Specialties
itä wines is a woman-owned and operated winery and tasting room in Walla Walla, WA, crafting low-intervention, terroir-driven wines from the eastern foothills of the Walla Walla Valley. Our small-lot wines — including rosé, sémillon, chardonnay, cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, and our fun, chillable red carbonic zinfandel — are made in a lower-alcohol, high-acidity style that lets the fruit and place speak for themselves.
Named a 2023 "Winery to Watch" by Wine & Spirits and recognized in Wine Enthusiast's "Future 40" in 2024, itä wines has quickly earned a reputation as one of Walla Walla's most exciting emerging producers.
Visit us at our tasting room at 600 Piper Ave in Walla Walla's Airport District — open Saturdays 12–4pm. Explore current releases, join our mailing list, or plan your visit at itawinery.com.
History
Established in 2019.
itä wines was founded in 2019 by Kelsey Albro Itämeri to make wines that honestly express Walla Walla's eastern foothills. Our first vintage was harvested that fall — and our tasting room was set to open in March 2020. You can guess what happened next.
We pivoted, persevered, and kept making wine, supported by an incredible community of friends and mentors. Kelsey has also welcomed two children in 2022 and 2025, building itä alongside a growing family.
The dedication hasn't gone unnoticed — itä was named a 2023 "Winery to Watch" by Wine & Spirits, Kelsey was selected for Wine Enthusiast's "Future 40" in 2024, and our wines consistently earn 90+ point ratings. At itä, the winemaker is usually also your host — stop by and you'll likely find Kelsey behind the bar.
Meet the Business Owner: Kelsey I.
Kelsey Albro Itämeri came to winemaking via a winding road — Georgetown grad, politics, reality TV, bartending, and F&B director in San Francisco — before returning to her home state of Washington and settling in Walla Walla. She spent her first year working alfalfa fields, tending a test vineyard plot, and doing harvest at Balboa Winery before studying at WWCC's Institute for Enology & Viticulture and interning at The Walls Vineyards and Domaine Jean Chartron in Burgundy.
The name itä means "east" in Finnish — a nod to the eastern foothills of the Blue Mountains where all of our fruit is sourced, and one day where we'll plant our own estate vineyard. It's also woven into Kelsey's own name: Itämeri means "East Sea" in Finnish — what Finns call the Baltic.