 Columbia Cascade Wineries
2007-2008 Northwest Wine Country
Vacation Guide
The central and north-central parts of Washington are renowned for their spectacular scenery; watersports, skiing, and hiking opportunities; and beloved apple crop. But as sales prospects for apples and other tree fruits have blighted, wine grapes have started dominating the fields.
The 28 wineries and tasting rooms in what is informally known as the “Columbia Cascade” region offer a wide variety of wine-touring experiences centered around small, atmospheric towns including Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Manson, Chelan, Mazama, and Oroville.
The turn-of-the-century gold-mining town of Oroville, just 5 miles south of the Canadian border, is home to three of the northern-most wineries in the Columbia Cascade region. Okanogan Estate & Vineyards (formerly Gold Digger Cellars) stakes the claim as Washington’s first Okanogan Valley winery, and it began winning awards and acclaim with the release of its first vintage in 2000.
It’s worth a stop at the Wine & Gift Shop/Tasting Room just two blocks from the winery for a sample of the multi-award-winning Pinot Noir, an earthy, berry-rich wine that gives Oregon contenders a run for their money. Good news: You can also taste the wines at the Leavenworth Wine & Gift Shoppe in downtown Leavenworth. (509-476-3646; okanoganwine.com)
Heading south on Highway 97, your next stops will be at four major wineries/tasting rooms in Lake Chelan. It’s an important area, since the Lake Chelan Valley (located within the larger Columbia Cascade region) has applied for official American Viticultural Area (AVA) status, which is still pending.
Start at Vin du Lac, a French-inspired winery housed in two remodeled orchard sheds set amidst seven acres of vineyards and orchards dating from the 1920s. Enjoy views of Lake Chelan, Chelan Butte, and the city of Chelan while savoring a tasty assortment of artisan meat, cheese, and olives in the French-country-style tasting room. Whimsical labels announce Vin du Lac’s award-winning white wines, such as Savvy! Blanc, Grisant! Pinot Gris, and Les Amis Riesling. Award-winning reds include Cuvée Rouge (a red blend) and Cabernet Franc. (509-682-2882; vindulac.com)
In downtown Chelan, C.R. Sandidge Winery and Bistro boasts the expert winemaking skill of Ray Sandidge, a 24-year veteran who also serves as director of winemaking at Lake Chelan Winery. The tasting room features a year-round music series and a Mediterranean-leaning bistro whose menu suggests an appropriate wine pairing with each dish (even dessert!). Don’t miss sampling any of winemaker Ray’s scrumptious Syrahs, red-wine blends, or his sweet Pinot Noir dessert wine, KISS. C.R. Sandidge Winery also has a tasting room in the Yakima Valley in Prosser. (509-682-3704; crsandidgewines.com)
Lake Chelan Winery offers something for every wine-and-food aficionado, with a winery tour that explains the wine-making process from vine to tasting room; a nightly Barbecue in the Vineyard offering baby-back ribs, salmon, and bratwurst; an open-air Wine Garden; Friday evening music during the summer months; and a 3000-square foot gift shop and tasting room. The winery’s estate-grown Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon are award winners. (509-687-9463; lakechelanwinery.com) |
Established in 2000 and opened to the public in 2004, Tsillan (pronounced “Chelan”) Cellars Winery is not only the largest producer of wine in the Chelan Valley, but one of the most beauteous wineries in the Pacific Northwest. The 135-acre estate winery perches on a sumptuous south-shore hillside overlooking Lake Chelan. Dr. Robert Jankelson bills his creation: “The romance of Tuscany on the shores of Lake Chelan.”
You’ll undoubtedly be romanced by the Tuscan-style villa that welcomes you into the 3000-square-foot tasting room—and the summer concert series that boasts world-class entertainers.
Artisan cheese plates are accompanied by the sommelier’s suggested wine pairings. Even the restrooms are rife with Italianate touches. Ten grape varietals (many of Italian origin) are grown on the property, and Tsillan Cellars’ estate-grown Pinot Grigio and Gewürztraminer, as well as the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, have won awards in regional and national competitions. (509-682-9463; tsillancellarswines.com)
Southeast of the Lake Chelan Valley, near the towns of Quincy and Vantage, Cave B Estate Winery, Cave B Inn & Spa at SageCliffe, Tendrils restaurant, The Center for American Food & Wine at SageCliffe, and a proposed 18-hole golf course and equestrian center comprise Washington’s first-ever luxury wine resort. The resort’s “cliffehouses” and cavern rooms, built right into the basalt banks, offer unforgettable views of the vineyards and the Columbia River Gorge.
Early grapes at the Chateau Faire Le Pont. A dog lover, owner Debé Brazil hosts Yappy Hour on the terrace on the third Friday of each month. Dogs are welcome and even a few from the local shelter are on hand for possible adoption. No wine for the canines though.
Cave B Estate Winery, under the direction of winemaker Berle “Rusty” Figgins Jr., comes with an impressive pedigree. Rusty apprenticed with brother Gary at Leonetti Cellars, created the Glen Fiona winery brand, and served as winemaker at Northstar in the Walla Walla Valley. Rusty works with 16 varietals grown in the 120-acre estate vineyard and bottles them under two labels—Cave B and SageCliffe.
