I spend most of my days drinking wine.

Let me re-phrase that.

As a freelance writer, my friends think I spend my time being paid to drink good wine. Truth is, most of my sit-downs with winemakers over the years happen early in the morning or in short spurts stolen from their time in the cellar. Though my focus is typically on the story of the winery, curiosity has me wondering what a winemaker likes to drink, eat and enjoy if they were to be a tourist in his or her own town?

Needless to say, I was delighted to hear of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance’s “WWander Walla Walla Valley Wine” Itinerary Series, a day curated by some of the most celebrated Walla Walla winemakers available every Saturday beginning October 14 and running through December 16, 2017. Visitors must register (registration is free and can be done the day of) for this pay-as-you-go experience at WallaWallaWine.com/WWander to receive access to the full itinerary, which includes exclusive perks.

I got a sneak peek at a few spots on the first WWander itinerary, which you can follow on Saturday, October 14, curated by Walla Walla Valley wine pioneer Rick Small and his daughter Jordan Dunn-Small, of Woodward Canyon Winery. Some of the other upcoming itineraries include those created by Trey Busch of Sleight of Hand Cellars, Corey Braunel of Dusted Valley Vintners, Kelly and J.J. Menozzi of Aluvé, Bradon Moss of Gramercy Cellars, and Casey McClellan of Seven Hills Winery.

I started at the Colville Street Patisserie where owners David Christensen and Tiffany Cain have created a pastry case worthy of rue de Bac in Paris. Everything is made from scratch using locally sourced ingredients — even the flour, which fittingly is from Small’s Family Farm. You’ll spot everyone from farmers to college students to winemakers quaffing Walla Walla Roastery coffee and noshing on delightfully flaky croissants, kouign amann, cannele, seasonal fruit danishes and gelato.

A stroll through sentimental favorite Pioneer Park and Aviary is one of Rick and Jordan’s picks. The lush 58 acres of old growth trees (including a Fernleaf Beech, ranked number one in Washington State at 93 feet), ponds, sculptures, fountains and recreation opportunities was constructed in 1902 in part by renowned landscape architect John C. Olmstead of Central Park in New York City.

Next, I headed west of town to Long Shadows Vintners (Jordan worked with them for five harvests), which appeared as if a mirage in a desert of wheat fields and rows of poplar trees. After a delightful seated tasting of their world-class wines amidst spectacular Chihuly glass sculptures and chandeliers, I took a look through the large picture windows to view the action of grape harvest below.

Driving south of town, I did some cow and barn gazing against the backdrop of freshly harvested wheat fields, bursts of crimson and gold foliage decorating the Blue Mountains in the distance. I passed grape vines in full glory, some still filled with fat, ripe fruit.

Tertulia Cellars, a modern, eclectic tasting room where Jordan worked prior to Long Shadows, was my next stop. After tasting through some tasty wines reserved for WWander participants, I was lured to the beautifully manicured pétanque courts overlooking the estate vineyard. I’ve only played pétanque once and my friend Carolyn will confirm that I was awful and almost took off some of the siding of her house. As luck would have it, winemaker Ryan Raber was on hand to give me a quick lesson. To say he’s an enthusiast would be an understatement. Ryan is the president of the valley’s thriving Pétanque Club and the winery hosts a number of events throughout the year, both for the public and the club.

I’ve shared just a slice of the first itinerary — the full monty includes Rick and Jordan’s other picks for wine tasting, lunch, dinner and dessert and other attractions. I’m told they even share their favorite beer selections with you because, as the saying goes, it takes a lot of beer to make good wine. Oh — at least on this day of tasting and touring, my friends are right.

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Kirsten Telander is a writer and co-owner of Telander Gallery in Walla Walla.