A Day of Wine Tasting in Yakima Valley, WA

“What is wine really about? Enjoyment.”

Aldo Sohm, Wine Simple

Enjoyment! Pure and simple. Wine brings us together; it crosses cultural divides, links the present to the past, implores us to try new experiences, and let’s be honest – have you ever actually had a bad time while wine tasting?

As we stepped out of the car, the vista before us glistened with lush green vines positioned between the arid desert land at their foundation and the crisp blue sky above. Rolling hills and mountains were in the distance, and the hint of smoke lingered in the air. Wild fires were burning many miles away, and the smoke and smell drifted to where we were standing in the Rattlesnake Hills sub-appellation of Yakima Valley in Washington State.

America’s desire to produce fabulous wines goes back to the 16th century. Today, every state in the U.S. produces wine. Some are better than others, but when considering fine wines produced in the States, people tend to think of the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma Counties in California. We’re here to tell you to add Yakima Valley in Washington State to that list.

Join us as we indulge in a day of decadent wine tasting in America’s hidden wine country gem – Yakima Valley in Washington State. Maybe you’ve heard of the region, or even picked up a few wines from here at your grocery store, but if you’re like us, we knew so little about the region that we had to ask a local tell us how to pronounce its name.

(It’s pronounced “ya-kuh-muh,” by the way – so now you’re one step ahead of us!)

And maybe it’s not *actually* hidden to those who know the wine world well, but it was a new experience for us that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Why Yakima

Yakima Valley’s annual 300 days of sunshine, which consist of warm days and cool nights, primes the region for some truly incredible and unique wines. Mixed with the inviting and laid back atmosphere of the locals, and the multitude of intimate family-owned estates, Yakima Valley quickly shot high up on our list of favorite U.S. wine regions. 

Yakima Valley is truly a desert with less than 10 inches of rain a year, a stark contrast to the Seattle area with an average of 37 inches a year. It’s no surprise that locals call the land east of the Cascades the “dry side.”

When we had to restructure our trip to Washington State (more discussion on this in a later post), John suggested we do a few days east of Seattle in the State’s Yakima Valley wine region. We both love wine and tend to include a wine tasting component in a lot of our trips, so this was an easy decision. 

We spent two nights in the City of Yakima and did a full day of wine tasting in Yakima Valley. There are over 100 wineries to choose from in the Yakima Valley area. While we would love to visit every one of them, we narrowed down our itinerary to 5 tasting rooms within easy driving distance of our hotel in Yakima. 

Brief History and Context of Yakima Valley

Grapes were planted in this region as early as the 1860s, and modern wine growing techniques began to flourish in the early 20th century. After a brief hiatus due to prohibition, grape growing began again in the 1930s. The region continued to grow and really entered a boom phase in the 1980s.

In 1983 the Yakima Valley became the first appellation in Washington State and the only AVA (American Viticulture Area) north of California. In 1984 it was subsumed into the larger Columbia Valley AVA.

Note on AVAs

An AVA is simply a designated wine grape-growing region. It provides a geographic designation to the wines produced there and is typically a badge of honor for winemakers. When a wine has an AVA label, it means that at least 85% of the grapes used to make the wine were grown in that geographic location, and the wine must be finished in that state. France has an equivalent called an Appellation (or appellation d’origine contrôlée if you speak French, which I definitely do not).

Sub-Appellations and Wine Communities of Yakima Valley

The state’s wine-growing regions have continued to grow and are now home to many sub-appellations, including Rattlesnake Hills, Snipes Mountain, and Red Valley. We mostly visited wineries in the Rattlesnake Hills sub-appellation. 

The marketing material for the area breaks down Yakima Valley into several different wine tasting communities, including Yakima, Zillah, Prosser, and Red Mountain. Yakima, Zillah, and Prosser are all towns in the region, and Red Mountain is appropriately a mountain range. As far as we’ve been able to tell, these areas are broken out to help with trip planning. 

As can be seen in the below map, the Rattlesnake Hills AVA is within the Zillah area of the region. 

The Rattlesnake Hills AVA was established in 2006 and specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.

Don’t worry – there really aren’t rattlesnakes in Rattlesnake Hills. The appellation is named for the nearby landmass and reports of rattlesnakes appear to be far and few between. That doesn’t stop Bonair Winery from doing a “Chasing of the Snakes” ritual each year to ease any concerns of visitors. And as we noted in our post about our hike through a rattlesnake region, if you do happen to see a rattlesnake, please don’t touch – hands down a bad idea.

Where to Stay

There are a bunch of options when choosing where to stay, but we stayed in the City of Yakima. It’s the first city you come to in Yakima Valley when traveling from Seattle and has a relatively large and active downtown. The city made for a good homebase for our trip and had some pretty awesome food, which we’ll discuss in a later post. 

