Craft beverages straight from the source in Yakima Valley
Stretching 70 miles through central Washington, Yakima Valley is the state’s first designated wine region and home to more than 80 wineries, several breweries, distilleries and a cidery using the fruits of the valley in their libations.
Despite the boom in artisanal producers and growth in wine tourism, the region is still all about agriculture and remains a farming community at heart.
Most of the wineries are family-run boutique operations — many with farming roots — and don’t distribute out of state, which means if you want to taste the region’s wines and other craft beverages, you need to go to the source.
Though grapes have been grown in the valley since the early 1900s, it didn’t become Washington’s first American Viticultural Area until the 1980s; the use of other valley fruits in craft beverages is a more recent trend.
At the Cherry Wood Bed, Breakfast and Barn, guests sleep surrounded by orchards and horse paddocks in 22-foot-tall luxury tepees with private patios and fire pits for toasting s’mores at twilight.
Open-air showers and private outdoor bathtubs complete the rustic-chic ranch setting.
Rides on rescued horses amble through the vineyards and stop at horse-friendly wineries.
Start with a wine history lesson at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center, named for the “father of Washington wine.”
Taste samples from around the state and view exhibits tracing the history of local winemaking, then apply your knowledge at Vintner’s Village, a collection of 10 tasting rooms clustered just off the highway.
While the roadside setting means there are no vineyard views, it’s a convenient place to sample from several wineries.
Even if woolen goods aren’t on your shopping list, it’s worth a stop to see the adorable alpacas, llamas and horses, and take a tour of the mill.
The outdoor patio is a relaxing spot for a tasting of sparkling wines; the sparkling brut, which makes frequent appearances at State Department dinners and James Beard Foundation events, is a bargain at $15 per bottle.
If spirits are more your style, make an appointment at Glacier Basin Distillery on the grounds of the Gilbert Cellars vineyard and 300-acre ranch.
There’s a winery and wine cave, an amphitheater and a craft distillery that creates grappa and apple and cherry brandies from the farm’s fruits.
The current generation uses the orchard’s apples to produce more than 10 award-winning varieties of cider, which are available by the flight or glass at the downtown Yakima tasting bar.
Bale Breaker Brewing, owned by fourth-generation hop farmers, offers a unique vine-to-glass experience; the brewery and tap room is set on the family farm, so you can taste the award-winning IPA with a view of the hop vines.
Cap off the day in downtown Yakima, which is dotted with historic buildings and another half-dozen tasting rooms, all easily reachable on foot.
Los Hernandez Tamales inspires cultlike devotion from locals, especially when asparagus tamales are added to the usual roster of pork and chicken.
Cowiche Canyon, in downtown Yakima, offers a seasonally changing menu of global dishes with a Pacific Northwest twist, and an extensive menu of craft cocktails and local beer and wine.
On Saturday nights, they fire up a wood oven and stay open late, serving handmade pizzas and wine with a vineyard view.
If you’re flying on Alaska Airlines, take advantage of the statewide Taste and Tote program — free tastings at participating wineries and no fees for checking a case of wine.
Tepee accommodation on a working ranch that offers horseback rides through the vineyards; open Wednesday-Sunday, April-early October.
Traditional bed and breakfast; most rooms have Jacuzzi tubs and gas fireplaces.