The tasting room, located in the "RoundHouse," includes a 17-foot tasting bar. Be sure to take the self-guided vineyard tour, and then enjoy vineyard and river views from the picnic grounds. Award-winning wines to try include Semillon, Syrah, and Cuvée du Soleil, a Bordeaux-style red blend. (509-785-2283 for the inn, 509-785-3500 for the tasting room; caveb.com)
Overlooking the mighty Columbia River, and just 4 miles south of downtown Wenatchee, Saint Laurent Winery was chosen 2007 “Washington Winery to Watch” by Wine Press Northwest magazine. Grapes for its award-winning white wines are grown on the estate; red wine grapes come from Saint Laurent’s estate vineyards in Washington’s Wahluke Slope AVA.
Saint Laurent Winery offers a tasting room filled with French antiques and Old World charm; weddings in the Gothic Gazebo are a common sight; the European-themed gardens afford sensuous delights, as do Saint Laurent’s multi-award-winning wines. These include a brilliantly crafted Rosé, as well as Riesling, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, and la Boheme, a red blend. The wines are available at the winery in Malaga or at the “Vin Boutique” in downtown Wenatchee. (509-888-9463; saintlaurent.net)
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Attractions
Wenatchee
Highlander Golf Club
509-884-4653 highlandergolfclub.com
Ohme Gardens
509-662-5785; ohmegardens.com
Wenatchee Valley Museum
127 S Mission; 509-664-3340
wenatcheevalleymuseum.com
Visitor Information
Cascade Foothills Farmland Association
509-548-6784 visitwashingtonfarms.com
Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce
940 Hwy 2 509-548-5807; leavenworth.org
Wenatchee Valley CVB
25 N Wenatchee Ave, Suite C111
800-572-7753; wenatcheevalley.org
Where to Stay
Leavenworth
Bavarian Lodge
509-548-7878 888-717-7878 bavarianlodge.com
Best Western Icicle Inn
509-548-7000; 800-558-2438 icicleinn.com
Destination Leavenworth
866-904-7368 destinationleavenworth.com
Enzian Inn
509-548-5269 800-223-8511 enzianinn.com
Icicle Village Resort
800-961-0162; iciclevillage.com
Linderhof Inn
509-548-5283; 800-828-5680 linderhof.com
Natapoc Lodging
888-628-2762; natapoc.com
Obertal Inn
509-548-5204; 800-537-9382; obertal.com
Wenatchee
Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel
509-662-1234; 800-663-1144 wenatcheecenter.com
Winery Spotlight
Leavenworth
Icicle Ridge Winery & Tasting Room
821 Suite B Front Street
Leavenworth, Washington
info@icicleridgewinery.com
509-548-6156
The Wagoner Family warmly invites you to experience the blessings we have been given. We would Love for you to come visit us for one of our events! All concerts and dinners are by advance reservation only. Call the winery for more details. 509-548-7019. Visit our wine tasting room in the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth.
Wenatchee
Chateau Faire Le Pont
1 Vineyard Way; 888-874-9463
fairelepont.com
Beautiful 1920s restored brick building houses an elegant, state-of-the-art winery with stunning mountain views. Located in Wenatchee right off Confluence State Park. Outdoor seating, gazebo and 18-foot see-through fireplace provide year-round ambiance. Full tasting room providing 15 ultra-premium wines for you to taste. A bistro provides delightful lunches, cooking classes and custom menus for special events. Hours: Sun-Wed 11a.m.–6 p.m.,Thurs–Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Jazz every Thursday 6-9 p.m.
Saint Laurent Winery
4147 Hamlin Road
Malaga, WA 98828
509-888-WINE (9463)
Our beautiful estate reflects old-world provincial charm and hospitality. Enjoy our classic, approachable wines while you stroll through our gardens and take in the breathtaking view that overlooks the Columbia River. We host a summer concert series, weddings, special family gatherings, private dinners and lunches. We are just minutes from Wenatchee and a world apart. Tasting Room open everyday, 12-5 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day; saintlaurent.net |
Closer to town, in a rather nondescript office park, Chateau Faire Le Pont nonetheless stands out as one of the Columbia Cascade region’s "must-visit" wineries. Housed in a 1920s-era brick fruit-staging warehouse replete with fir floors, faux-painted brick walls, and a central fireplace, the winery includes a tasting room, barrel room, large outdoor decks, and a gazebo. The winery restaurant, A Vineyard Café, features southern Italian specialties prepared with love by Chef Jerry Criscuolo and wife Wendy.
Chateau Faire Le Pont’s 15 bottlings run the gamut from Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah to Chateau Blanc (a Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend) and two impressive red blends—Provence and Confluence. (888-874-9463; fairelepont.com)
Icicle Ridge Winery embraces visitors in a rustic hunting-lodge ambiance thanks to its setting in the tiny town of Peshastin (4 miles outside of Leavenworth) and mammoth log-cabin tasting room. Beware of the mounted animal heads peering down while you taste. Free-flowing samples include the outstanding Three Blondes Gewürztraminer, Asian Pear Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Wine, and Chocolate Cherry Passion, a darkly decadent dessert wine.
Winemaker’s dinners and the Summer Jazzamatazz Concert Series are other popular draws at this über-friendly, family-run Columbia Cascade winery. But never fear: If you can’t make the pilgrimage to the winery, console yourself with a visit to A Taste of Icicle Ridge Winery in downtown Leavenworth. (509-548-7851; icicleridgewinery.com) |