We were at the Hotel Maison, a historic Masonic temple, and had a very good experience here and would recommend it. Very comfortable, good food (which we had for breakfast before our big wine tasting day), and excellent staff.

There are lots of places to stay in the area, offering a variety of options. There are big brand named hotels, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals, lodges and inns, as well as campgrounds and RV parks. 

Lots of wineries in Yakima Valley are part of Harvest Hosts – “a network of wineries, breweries, and distilleries, farms and attractions that invite RVers to visit and stay overnight with no camping fees” (in accordance with their website). While we were not in a position to rent an RV, this sounds like a seriously cool way to experience wine country.

Planning Your Trip to Yakima Valley

Best Time of the Year to Visit Yakima

Yakima Valley is absolutely open year-round for delicious wine tasting. Many of the wineries stay open for tasting all year (or most of it) and are not limited to summer months. We were there in August, but the winter can be a great time to go. Between reduced crowds and special events such as Red, White, and Chocolate the winter offers an exciting time to visit.

In mid-winter, temperatures typically stay around the high 30s to 50s during the day and the high 20s to 30s at night, depending on where you are in the Valley. Still warmer than most New Jersey winters.

Check out this website for additional information on winter events and a list of wineries opened during winter months.

While there are year-round wine tasting options, it’s good to remember that many of the wineries and tasting rooms have limited winter hours compared to the summer. So make sure to check before going.

The summer months of course will offer those warm, sunny days with outside seating options at many tasting rooms. This is typically my preferred weather. Although there’s something to be said about enjoying a powerful, bold red wine in the depths of winter time. 

We also happened to be there when there were wildfires stretching across parts of the state. We were not in any danger but it’s incredible how far smoke can travel. While our days were sunny and warm, it was quite hazy from the smoke. And the smell lingered in the way only smoke can.

That did not stop us from enjoying the warm weather and sitting outside when possible!

Planning Your Route

We recommend planning your route based on where you’re staying and how much time you want to spend wine tasting. (All day? A couple of hours spread out over two days?) With over 100 wineries to choose from, Yakima Valley is quite large. We kept our drive within half an hour of our hotel.

Once we had our general area pinned down, the choice of the actual wineries came to checking out the area map (linked in Sub-Appellations and Wine Communities of Yakima Valley) and choosing locations that were convenient for us – and confirming what was open while we were there. See next point!

Check Hours of Operation 

We happened to be in the area on a Tuesday and learned it’s a common day for tasting rooms to be closed. It was easier to pick where to go, but if you have a specific place you’re interested in, make sure they’re open on the days you’re planning to be there. Lots of wineries are closed at least one day during the week, and some are only open for tastings on the weekends.

Going in the middle of the week worked out for us though, since there were pretty much 0 crowds at any of the wineries we stopped at. We were always either the only people there, or with a few other couples or groups. 

Mode of Transportation

We drove ourselves and took a leisurely pace, going to 5 wineries over 6 hours and then a stop at a brewery that was within walking distance of our hotel in Yakima. John drove the whole time, which I’m grateful for, but at no point did I feel like I’d had too much. We each did one tasting per winery, and then had an extra full glass pour at one of the wineries. 

Of course if you don’t want to have to worry about driving (which I don’t blame you for!) there are lots of options for hiring a car or engaging in a wine tour of some type. Check out our Transportation Options section below for some options.

Taste and Tote. 

This may be the best policy I’ve ever heard of. If you fly Alaska Airlines home, each person can check a case of wine FOR FREE. That’s right – 12 wines per person for free to bring home and enjoy at your leisure. A doubly wonderful policy for us since New Jersey has weird rules about shipping alcohol into the state.

We highly recommend that if you are flying into the state with some wine tasting in mind, fly Alaska Airlines, and ask the first winery you go to for a protective shipping box. 

Transportation Options

John and I chose to drive ourselves over the course of our day. We took a very slow approach to the day and acknowledged our boundaries, but there are lots of transportation options if you don’t want to worry about driving! Visit Yakima lists several options for transportation to both wineries and breweries.

These are other options we found when checking out the area:

Car Services

• Prosser Wine Excursions – offers private tours of the Valley
• Elite Tours – offers luxury bus rentals
• Little Hopper – offers a bus rental on the “little hopper” – seats up to 12 people
• This website has a list of other various car, bus, and van rentals, some seating up to 50 people

Other Unique Ways to Get Around

• Kickstand Tours – offers eBike tours in Walla Walla and Washington Valley
• Red Mountain Trails – offers horse rides through the vineyards of the Red Mountain AVA
• Book Bikes – offers eBike rentals
• Yakima Valley Carriage Co – offers carriage and wagon rides throughout the area

Our Day of Wine Tasting

Now onto our day of fabulous wine tasting. We chose the following wineries based on a little research into the wineries within our driving distance and picked the ones that looked the most interesting to us. (Also the ones that were opened on a Tuesday.)

