Washington State Wine Country – Yakima Valley
This past weekend, Andy and I took a short break from packing and working on the house to do what I call some Research and Development (R&D). He had a work trip to Seattle Washington, so we went out a few days early and toured the Yakima Valley wine country! We stayed at an Airbnb called Chateau Valhalla (that was the research component) and visited six local wineries, four of which were lovely and had delightful wines and two not so much.
We rolled into the area, a few hours before we could check into our Airbnb, so we stopped at the Yakima visitor center to pick up some maps of the area and get a recommendation for lunch. That secured, we headed into down and had a light lunch at the Second Street Grill. I enjoyed a wonderful Santa Fe salad and Andy a Cobb salad, half proportions. While we dinned, we identified a couple of wineries for our next stops, the first being (insert name here) with a tasting room just a few blocks away. The pourer at (insert name) was really nice but the wines were not overly memorable, so I probably won’t recommend that place.
Our next stop was Owen Roe winery and that place I would recommend. The views were gorgeous, and the tasting was super informative. Dr. Marji Morgan was our local wine expert, she also hosts a local Podcast called ‘Lines on Wines’ where she interviews local wine makers! She is both a Radio Host and Freelance Writer and definitely knows her wines! While there we enjoyed tasting two lovely Chardonnays, a Rose and a number of wonderful reds. We ended up leaving with two bottles of reds. After Owen Roe, it was time for us to check in at the Airbnb.
I have mixed reviews on the Airbnb, Chuck the owner was delightful and very hospitable. Being friends with several of the wineries and in the process of buying a winery himself, he gave some helpful advice as we mapped our wine tour. The physical Airbnb on the other hand had both pros and cons. My observations of the place gave me a lot to think about as I work on my business plan and design for Posh Cottage. The biggest pros were Chucks kind hospitality and the views, they were stunning! The ‘Chateau’ was located on top of a hill, so you had clear views of the surrounding vineyards, orchards, and Mount Reiner. The courtyard entry was beautifully landscaped, however we did not have a clear understanding of where we were supposed to go or how to enter the home. When Chuck greeted us, he was on the phone so again we weren’t hundred percent sure if we were supposed to follow him or what until he was finished with his call. Once we were shown where to enter, we discovered we couldn’t lock our room from the outside (only the inside) and the third door in the bathroom was actually a door to the garage and it also did not lock! When I took a little walk about the property as we were still waiting on our host for further information on our room and what we had access to, I couldn’t get back into the building, apparently the door sticks and only works if you turn the handle in a certain direction.
The room was nicely decorated and included a mini fridge, microwave, and Keurig coffee maker. I was surprised to discover there were no wine glasses or wine bottle opener in the room even though we were in the heart of Yakima Valley wine country. Unfortunately, the kitchen and lounge area that was shown in the Airbnb photos was no longer available to guests, because of Covid restrictions. When we asked, Chuck did provide us with wine glasses, a bottle opener, cheese knife and small platter so we were able to improvise and pull together a nice little antipasto picnic for our dinner on Friday. The bed was comfortable, but we only had a single pillow for each of us, so we ended up utilizing some of the decorative pillows to get additional elevation for our heads and sleep more comfortably. I also discovered in the morning there was no place for me to put my make up on! There were two mirrors in the room but no place to sit close enough to see your face. Here too I improvised by moving a settee closer to the dresser and luckily, I remember to bring a mirror that had a magnifying glass on one side, so potential disaster avoided!
After we settled in, and I created our Antipasto plate we headed outside to enjoy our meal, wine and the views. There was a large patio table with chairs and another smaller table also with chairs on the large veranda, but they weren’t really set up for guests, they were dirty and several of the chairs/cushions needed repair. We ended up pulling two chairs that looked to be in good shape over to the side of the veranda where we thought had the best views and then pulled a third bistro like chair over to act as our table and set up our picnic with paper plates and napkins from our room and the wine glasses, knife, and platter that Chuck provided us. Despite the tired looking and worn-out patio furniture, our dinner was tasty and the wine was wonderful! It was nice to slow down, enjoy the scenery and quite evening. A little while after that, two other guests who were walking around the property wandered over and we invited them to join us. Shortly after that Chuck with his dog Ted also came out and we chatted with him, while I invited Ted to sit on my lap. It was an enjoyable evening. I called it a night early as I’d been up since 4:00 am, but Andy stayed on to converse.
