WINE LOVERS PARADISE (Part 2)

Fine wines in the Pacific Northwest are not limited to Oregon, they are also produced in Washington State, with many of them just across the Columbia River from Oregon in the Yakima Valley, about a 3-1/2 hour drive from The Fulton House. Take I-84 east to U.S. 97, drive across the river on the free highway bridge and 60 miles later right into the heart of wine country, where about 25 fine wineries are just waiting for you to discover.

Established in 1983, the Yakima Valley appellation was the first officially recognized viticultural area in Washington. Wines produced in the area include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite verdot, cabernet franc, lemberger, pinot gris, port and sherry, zinfandel, riesling, pinot noir, chenin blanc, gewurztraminer, chardonnay, muscat canelli, orange muscat, lemberger, syrah, rose', semillon, fume' blanc, icewines and champagne. Enough varietals and specialty wines for you?

Many of these wineries have tasting rooms; please, if you taste too many, don't drive all the way back to Portland....stay locally!

Several of these wineries have picnic areas, fresh fruit and produce stands, magnificent views, special events, and tours illustrating their winemaking prowess. If you come from a state like Oregon or Montana, which have no sales tax, just show your driver's license and you won't be charged Washington sales tax.

The biggest event of the year held by Yakima Valley wineries is "Spring Barrel Tasting," held the last full weekend of April. This is an ideal time to immerse yourself in the area's wine culture and sip samples of wine direct from the barrel, as well as finished wines from the bottle. Take a tour, talk with a winemaker and dine on excellent Northwest foods. It's great fun and can be a terrific learning experience for oenophiles.

And if you can't make it in April, any time of year can be really entertaining!