We visited the following wineries in this order:

• Tanjuli Winery
• Bonair Winery
• Knight Hill Winery
• Owen Roe Winery
• Treveri Winery

Tanjuli Winery

Our first stop was Tanjuli Winery, which offered some of the most unique wines of the day. This family-owned establishment prides themselves on the merging of old and new styles. Most of the wines are 100% single varietals, many I had never tried before making it a new and fun experience. 

The tasting room is in a large building with brightly colored murals painted on the wall behind the tasting counter. We were starting early in the day (right after 11:00 am), and it was the middle of the week, so we were the only ones there (as was the case through most of our day).

The woman who helped us was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the wines and wine maker. She also shared stories about herself and set us up with our shipping box and packing supplies so we could start filling up our goody bag (box) with fun wines. She knew a lot about wine making and the region and was more than happy to answer our questions and share her knowledge.

The bottles at Tanjuli and Owen Roe were the most expensive of the day.

Address:

209 N Bonair Rd, Zillah, WA

Website:

http://tanjuli.com/

Hours of Operation:

• March: Friday, Saturday, Sunday from Noon till 4:00 pm
• April through October: Open 7 days a week from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
• November: Friday and Saturday from Noon till 4:00 pm

General Price Range of Bottles:

• $19 to $75

Wines We Purchased:

• Estate Picpoul Blanc 2016
• Estate Nebiolo

Bonair Winery

Next we drove down the road to Bonair Winery. When you drive up the path you see a small chapel and sprawling fields of vines. You are literally walking past the grapes that go into the wines you are about to drink. On a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier.

Walking toward the tasting building you’re greeted by some ducks chilling next to their duck pond. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with wild flowers and there are outside seating areas surrounded by flowers.

We were served by Shirley. She and her husband, Gail opened the winery together in the early 1980s. She was quite a character and we had some fabulous conversations with her – wine does bring people together! 

We were the only ones there, so when she brought our wines out to us on the terrace in cheeky non-breakable glassware, she sat down and chatted with us for quite a while. 

When we went inside to purchase our wines (which were splendid, by the way), she asked us what other wineries we were visiting. We told her we were just at Tanjuli and mentioned that we actually tried Knight Hill Winery first but no one was there when we got to the tasting room. We arrived at Knight Hill right at 11:00 and sat outside for a few minutes before deciding to try them again later.

Shirley got all excited as that was apparently very strange for Knight Hill – they should absolutely be open and they always open on time. She promptly got on the phone and called up to them to see what was going on.

Someone picked up on the other line, and Shirley goes, “Hey Anne it’s Shirley over at Bonair. I have this young couple here who said they tried to visit you but no one was there.” Silence while the other person responds. “Ok great I’ll send them right over. They’re from New Jersey – and can you believe it, they’re nice too!”

We highly recommend a visit to Shirely and Bonair.

Address:

500 South Bonair Road, Zillah, WA

Website:

http://www.bonairwine.com

Hours of Operation:

• April through October: Open 7 days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

General Price Range of Bottles:

• $18 to $35

Wines We Purchased:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chardonnay
• Cabernet Franc

Knight Hill Winery

We drove the 5 minutes back to Knight Hill. This winery is perched on a hill with miles and miles of captivating views in every direction you look. The small tasting room is in a red barn, which formerly housed horses, and there’s plenty of outside seating along with patio games.

We were served by Anne, one of the owners, who was a delightfully sweet and charming woman. After our first taste, she asked us if we were the New Jersey couple who tried to visit earlier in the morning – the ones Shirley called about. When we told her yes, she apologized and explained how there was a stray dog that wandered onto the property, and all the neighbors got together to find its home. Didn’t we tell you this was a great place filled with great people?

As a thank you for coming back, she gave us a glass of wine on the house. Certainly not something we were expecting (the excellent quality of the wines were enough), but it was a very nice gesture that we gladly accepted. We enjoyed our glasses on the beautiful patio. Lavender bushes created a little nook for us as sipped our wines.

Knight Hill Winery also offers accommodations. They have a two-bed two-bathroom apartment that sleeps up to 8 people. We would definitely consider this for our next trip!

