to the creation of the Oregon Territory.

There’s more to see back in town at the Fort Walla Walla Museum, on the site of a long-gone military installation. It won’t open again until April 1, but it’s definitely worth a visit if you delay your Walla Walla visit till spring. Five large exhibit halls ringing a large central lawn display items ranging from a replica 33-mule-team harvester (photos show five of these working the same field at once) to a 100-year-old fire engine. Outside of this circle, at the foot of a low hill, a pioneer village has gathered 17 historic log cabins and other buildings from the greater Walla Walla area. Youth groups love to stroll through the blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and jailhouse, especially when docents appear in period costume on living-history weekends.

Walla Walla is rightfully proud of its Main Street. Sunset magazine has called it the best Main Street in the West, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation considers it one of its ”dozen distinctive destinations.” Indeed, the two or three blocks of carefully restored, late 19th century buildings are home to an eclectic variety of retail shops, markets, galleries and wine-tasting venues, and on summer and fall Saturdays, there’s a lively farmers’ market here.

In the surrounding blocks are numerous, gracious old mansions, some dating from as far back as the Civil War era. The 1880 Kirkman House, at 214 N. Colville St., is a period museum open seasonally, but dozens of other homes are simply jaw-dropping for passers-by. The chamber of commerce has a complete list of homes and addresses. You may also want to wander through the beautiful nearby campus of Whitman College, a four-year institution since 1883. A creek meanders through the grounds, rich in foliage and outdoor sculptures.

A bit of imbibing

History and architecture can be fascinating diversions. But the primary purpose for my visit was to restock my wine collection. According to my good friend Elizabeth Martin-Calder, executive director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, there are more than 108 wineries in the valley, including a few just across the Oregon border near Milton-Freewater.

With limited time, I put eight stops in my itinerary.

After downtown visits to the tasting rooms for Waterbrook Winery and Forgeron Cellars, I drove east to the Walla Walla Airport. Here, in remodeled hangars and quonset huts remaining from WWII, no fewer than 15 wineries have their production facilities. At Five Star Cellars, I purchased my only merlot of the weekend. Then I rounded a corner to Dunham Cellars.

Michael Dunham was walking past the building with his border collie, Maysy, as I pulled into the gravel parking lot. When my own dog, Banjo, leaped out of the car to play, Michael and I lapsed into conversation. He had founded Dunham Cellars in 1999, he said, after 30 years in the local insurance business. It was a joint venture with his winemaker son, Eric, then anxious to produce his own wines after studying enology in college and working for other area winemakers. Starting with a tiny lot of Eric’s highly regarded first vintage, a 1995 cabernet sauvignon, Dunham Cellars has emerged as one of Walla Walla’s higher profile wine producers. Maysy, by the way, appears on the label of Dunham’s Four-Legged White, just as Eric’s dog, Port, is the model for Three-Legged Red. They’re great blends, but I’m partial to the Dunham syrahs, of which I scooped up several.

About four miles south of Walla Walla, not far off State Highway 125, there’s another substantial cluster of wineries surrounded by vineyards. I really like what the little Beresan Winery is doing with its 18 acres of vineyards; among its varietals is a delicious semillon, a white-wine anomaly for a company whose remaining production is strictly red.

The big boy in this area is the Pepper Bridge Winery. From 400 acres of private-estate vineyards, winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet and managing partner Norm McKibben produce cabernets and merlots of national acclaim. That’s one reason Michael Denton, general manager and sommelier of Bend’s Merenda Restaurant, is working with them to develop a private-label vintage of his own, to be known as Jocamus.

Inquire about a tour of Pepper Bridge. This is a state-of-the-art winery, its three levels built into a hill in the midst of the vineyards. ”Gravity-flow” construction allows grape pulp and juice to move gently from the sorting table to tanks to barrels, stored in underground caves, without the use of pumps. It’s an interesting process. Also, say hello to Lisa and Muriel in the tasting room. They’re used to dealing with busloads of wine tourists, and during the quieter seasons they’re delighted to share their knowledge of particular grapes and vintages.

Before heading home to Bend, I stopped at two more excellent wineries. Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole No. 41 are side by side on U.S. Highway 12 in Frenchtown, a tiny community 12 miles west of Walla Walla. Woodward Canyon’s offices and tasting room are in a cozy old farmhouse; L’Ecole (French for ”the school”) occupies a 1915 schoolhouse. Not only are the original chalkboards still in use; the colorful L’Ecole label was created in watercolor by an 8-year-old child.

To sleep, to eat

The pride of Walla Walla is the luxurious, 14-story Marcus Whitman Hotel, built in 1928 and fully renovated in 1999. It has 91 rooms and suites, a fine-dining restaurant and lounge (”The Marc”), expansive conference and ballroom space; it’s right in the heart of downtown and is both smoke-free and pet-friendly. For $144 a night (and up), guests can sleep in rooms where visitors have included Dwight Eisenhower and Shirley Temple.

