jeffreypratt (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jeffreypratt) wrote,@ 2008-04-13 14:14:00 |
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Yakima Valley Wine Tasting
A decent collection
Originally uploaded by jeffreyp
We took a break from wedding planning to visit the Yakima Valley this weekend. I've traveled through there several times on my way to Kennewick for work, and every time, I'm reminded that all of that is just two hours from home.
We stayed in Toppenish on the advice of a friend, and on Saturday, we headed out for a day of tasting. We started in the Tri-Cities at Tagaris in Kennewick for lunch and then went to Prosser, where we visited Hogue Cellars, Snoqualmie, and Airfield Estates. Then, we returned to Toppenish, where we went to Maison de Padgett and Paradisos del Sol. We ran out of time before we could visit a couple other Toppenish wineries on our list, but I'm sure we'll return soon enough!
We had two meals in Yakima. The first, on the way down on Friday night, was in a brand-new Italian restaurant called Zesta Cucina. We were both starving so I think for me, the food wasn't as good as I perceived it to be. It certainly was overpriced. The place was super-popular, though, so maybe I'm missing something. And then on Saturday after tasting, we went to Greystone and I found it to be excellent all around.
This was our first trip to the wineries and we learned a lot:
Lesson #1: The Yakima Valley is much larger than it looks on a map. You'll likely want to split up a two-day trip into two nights at two different hotels. You can find maps online of all of the wineries--they tend to be clustered together, and so you can pick a hotel or a B&B for each night that is located near the clusters of wineries you want to visit. This requires some planning ahead but will pay off when you can "cut loose" a little instead of spitting out and/or dumping wine at every stop.
Lesson #2: There is no such thing as "complimentary tasting". Even if I were a raging snob, I don't think I could walk out of a tasting room without at least buying a snack. They pour you a LOT of wine and take a lot of time explaining stuff to you. As you can see from the photo, we bought at least one bottle at every stop.
Lesson #3: The only good food is in Yakima or the Tri-Cities. You'll occasionally get snacks at the tasting rooms but for the most part, you are on your own for food. Plan ahead unless you don't mind eating at Subway. Next time we go, we'll bring our own lunches and pack food for dinners. Most of the hotels out there have refrigerators or mini-kitchens, anyway, so preparing a simple meal isn't impossible. But driving to Yakima (and back) after a day of wine tasting is both irresponsible and impractical.
Lesson #4: The amount of fun you'll have is inversely proportional to the size of the winery you visit. Did I get that backwards? I'm not very good at math after tasting wine for four hours. What I mean is that the smaller the winery, the more attention and education you'll get. But don't let that stop you from visiting them all. We visited the huge conglomerates (Hogue, Snoqualmie) and had a great time, but we were blown away by Paradisos del Sol, which is--no exaggeration--bolted on to the back of a farmhouse. Paul (the owner/host/winemaker/jack-of-all-trades)
Lesson #5: Don't be shy. It can be a bit intimidating for a newcomer to walk into one of these places and do the whole sniff/swirl/sip waltz, but the wineries are more than happy to teach you anything you need to know and answer questions--they want your business! We were particularly amused while at Paradisos del Sol when two full-on Hells Angels-looking bikers covered in leather and grease came in and proceeded to sit at the bar and argue over whether a chardonnay or a rose would be the best substitute for the unavailable riesling. "I can't get into the rose," said one of them. "Too much !@#$ing charcoal in the nose. It's real !@#$ing flowery on the palate but the finish tastes like ass."
Lesson #6: This would be a good place to bring a large group. You can rent a limo or a van and split the cost and have a great time. If you drive yourself, be responsible, pace yourself, and spit/dump liberally.
Overall, it was a lot of fun and I didn't drink a single beer all weekend. I have a suspicion that we'll probably be making another trip out that way pre-wedding to stock up the bar.
A decent collection
Originally uploaded by jeffreyp
We took a break from wedding planning to visit the Yakima Valley this weekend. I've traveled through there several times on my way to Kennewick for work, and every time, I'm reminded that all of that is just two hours from home.
We stayed in Toppenish on the advice of a friend, and on Saturday, we headed out for a day of tasting. We started in the Tri-Cities at Tagaris in Kennewick for lunch and then went to Prosser, where we visited Hogue Cellars, Snoqualmie, and Airfield Estates. Then, we returned to Toppenish, where we went to Maison de Padgett and Paradisos del Sol. We ran out of time before we could visit a couple other Toppenish wineries on our list, but I'm sure we'll return soon enough!
We had two meals in Yakima. The first, on the way down on Friday night, was in a brand-new Italian restaurant called Zesta Cucina. We were both starving so I think for me, the food wasn't as good as I perceived it to be. It certainly was overpriced. The place was super-popular, though, so maybe I'm missing something. And then on Saturday after tasting, we went to Greystone and I found it to be excellent all around.
This was our first trip to the wineries and we learned a lot:
Lesson #1: The Yakima Valley is much larger than it looks on a map. You'll likely want to split up a two-day trip into two nights at two different hotels. You can find maps online of all of the wineries--they tend to be clustered together, and so you can pick a hotel or a B&B for each night that is located near the clusters of wineries you want to visit. This requires some planning ahead but will pay off when you can "cut loose" a little instead of spitting out and/or dumping wine at every stop.
Lesson #2: There is no such thing as "complimentary tasting". Even if I were a raging snob, I don't think I could walk out of a tasting room without at least buying a snack. They pour you a LOT of wine and take a lot of time explaining stuff to you. As you can see from the photo, we bought at least one bottle at every stop.
Lesson #3: The only good food is in Yakima or the Tri-Cities. You'll occasionally get snacks at the tasting rooms but for the most part, you are on your own for food. Plan ahead unless you don't mind eating at Subway. Next time we go, we'll bring our own lunches and pack food for dinners. Most of the hotels out there have refrigerators or mini-kitchens, anyway, so preparing a simple meal isn't impossible. But driving to Yakima (and back) after a day of wine tasting is both irresponsible and impractical.
Lesson #4: The amount of fun you'll have is inversely proportional to the size of the winery you visit. Did I get that backwards? I'm not very good at math after tasting wine for four hours. What I mean is that the smaller the winery, the more attention and education you'll get. But don't let that stop you from visiting them all. We visited the huge conglomerates (Hogue, Snoqualmie) and had a great time, but we were blown away by Paradisos del Sol, which is--no exaggeration--bolted on to the back of a farmhouse. Paul (the owner/host/winemaker/jack-of-all-trades)
Lesson #5: Don't be shy. It can be a bit intimidating for a newcomer to walk into one of these places and do the whole sniff/swirl/sip waltz, but the wineries are more than happy to teach you anything you need to know and answer questions--they want your business! We were particularly amused while at Paradisos del Sol when two full-on Hells Angels-looking bikers covered in leather and grease came in and proceeded to sit at the bar and argue over whether a chardonnay or a rose would be the best substitute for the unavailable riesling. "I can't get into the rose," said one of them. "Too much !@#$ing charcoal in the nose. It's real !@#$ing flowery on the palate but the finish tastes like ass."
Lesson #6: This would be a good place to bring a large group. You can rent a limo or a van and split the cost and have a great time. If you drive yourself, be responsible, pace yourself, and spit/dump liberally.
Overall, it was a lot of fun and I didn't drink a single beer all weekend. I have a suspicion that we'll probably be making another trip out that way pre-wedding to stock up the bar.