Address:

5330 Lombard Loop Rd, Zillah, WA

Website:

http://www.knighthillwine.com/

Hours of Operation:

• February through November: Open 7 days a week from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
• December through January: By Appointment

General Price Range of Bottles:

• $20 to $35

Wines We Purchased:

• Viognier
• Syrah

Owen Roe Winery

Next we headed over to Owen Roe Winery. This one was quite a bit larger than the three wineries we just came from. Their grapes come from several different vineyards throughout Yakima Valley as well as Oregon. 

Owen Roe was the only winery either of us had ever heard of as they distribute all over the country. They were also the only stop that required you to make a reservation ahead of time.

Our reservation was for 3:00 pm, and by this point we were getting a little hungry. But we planned appropriately since Owen Roe sells little picnic baskets with all sorts of yummy items – cheese, meats, nuts, crackers, and honey sticks. It was just what we needed to rejuvenate a bit. The picnic basket is also served with a cutting board and knife so no need to bring anything.

The tasting room is a big, open warehouse, although it looks like a barn from the outside. You are enjoying your tasting surrounded by shelves stacked 5 high of wine barrels. As we knew going into Owen Roe, the wines here are very good and can get expensive quickly.

The young woman who served us was incredibly pleasant and knowledgeable about the wines. Even though this is a large winery, she provided an intimate experience and made us feel as though we were the only ones there.

Address:

309 Gangl Road, Wapato, WA

Website:

https://www.owenroe.com/

Hours of Operation:

• Open 7 days a week from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

General Price Range of Bottles:

• $16 to $86

Wines We Purchased:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Union Gap Syrah

Treveri Cellars

Our last stop for the day was right next to Owen Roe, a sparkling wine winery called Treveri Cellars. Opening in 2010, Treveri is the newest establishment we visited. 

The winery is situated on a large, beautiful estate with an expansive indoor and outdoor seating area. We were seated outside under an umbrella with a completely lovely view and two great sparkling wine tastings. Out of the two of us, John is more the sparkling wine fan, but these were all fabulous wines.

We bought a bottle for our dedicated cat sitter and were on our way back to Yakima after a very full and wonderful day of wine tasting. 

Address:

71 Gangl Road, Wapato, WA

Website:

http://www.trevericellars.com/

Hours of Operation:

• Monday through Thursday: 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm
• Friday to Saturday: 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm

General Price Range of Bottles:

• $16 tp $21

One More Stop at a Brewery

After we dropped off our loot at the hotel, we walked over to a nearby brewery called Single Hill Brewing. By now it was about 6:00, and John enjoyed a flight while we sat in their patio area with the sun setting behind us. 

Other Things to Do in Yakima Valley

Teapot Dome

There is a historic site in Zillah called the Teapot Dome Service Station. Located just south of our winery itinerary, the site is a former gas station. The teapot-shaped building was designed and built in 1922 as a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that took place from 1921 to 1923 in Teapot Dome, Wyoming.

The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery scandal that involved the Harding Administration. The Secretary of the Interior leased Navy petroleum reserves in Teapot Dome (as well as two places in California) to private oil companies at low rates without a competitive bid process. We’re talking scandal of the century here. 

The historic landmark is a cheeky punch at the scandal and was built during a time when novelty architecture and roadside attractions were popping up all along the country’s expanding national highway systems. The gas station officially closed in 2006 and now serves as the Zillah Welcome Center. According to a descriptive sign located nearby, the teapot’s spout was designed as a functional stove pipe for cold weather days. 

We stopped here first before heading to the wineries. It was a fun excursion and made for a great photo-op!

Beers of Yakima Valley

While this post is entirely about wine, Yakima Valley is also home to some incredible beers and breweries. Yakima Valley is the largest producer of hops in the United States, accounting for over 75% of the total hop production in the states. Just like grape growing, hop planting in Washington State can be traced back to the 1860s, and to Yakima Valley around 1870 when cuttings were brought from a hop farm in New York. Hop growing in the area has flourished since then, with a particular recent boom in the popularity of craft beers.

If wine isn’t your thing (and if it’s not, I’m surprised you made it this far down this post), you can make an entire day of tasting beer instead of wine.

Summary of the Day

Our day of wine tasting in Yakima Valley offered far more than we were expecting. The wines were wonderful, the sites were beautiful, and the people so incredibly friendly.

So what is wine really about? We agree with Aldo Sohm that at if we bring wine to its fundamentals, wine is about enjoyment. We truly enjoyed our day in Yakima Valley and recommend checking out the region next time you’re out there. What Aldo and Yakima Valley remind is us that we shouldn’t take wine and wine tasting too seriously. Be curious. Ask questions. Have fun. Enjoy the wines and the experience of new things and new people.

But don’t just take our word for it! As Aldo also reminds us, “books (blogs) are great, but experience is the true teacher.”

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