The next morning, we had a light breakfast of yogurt with granola which we picked up at the store when we purchased our picnic supplies, and coffee. Andy was a little on the tired side, so he took a little nap while I worked on my business plan on the veranda. Before I got started though I took another walk about to check out the Chateau pool. I noticed it last night, but it was covered so I didn’t get a clear view. It was a nice size; my future plunge pool will be about a quarter of the size. Overall, it looked like at some point it was a nice set up, but again several of the table and chairs were broken, one table was missing a top completely and the area looked unkept and unattended. There were planters filled with dead plants and the pool house looked locked up and not open to guests. I saw lots of potential, but it needed some TLC, this too was more food for thought. After checking out the pool area, I finished writing and fine tuning my vision, mission statement and values for the business. Andy finished his nap; Chuck gave us a suggested wine tour itinerary which we merged with the one Dr. Morgan suggested and we headed out to taste some wines!
Our first stop was J. Bell winery which we had heard about from the Podcast Line on Wines. It was an amazing ‘destination’, surrounded by lavender fields and orchards, there was a beautiful fountain complete with Koi fish, at the entrance. The courtyard was also a delightful setting with tables and chairs set under pear trees what were wrapped with lights, a mister to keep the area cool and plenty of seating for both tasting wine and enjoying a meal which was made on location. Their wines included wines, reds and a refreshing Rose, we bought a bottle of the latter to go with our Wood Fired pizza that we ordered for lunch. After the tasting and lunch, we wandered the property a bit and checked out their awesome cool chickens (I am so getting chickens when we have our property), chef’s garden and lavender fields. It really was a special location with great landscaping and attention to detail!
Our next stop after J. Bell was Van Arram vineyards for out second tasting. Andy and I have decided that this winery had the best wines of all the ones we tasted. Their reds were dry and bold (or as Andy likes to Say “punch you in the face”) and full of flavor. If we joint a wine club from this area, it will be this one. I would highly recommend putting this winery on your wine tour if you are planning on visiting Yakima Valley wine country! We also had a chance to talk with the wine maker as well as the owner of the vineyard, she was the one doing our pours. Our next stop was a winery called Sheridan Vineyards and we weren’t too impressed with their wines or there location so we didn’t stay long.
We took a little detour from Chuck’s suggested list and stopped at a little place that was relatively new (or newer compared to the others) that Dr. Morgan had recommended. It was called Cultura Wine and it was delightful. The owner and also wine maker was our pourer, the winery and the owner reminded us a bit of Mesa Park Winery in Palisade and Brandon so we enjoyed his presentation as well as his wine very much. The last stop on our grand tour was the Freehand Cellars whose owners were again newer to the area and their day job is architecture which was really apparent in both the building and on their wine labels. This too was a pleasant experience both with the wine and the tasting room. It was surrounded by Apricot trees, and we were invited to pick some on our way out! We had a light dinner at the Chateau, leftovers from the night before, and called it an early night.
The next day it was time to head back to Seattle for out final night in the city. We took the longer route back and drove through Mount Reiner National Park. The views here reminded me a bit of Colorado although their pine trees looked a bit healthier, with no Pine Beetle kill. It was a beautiful drive and Andy was able to get some good pictures of Mount Reiner.
Overall, I’d highly recommend touring the Yakima Wine country, the wines are tasty and the environment and scenery beautiful! Although Chuck was really hospitable, I probably wouldn’t recommend Chateau Valhalla but a number of the wineries we visited also had Airbnb’s on their property so that might be a better way to go if you are looking specifically for Airbnb’s.
For further information on the wineries we visited, I’ve included a list of their websites below!
https://www.owenroe.com
https://www.jbellcellars.com
https://vanarnamvineyards.com
https://www.CulturaWine.com
https://www.freehandcellars.com
