Make Time for a Washington Wine Tasting Adventure

Wine travel is always fun and exciting for vino enthusiasts. A trip among the vineyards provides an opportunity to discover new grapes, producers, and bottles to bring home and share with friends and family. Though most major wine regions of the world are far from our tropical paradise here in Miami, they are generally located in other beautiful places that offer South Floridians a change of scenery and a reprieve from our relentless humidity. With travel being a possibility again, it’s time to get back to the vines.

I recently had the opportunity to visit a charming lakeside “agritourism” area and found it to be ideal for the South Florida wine lover interested in venturing far from home. The region of Lake Chelan is located on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in north-central Washington. It’s a destination that offers visitors year-round opportunities to enjoy natural mountain and lakeside beauty during a western wine tasting adventure.

The state of Washington is home to more than 1,000 licensed wineries across 19 recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Lake Chelan is the state’s 11th AVA, designated as one in 2009. Though smaller in size, this region does not have one distinct style of wine, as the relatively new commercial industry here is still evolving through the families who own the boutique operations. This “emerging” wine-making community is one that is ripe to explore.

An adventure to this northwestern region starts by flying into Seattle and making your way across the mountains to what locals call “Eastern Washington,” which includes anywhere east of the Cascades. The Lake Chelan AVA is far from any major city, and its remoteness makes it even more appealing for South Florida “wine-os” looking for some fresh air and social distancing. Once you arrive in the pleasant lakeside town of Chelan, it’s time to taste some wine at several of the over 30 different wineries and tasting rooms scattered along the hillsides surrounding the deep, glacially carved lake and throughout the valley.

Lake Chelan is home to the two wineries that can boast being the 2020 and 2021 “Washington Winery of the Year” according to Wine Press Northwest’s Best of the Best, beating out top wineries across the state. Tsillan Cellars (a Native American word pronounced Chelan, meaning “deep water”) holds the award for 2020. This Italian-inspired villa sits on the south shore of the lake on a hill overlooking vineyards that seemingly plunge into the blue water below. Owner, Dr. Bob Jankelson, wanted to create an Italian country retreat and used architectural design from that country as the inspiration for his authentic design. Stay and taste wines produced from all estate-grown grapes or have a bite to eat in Sorrento’s Ristorante overlooking the mountain-backdropped lake.

Mellisoni Vineyards, owned by Donna and Rob Mellison, was awarded Winery of the Year in 2021 by Wine Press Northwest, and the couple was also named “Winemakers of the Year 2021” by the Seattle Wine Awards. Mellisoni was created after a trip to Tuscany where Donna and Rob fell in love with the idea of “agriturismo,” or bringing visitors to an agricultural site, and they developed the winery with that experience in mind. Also located on the south shore of the lake, Mellisoni’s tasting room offers unforgettable views of the surrounding valley. The Mellisons have won numerous awards for their wines, which include red and white classics like riesling, chardonnay, malbec, and merlot, as well as Italian favorites such as pinot grigio, barbera, and sangiovese.

For those who fancy some bubbles, a visit to Karma Vineyards is a must! Dine garden-style at the onsite restaurant, 18 Brix, named for the sugar levels at which the grapes are picked to make sparkling wine. Taste a flight of Blanc de Blancs, rosé, and brut bubbles, all made in the traditional Methode Champenoise. Before you leave, tour the “Champagne cave” built into the hillside and designed just like the ones you would find in the iconic French region. Karma Vineyards offers a truly unique sparkling wine experience in Washington.

Continuing on your tasting adventure, you must pass through quaint downtown Chelan, home of numerous restaurants and shops, to cross to the north shore where even more wineries and tasting rooms can be found. A stop into Succession Wines gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy picturesque views while sitting amongst the vines on a hillside overlooking the lake. In the wintertime, guests can sip wine fireside in the presence of the surrounding snow-covered mountains. Succession’s small team makes award-winning wines right there at their onsite production facility using both estate-grown grapes and varieties from other Washington regions. Make your way down the road and stop into the Alta Cellars tasting room located in the original firehouse in the nearby town of Manson for more wines under the direction of Succession owners Brock and Erica Lindsay. Their chardonnay was a personal favorite, and just might be a crowd-pleaser for other South Florida wine lovers, too.

For more information on visiting Lake Chelan and the Lake Chelan Wine Valley, visit lakechelan.com or tastechelan.com.