There’s something to be said for alliteration, and a goofy group of giggling girls just couldn’t resist the appeal of a Walla Walla Winery Weekend. First of all, I love wine. I love everything that has to do with wine: grapes, wineries, bottles of wine with pretty labels, big oak barrels—you get the idea.

Secondly, I love my girlfriends, you know, spending time with them, telling fun stories. Thirdly, I love long, extended weekends, traveling with my girlfriends, with the sole intention of drinking wine, where I am not expected to plan any part of it. Just give you a check at the end of the weekend? Excellent!

The drive from Seattle, WA to Walla Walla, WA is not for the casual Sunday driver. I discovered it is roughly a 5.5 hour trip, which left plenty of time to chat, and sing, and for me to bemoan the fact that there are people who say “Walla!” when they really mean “Voila!” Seriously. I’ve heard it more times than I care to count. I realize it’s just because “Voila!” is so widely used (and heard in movies and on television), but not everyone took seventh and eighth grade French, and understands that “Voila” basically means “There it is!” or “There you have it!” in French. I mean, the “Walla” people are using it correctly in context; they’re just using the wrong word. Needless to say, “Walla!” became the exclamation of the weekend. We stopped after 3.5 hours of driving, and exclaiming “Walla!” for our first wine tasting, with lunch, at the lovely Alexandria Nicole cellars. I have almost forgiven them for having run out of dessert wine. Dessert is the most important meal of the day...

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