Believe it or not, Central Washington is a rapidly growing, versatile wine region. With a climate similar to parts of Chile and Argentina, my home state has been producing high-quality wines for years.
Leavenworth happens to be jam-packed with tasting rooms, allowing visitors to sample a wide variety of wines from all over the Wenatchee, Cashmere and Icicle valleys. I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t spent many a day wandering town hopping from one tasting room to the next–in fact, wine tasting might just be one of Leavenworth’s biggest draws for out-of-towners as well.
I like to talk a big talk when it comes to wine, but I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret–I don’t actually know much about it beyond the basics. As such, whenever an opportunity arises for me to learn a bit more about my favorite libation, I jump on it.
Luckily for me, Blue Sky Outfitters offers a day of wine tasting that takes guests beyond the wineries and tasting rooms within walking distance in Leavenworth, allowing them to sample wines they may not be exposed to otherwise.
The tour begins with pickup in Leavenworth and travels to four different wineries in Peshastin, Wenatchee, and Cashmere over the course of an afternoon. I joined a couple visiting from Seattle for this day outing, and this is what I found.
A Winery Tour in Central Washington
Stop #1: Wedge Mountain Winery
The first stop on our winery tour, Wedge Mountain Winery, was nestled amidst pear orchards near the junction of Highway 2 and Blewett Pass. Looking to the west provided a phenomenal view of the Cascade mountains, and the surrounding fruit trees seemed to block out the outside world.
We entered the small warehouse building and were greeted by Mary Ann, one of the winery owners. It became immediately apparent that we were in the presence of great wines–everywhere I looked my eyes found bottles draped in awards from local and national wine competitions. I was eager to sample their goods.
Our time was spent sipping Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Viognier and Tawny, among others, and discussing tasting techniques and the various wine regions of Washington state. Mary Ann patiently fielded each of my questions and I left with a deeper understanding of each of the wines we had tasted.
Wedge Mountain provided perhaps the most intimate tasting experience. The operation is still fairly small-scale with the majority of sales taking place right there at the warehouse, and with few other customers coming in and out during our tasting, we had the full attention of Mary Ann and her husband, Charlie.
My only regret was not purchasing one of their wines for fear that I might find another I liked more on a subsequent stop. I still dream of the caramel creaminess of their Tawny and will return to purchase a bottle (or five) the next time I’m back in the state.
Stop #2: Chateau Faire le Pont
Stop number two took us to the north end of Wenatchee to Chateau Faire le Pont. Though the setting wasn’t quite as romantic as the first, the beautiful brick building the winery was housed in made up for it.
The wine bar sat sandwiched between a restaurant and a banquet hall (they often host weddings and other events on the premises) and was bright and welcoming. We each sampled five wines of our choosing; I decided on another Viognier for comparison’s sake (I had never tasted Viognier before that day), a Pinot Gris, a Malbec, a Merlot and a Port.
As we chatted with our hostess, we learned that the name of the winery is a french term meaning “bridge the gap” (faire le pont). This phrase is typically used when a holiday falls mid-week, but you want to extend it through the weekend because you are having such a great time.
The experience at Chateau Faire le Pont was certainly enjoyable and the wines drinkable, but none of them particularly blew me away. Their wine list is long, though, so I could easily make a case for going back to taste the rest.
Stop #3: Horan Estates Winery
Our third stop of the day would take us back in the direction of Leavenworth for two tastings in my real hometown, Cashmere. Wineries have been slower to crop up in this part of the valley, but these days you’ll find several.
Horan Estates Winery is housed in Cashmere’s Mission District alongside more wineries, a distillery, and the Devil’s Gulch Drinkery (a good place to spend an afternoon drinking, I guess!). This quaint, Tuscan-themed tasting room is full of character and family history.
Owners Beth and Dennis Dobbs were both on-hand to greet us and give us a rich experience beyond just the tasting. Their wine labels created from old family photos immediately endeared me, and when we were given a tour of their production facility next door, I could truly feel the passion these people have for their craft.
My facial muscles grew tired from the constant smiling and laughing during our tour, and before leaving I just couldn’t say no to purchasing a bottle.
Stop #4: Cashmere Cellars
Last but not least, we made our way to Cashmere Cellars, also within the Mission District, for our final tasting of the day. I have to admit I was beginning to run out of steam at this point, but I powered through most of the wines they had to offer. It would be rude not to, right?
I sampled nothing but reds at Cashmere Cellars–a Pinot Noir, a Merlot, a Syrah, a blend, and a Cabernet Sauvignon–all hailing from the Columbia and Yakima valleys.
As you might imagine, our last tasting quickly devolved into not much more than a riotous 20 minutes of laughter. My two companions and I had become quick friends over the course of the day, and our words flowed as freely as the wine. No questions about techniques, no discussions of tannicity or mouthfeel or bitterness, just pure, uncomplicated enjoyment of the flavors swirling in our mouths.
The day ended on a high note as we piled back into our bus, happy and tipsy, for the return to Leavenworth.
About Blue Sky Outfitters
Blue Sky Outfitters specializes in white water rafting, wine tours, beer tours, and nature tours. Many of these can be combined to create the perfect day trip to suit your tastes.
The three-hour winery tour I participated in is available Friday-Sunday. We were shuttled from location to location in a spacious bus so we could appreciate the beautiful views of the valley during the ride, and even provided with snacks and water in between. I loved everything about this experience and would highly recommend it to my fellow wine lovers.
The price of the tour does not include tasting fees at each winery; this $5 fee is waived with the purchase of a bottle.
For more information and for bookings, visit BlueSkyOutfitters.com.
This post was written in collaboration with the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce.
