Eastern Washington - Washington State - page 331

The Hogue Cellars Located in an industrial park just off the freeway,
Hogue is one of Washington's largest and most reliable wineries, which makes
this a good place to visit if you're on a budget or just want to sample some decent
Washington state wine. This winery produces three levels of wine; hopefully
you'll get to sample some of the reserve wines.
2800 Lee Rd., Prosser. & 509/786-4557. www.hoguecellars.com. Daily 10am-5pm. Take exit 82 off I-82 and
go east on Wine Country Rd. (away from Prosser).
Kestrel Vintners This winery produces premium cabernet sauvignon,
merlot, syrah, and chardonnay, and you should be sure to pay to taste the reserve
wines, which can be quite extraordinary. Winemaker Ray Sandidge has developed
quite a following for his complex, full-bodied red wines. He's even started his own
Sandidge Winery right next door and has done work for Chandler Reach as well.
2890 Lee Rd., Prosser. & 888/343-CORK or 509/786-2675. Daily 10am-5pm. Take exit 82 off I-82, go east
on Wine Country Rd., and turn left on Bennitz Rd. and then right on Lee Rd.
Pontin del Roza This small family-owned winery is one of the oldest in the
area and has been producing wines since 1984. They produce a variety of whites
and reds, including good chenin blanc and sangiovese.
35502 N. Hinzerling Rd., Prosser. & 509/786-4449. Daily 10am-5pm. Take exit 80 off I-82 and go north,
then go east on Johnson Rd. and north on Hinzerling Rd.
Snoqualmie Vineyards This is another of Washington's large wine pro-
ducers; you'll find Snoqualmie wines in grocery stores all across the state. Pre-
dictably reliable wine at reasonable prices are the specialty. A good place to start
if you're new to wine or aren't into spending a lot of money.
660 Frontier Rd., Prosser. & 509/786-2104. www.snoqualmie.com. Daily 10am-5pm. Take exit 82 off I-82
and drive south on Frontier Rd.
Thurston Wolfe Winery This small, family winery, located in an indus-
trial park outside of Prosser, focuses its attentions on producing exclusively red
wines—zinfandel, sangiovese, lemberger, and syrah. They also do a port.
2880 Lee Rd., Suite C. & 509/786-3313. Thurs-Sun 11am-5pm. Closed Dec-Mar. Take exit 82 off I-82, go
east on Wine Country Rd. and continue 300 ft. past Hogue Cellars.
Willow Crest Winery Set high in the hills north of Prosser, this is one
of the Yakima Valley's smallest wineries and does a very limited variety of wines.
However, since winemaker David Minick likes to experiment, you'll often find
some rather unusual wines here, such as a syrah port and a syrah sparkling wine.
Well worth the drive.
135701 Snipes Rd., Prosser. & 509/786-7999. Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Dec-Mar. Take exit 80 off I-82,
go north on Gap Rd., then right on Snipes Rd.
Yakima River Winery Founded in 1978 as the third winery in eastern Wash-
ington, and located across the river from downtown Prosser, this is another of
the old family-owned wineries in the valley. This winery specializes in lemberger
and barrel-aged red wines but also does port (including a shiraz port).
143302 W. North River Rd., Prosser. & 509/786-2805. www.yakimariverwinery.com. Daily 9am-5pm. Take
exit 80 off I-82, go south toward Prosser, and turn right on North River Rd.
BENTON CITY
Chandler Reach This is one of the newest wineries in the valley, and at
press time was still working on its new Tuscan villa-style winery and tasting
room overlooking the Yakima River. However, they did have their barrel-aging