Central & Eastern Washington - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 385

Drinking
Gilbert Cellars CAFE
( www.gilbertcellars.com ; 5 N Front St; noon-9pm Mon-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat, to 5pm Sun) This
refined downtown tasting room ($5 for five tastings) has the air of a classy wine bar. Ser-
vice is knowledgeable but unpretentious and there are some excellent cheese-based
snacks.
Northtown Coffee CAFE
( www.northtowncoffee.com ; 28 N 1st St; 6am-midnight Mon-Fri, 7am-midnight Sat & Sun) A bit
of Portland repositioned to central Washington (which is no bad thing), Northtown sells
PDX's famous Stumptown coffee in cozy nooks. Get comfortable - it's open till mid-
night daily.
Information
Yakima Valley Visitors & Convention Bureau ( www.visityakima.com ; 10 N 8th St;
9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun)
DON'T MISS
YAKIMA VALLEY WINE TOUR
The Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) encompasses four sub-AVAs
(Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills, Horse Heaven Hills and Snipes Mountain) and
more than 80 wineries, most of them small, family-run affairs. These dry yet de-
ceptively fertile fields produce some of the most delicious wines in the country;
around 40% of Washington's wine grapes are grown here. Wine Yakima Valley
( www.wineyakimavalley.org ) has an up-to-date list of local wineries and Yakima Valley
Wine (www.yakimavalleywine) is an excellent source of information for the entire valley.
The following tour takes in our favorite spots:
Start in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA that lazes next to the tiny town of Zillah . Bonair
Winery ( www.bonairwine.com ; 500 S Bonair Rd, Zillah; 10am-5pm) , one of the valley's oldest,
is a quintessential stop where you can picnic on the front lawn and chat with the
friendly owners over their affordable red blends. For contrast head up the hill to Sil-
ver Lake Winery ( www.silverlakewinery.com ; 1500 Vintage Rd, Zillah; 10am-5pm Apr-Nov,
11am-4pm Thu-Mon Dec-Mar) , a favorite venue for fancy weddings thanks to its views
over the whole valley.