Central & Eastern Washington - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 386

Your next stop is Prosser , a midcentury movie-set-worthy town that's your best
stop for lunch - for a kitsch surprise, beer and burgers try Bern's Tavern (618 6th St,
Prosser; 9am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat) . Get back to wines at picture-book-pretty
Chinook Wines ( www.chinookwines.com ; Wine Country Rd, Prosser; tastings noon-5pm Sat & Sun
May-Oct) , known for its chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Vinter's Village across the
highway is in bland housing-community-like surrounds but holds some great
wineries; try Maison Bleue ( 509-378-6527; www.mbwines.com ; 357 Port Ave, Studio D, Prosser;
by appointment) for Rhone-style syrah or Airfield Estates ( www.airfieldwines.com ; 560
Merlot Dr, Prosser; 11am-5pm) for an easy-to-love unoaked chardonnay.
Your final stops are just up the hill from Benton City at the Red Mountain AVA , the
smallest viticultural area in the US and one of the best. Meander up N Sunset Rd,
stopping first at humble Cooper Wine Company ( wwwcooperwinecompany.com ; 35306 N
Sunset Rd, Benton City; noon-5pm Fri-Mon) to ooh and aah over its L'Inizio bordeaux
blend. Up the road and on a dirt path to the left is Taptiel Estate ( www.taptiel.com ; 20206
E 583 PR NE, Benton City; 11am-5pm Fri-Sun Apr-Nov) , great for syrah and cabernet
sauvignons to sip over views of the valley. Last, take a detour to the grandest es-
tate on the tour, Terra Blanca ( www.terrablanca.com ; 34715 N DeMoss Rd, Benton City;
11am-6pm) , where you can sample red and dessert wines in the castlelike tasting
room or on the terrace overlooking manicured gardens, a pond, golden grasslands
and mountains.
Toppenish
POP 9095
If you make one stop off the wine trail in the Yakima Valley, make it off-the-wall Top-
penish, a living art festival that has become locally famous for its 60 or more historic
murals painted Banksy-style on most of the downtown buildings. Chronicling the events
from Yakama and Northwestern history, the first mural was painted back in 1989. Later
additions include evocative tableaux of the valley's more recent Mexican immigrants
employed in the agricultural sector. Further information and mural guides can be pro-
cured from the Toppenish Chamber of Commerce ( www.toppenish.net ; 504 S Elm St;
11am-4pm Mon-Sat) .
Another Toppenish institution is the American Hop Museum
( www.americanhopmuseum.org ; 22 S B St; admission $3; 10am-4pm May-Sep) , a temptation
for all beer lovers, that chronicles the history of the American hop-growing industry from
its humble beginnings in New England in the early 1600s.
The history of the Yakama Native Americans is well documented at the Yakama Indi-
an Nation Cultural Center ( www.yakamamuseum.com ; 280 Buster Rd; adult/child $6/4;