On my recent visit, I stayed on the south side of downtown at the beautiful new Fat Duck Inn, a four-suite bed-and-breakfast where I had my own fireplace, jacuzzi tub, entertainment center and walk-in closet. Innkeeper Alexa Palmer, who formerly owned a restaurant in Renton, Wash., has been in business since December with her chef husband, Charles Maddrey. As you might well assume, with a chef in the household, the food is outstanding. Rates range from $145 to $165 in winter, $20 more in summer.

Had I opted for a budget stay in Walla Walla, my choice might have been the Colonial Motel, outside of downtown near the airport. Owned by the same family for 34 years, it has spacious grounds, a lovely garden, and rates that range from $45 to $80.

Aside from the Marc, there are three outstanding places to dine in central Walla Walla. The best known of the group, 26 brix (so named in reference to wine sugar content), has just reopened with a new menu designed to cater as much to local residents as to tourists. I have enjoyed dining there on previous visits.

On this visit, three friends joined me for dinner at the Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant, in a historic brick building occupied by a planing mill from 1904 to 1988. Now chic and skylit, it’s a spacious restaurant and a great place for a fine meal. I had a duck cassoulet; my friends had plates of veal, beef tenderloin and Penn Cove mussels. Total damage before tip was $205, but that included two bottles of local wine.

My favorite restaurant in Walla Walla is the CreekTown Cafe. Focusing its menu on meats and produce from local farmers, CreekTown is at once elegant and homespun, appealing equally to locals and visitors. I had a fresh house salad and roasted butternut-squash gnocchi, and with a glass of wine and tip, I escaped for $34.

Two excellent lunch stops are the venerable Merchants Ltd., a popular deli in the heart of the Main Street historic district, and the new Luscious by Nature: An Urban Cafe, where you can get an oversized deli sandwich and a lunch drink for less than $10.

Visiting Walla Walla, wash.

EXPENSES

* Gas (700 miles @ $2.50/gallon) – $70

* Lodging, Fat Duck Inn (two nights) – $290

* Lunches (2), Luscious and Merchants – $15.90

* Dinners (2), Camp Creek and Whitehouse-Crawford – $94

* Admission, Whitman Mission – $3

TOTAL – $472.90*

*Total does not include wine purchases.

IF YOU GO

Directions

It takes about 5 1/2 hours to drive the 270 miles from Bend to Walla Walla. Take U.S. Highway 97 north to Biggs Junction, turn east on Interstate 84 to the Hermiston area, then proceed north and east on U.S. Highways 730 and 12. Alternatively, you can stay on I-84 to Pendleton, then turn north on Oregon State Highway 11; Walla Walla is just across the state line.

Information

* Tourism Walla Walla: 8 S. Second Ave., Suite 603, Walla Walla; 509-525-8799; www.wallawalla.org

* Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce: 29 E. Sumach St., Walla Walla; 509-525-0850; www.wwvchamber.com

* Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance: P.O. Box 398, Walla Walla; 509-526-3117; www.wallawallawine.com

Lodging

* The Fat Duck Inn: 527 Catherine St., Walla Walla; 509-526-3825 or 888-526-8718; www.fatduckinn.com. Standard rates from $145

* The Marcus Whitman: 6 W. Rose St., Walla Walla; 509-525-2200 or 866-826-9422; www.marcuswhitman hotel.com. Standard rates from $144

* Colonial Motel: 2279 E. Isaacs St., Walla Walla; 509-529-1220; www.colonial-motel.com. Standard rates from $45

Restaurants

* CreekTown Cafe: 1129 S. Second Ave., Walla Walla; 509-522-4777

* Luscious by Nature: 33 S. Colville St., Walla Walla; 509-522-0424

* 26 brix: 207 W. Main St., Walla Walla; 509-526-4075

* Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant: 55 W. Cherry St., Walla Walla; 509-525-2222

* Merchants Ltd.: 21 E. Main St., Walla Walla; 509-525-0900

Wineries

* Beresan Winery: 4169 Pepper Bridge Road, Walla Walla; 509-522-9912

* Dunham Cellars: 150 E. Boeing Ave., Walla Walla; 509-529-4685

* Five Star Cellars: 840 ”C” St., Walla Walla; 509-527-8400

* Forgeron Cellars: 33 W. Birch St., Walla Walla; 509-522-9463

* L’Ecole No. 41: 41 Lowden School Road at U.S. Highway 12, Lowden; 509-525-0940

* Pepper Bridge Winery: 1704 J.B. George Road, Walla Walla; 509-525-6502

* Waterbrook Winery: 31 E. Main St., Walla Walla; 509-522-1262

* Woodward Canyon Winery: 11920 W. Highway 12, Lowden; 509-525-4129

Museums

* Fort Walla Walla Museum: Open daily April through October; 755 Myra Road, Walla Walla; 509-525-7703 or www.fortwallawalla museum.org

* Whitman Mission National Historic Site: Open daily year-round; 328 Whitman Mission Road off U.S. Highway 12, Walla Walla; 509-522-06360 or www.nps.gov/whmi