The Wine Knows

There are about 100 good reasons to go to Walla Walla. Start with the wineries, then move on to the Marcus Whitman Hotel and the superb restaurants that have opened in the past half-decade.

I recently wrote about Cugini Import Italian Foods, a terrific Italian grocery near Walla Walla. On Saturday, I finally got a chance to stop by Salumiere Cesario, a gourmet food and wine shop downtown, next to Spring Valley Vineyards' tasting room. It opened about 18 months ago.

Upon entering, I was immediately drawn to the Trappist and Belgian ales, then to the nice selection of international wines (including a vintage Port that found its way into my shopping basket). The owner has a good selection of classic cheeses (I ended up with a Stilton and a Cheddar aged an additional year on site) and cured meats. And there were several olive oils and other products. I barely had time to explore and still managed to spend $130.

Salumiere Cesario is the kind of place you'd find in San Francisco, Healdsburg, New York or any number of Italian hilltowns. That it is in Walla Walla speaks volumes about the transformation this town has taken in the past few years.

This kind of shop would be the perfect addition to the Vintners Village in Prosser, Wash., or near the wineries in Carlton, Ore.