Mark Ryan Winery — Attraction in Walla Walla

My visit to the Walla Walla tasting room was the worst experience I've had in any winery ever! We were greeted with a glare from the tasting room attendant and served our glasses to begin tasting. She gave us the name of the wine and the details from the tasting notes but wouldn't even look up from her paperwork to discuss anything further on the wines we were tasting. When I asked questions about the vineyards or processing methods I was answered with a curt "yes" or "no" only and again she would not look at us or turn away from her computer/register. This went on for the duration of the tasting.

When we were almost finished another attendant entered and could tell that something was wrong and began to try to compensate for her partner's demeanor. She answered our questions and rang up our purchases and was very professional and pleasant.

The wine was fantastic and we bought several bottles but I will never return to that tasting room and I will tell my story to all my friends and family that visit us here for...

Great tasting experience. We arrived late in the day on a Friday. There was a large table at the window to the right of the entry and we joined a group of three with our group of four. One of our group went up to the “tasting” counter but before he returned a host stopped at our table and explained the tasting and the available wines. We tried three reds. Delicious! We also purchased and opened a bottle of Dead Horse. This red was over the top with boldness but not too fruity and with heavy ( yet not overpowering) tannins. Mark Ryan is one of my many favorites and consistently offers excellent reds. The Dissident is another red, a Bordeaux style ( I think that is accurate ) blend and well worth...

Atmosphere and service can greatly affect an experience, and I would say the stuffy (read pretentious) atmosphere, coupled with lackluster service left much to be desired. Wine was okay, but our primary server was terse and provided little information about the wines, even with prompting. While Mark Ryan came highly recommended by other proprietors, I wouldn't recommend this tasting room if you're looking for a laid back and welcoming environment. If you're wanting something purely...