Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LOWER VALLEY AND PROSSER
Once a part of a vast fruit and vegetable empire, the cannery building that holds
Eaton Hill Winery
(530 Gurley Rd., Granger, 509/854-2220,
www.eatonhillwinery.com
, 10 A.M.-5 P.M. daily) dates back to the early 1900s. See for yourself how barrels have replaced cans in this historic
structure while you take a sip or two of the winery's award-winning gewürztraminer.
Tucker Cellars
(70 Ray Rd., Sunnyside, 509/837-8701,
www.tuckercellars.net
)
throws open the doors to its 10,000-square-foot facility and
50-acre vineyards for tours every day (10 A.M.-5 P.M. in summer, 10 A.M.-4 P.M. in winter). Once you've worked up an appetite, head to the
on-site market to pick up a host of gourmet food grown, cooked, or canned by the Tucker family. Favorite treats include fresh fruit and produce,
pickled asparagus spears, and home-popped white cloud corn.
Hugged by its own small vineyard and a stand of plum and cherry trees, the boutique
Chinook Wines
(220 Wittkopf Ln. off of Wine Country
Rd., Prosser, 509/786-2725,
www.chinookwines.com
, noon-5 P.M. Sat.-Sun.) lies inside renovated farm buildings. Get a peek inside the winery
and the barrel room before heading into the farmhouse tasting room. The personable owners happily welcome people to wander the grounds and
spread out blankets and baskets in the shady garden picnic area. Be sure to bring some food that will pair well with the specialty sauvignon blanc.
See
ICE WINE
The town of Prosser is a good place to survey the Yakima Valley wine scene without having to drive all over the countryside. In addition to the
tasting rooms and wine bars scattered over town, Prosser is also home to the unique
Vintner's Village complex,
a hub of 12 distinct wineries, and
The Winemaker's Loft
(357 Port St., 509/786-2705, 11 A.M.-6 P.M. daily), a new winery “incubator” that helps upstart winemakers experiment
and launch their own brands. Some of the highlights among the Vintner's Village dozen include
Milbrandt Vineyards
(508 Cabernet Ct., 509/
788-0030), which serves a varied tapas and salad menu to go with its vintages, and
Thurston Wolfe Winery
(588 Cabernet Ct., 509/945-4292,
11 A.M.-5 P.M. Thurs.-Sun.), known best for its full-bodied zinfandel, syrah, and sangiovese.
Also at the village is the funky
Airfield Estates
(560 Merlot Dr., 509/786-7401,
www.airfieldwines.com
,
11 A.M.-5 P.M. Sun.-Thurs., 10
A.M.-5 P.M. Fri.-Sat.), a lively winery whose decor plays off of its vineyard history—the vines were all planted around an old World War II
airbase. The winery was built to resemble an old military hangar, including a 40-foot water tower that acts as a VIP tasting room and wine library
for the facilities. Big band music pipes inside when you step into the gorgeous building and get a look through the giant picture windows that
frame the barrel room. Airfield is open one hour later on summer Saturdays.
While you're in town, be sure to also drop in on
Desert Wind Winery
(2258 Wine Country Rd., Prosser, 509/786-7277), a handsome new
winery that eschews the typical chateau motif. The buildings are made up like an old New Mexico adobe hut, with eclectic Southwest decor to
match within the luxury tasting room. The property is also home to a four-room bed-and-breakfast and a sumptuous fine-dining establishment.
Benton City
The quiet small town of Benton City provides a sharp contrast to the bustling Tri-Cities, just a few miles to the east. Stop here to enjoy the lush
valley with vineyards and fruit trees.
Melt into the comfy leather chairs inside the tasting room at
Kiona Vineyards Winery
(44612 N. Sunset NE, Benton City, 509/588-6716,
noon-5 P.M. daily). Step outside on the patio and lawn for a nice view of Red Mountain.
The facilities at
Blackwood Canyon
(53258 N. Sunset Rd., 509/588-7124,
www.blackwoodwine.com
,
10 A.M.-6 P.M. daily, $10 standard,
$25 reserve) are nothing to get excited about, but that would detract from the wine anyway. The winery sits at the end of a rough gravel road in the
middle of the vineyards, and the tasting room is just a counter in the warehouse. The real star of the show is the eccentric winemaker, a believer
in old-method, small-batch fermentation processes that produce, hands down, the best wines in Yakima valley. If you have the time, he'll take
you through several hours of tasting, even bringing out bits of food he's prepared to pair with his masterpieces. The chardonnays, cabernets, and
late-harvest wines are quite distinctive.
Tour through the cool, dark wine-storage caves at
Terra Blanca
(34715 N. DeMoss Rd., Benton City, 509/588-6082,
www.terrablanca.com
, 11
A.M.-6 P.M. daily) on Red Mountain. The $15 tour (noon and 3 P.M. Sat.-Sun.) allows you to walk the caves, the fermentation bays, the barrel
room, and the vineyard, followed up with a chance to taste the fruit of all the labor.
Performing Arts
The
Yakima Valley Community Band
(
www.yakimacommunityband.org
)
has free concerts on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the sum-
mer, as well as a spring program. Summer concerts are held in one of several parks and create perfect opportunities for relaxing. The
Yakima
Symphony Orchestra
(32 N. 3rd St., 509/248-1414,
www.yakimasymphony.org
)
performs a diverse season of music at the Capitol Theater Octo-
ber-April.
A new hub of Yakima's performance community,
The Seasons Performance Hall
(101 N Naches Ave., 509/453-1888,
www.theseasonsyakima.com
) has some of the best acoustics east of the Cascades. This grand old building was converted from an old Seventh-day
Adventist church and now draws quality jazz, classical, Latin, and world-beat musicians.
The historic
Capitol Theater
(19 S. 3rd St., 509/853-2787,
www.capitoltheatre.org
) is a beautifully restored 1920 theater, now hosting a full
schedule of musical, theatrical, and Broadway productions.
