Side Porch TR house Canyon Rocks

Wine & Nature

Be Prepared to Relax, Enjoy great Wine, and take in the Amazing Views from our Wrap Around Porch and surrounding Hiking Trails

The Tasting Room Yakima is a perfect place to start your wine tasting tour, go hiking or mountain biking, take in a sunset on our wrap-around porch, relax, or watch local wildlife!

When you arrive at The Tasting Room Yakima, first stop at the 1900’s era farmhouse tasting room where over 25 wines from boutique wineries Harlequin Wine Cellars, Mountain Dome Winery, Naches Heights Vineyards and Wilridge Winery are available for tasting and sale.  All wines are open for tasting daily, plus every wine is available by the glass or the bottle. 

After you've found a wine to go with your picnic lunch, head out to adventure on 85 acres high above Yakima Valley and the Cowiche Canyon Nature Preserve.  Here you can go on meandering walks in our organic and biodynamic vineyards, be a little adventurous and head down into Cowiche Canyon, go rock climbing, picnic by the vineyard, watch local wildlife or just relax on the porch and take in the scenic views. 

Wilridge Vineyard 

After twenty years of buying grapes from some of the best vineyards in Washington, Paul Beveridge of Wilridge Winery planted his own vineyard here in Spring 2007. The biodynamic vineyard include twenty-two different grape varieties from the classic wine regions of Europe, including France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.  You are welcome to stroll the vineyard at your leisure, or choose a chore and we will put you to work!  

 

Cowiche Canyon Adventures

The Tasting Room Yakima borders the Cowiche Canyon nature preserve where you can roam, hike, rock climb or mountain bike your way through a 3.2 mile long wilderness canyon.  The William O. Douglas trail winds through the bottom of the Canyon from downtown Yakima to Mount Rainier and the Pacific Crest Trail.  Working with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, we have extended a half mile feeder trail connecting the William O. Douglas trail with the vineyard and tasting room.

The 1/2 mile hike from The Tasting Room to the bottom of the Canyon is easy enough for the whole family to enjoy...plus if anyone gets a little too hot, just plunge your feet into Cowiche Creek for a nice break. 

Mountain biking is also very popular on the bluffs and in the canyon.  There is a relatively easy loop trail around the vineyard and the "West 40."  From the vineyard, you can also connect directly with the network of single track trails that crisscross the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. the single track trails range from easy to expert. 

For the really adventurous, the cliffs of Cowiche Canyon offer rock climbing in the 5.7 to 5.12 range.  A short trail from the Vineyard takes you to a series of cliffs and overhangs that are perfect for setting up top ropes.  Bolts have been placed at several strategic routes by local climbers.  If you are going to climb, we suggest you wait to visit the Tasting Room until after your adventure! 

 

 

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Benefit

September 19th 2009

12pm to 6pm

Join us in our effort to promote a health future for the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy and our community.  Phil Cline, of Naches Height Vineyard, will lead the way with vineyard tours.  Guided hikes will be scheduled throughout the day by Yakima's own Geologist David Huycke.  And in our Gallery we will be featuring local artwork and photography.  In addition, The Tasting Room will be pouring some of Washington's best boutique wine producers:  Harlequin Wine Cellars, Naches Height Vineyard and Wilrdige Winery.  For your enjoyment we will feature llive music and picnic foods.  Come enjoy the beauty and outdoor activities of Cowiche Canyon while supporting the Conservancy.  Check us out and donate what you can to this wonderful cause.

Elegant Wines

Logo Glass

Washington Wines have taken the world by storm!  Here at The Tasting Room Yakima we offer over 25 Washington wines from winemaker owned boutique winereies Harlequin Wine Cellars, Mountain Dome Winery, Naches Heights Vineyards and Wilridge Winery.  If you want to try a wide variety of Reds, Whites, Bordeaux-style blends, Italian varietals, dessert wines or other classic Washington-style wines, then you have found the right place. 

Events at Wilridge Vineyard

Wedding Time

The Tasting Room Yakima at Wilridge Vineyard is the perfect place to host your next event:  birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weddings, reunions or get togethers with friends.

Please call for available dates - (509) 966-0686

Note: We do not have a commercial kitchen, but we work with the best caterers in the area, so we can bring in whatever you desire. 

Facillity Rental Information

Conference Room : $100

  • 10 - 15 guests

  • 4 hours included, $100/hr thereafter

  • Price includes: wine glasses, water and dumpbucket

  • No minimum wine purchase required

  • If wine is brought in for an event that is not from one of our participating wineries, the corkage fee is $10 per bottle


Valley View Lawn
: $500

  • 40 - 60 guests

  • 4 hours included, $100/hr thereafter

  • Price includes: lawn area and wine glasses

  • No minimum wine purchase required

  • If wine is brought in for an event that is not from one of our participating wineries, the corkage fee is $10 per bottle


Vineyard Lawn
: $800

  • 100 - 150 guests

  • 4 hours included, $100/hr thereafter

  • Price includes: lawn area

  • No minimum wine purchase required

  • If wine is brought in for an event that is not from one of our participating wineries, the corkage fee is $10 per bottle


If you are looking for a caterer or bakery for your event, we would love to suggest one for you. We can also provide wine pairing suggestions to go with your menu selections.  Oh yeah, we've got it all...just ask us.

Feel free to drop by the tasting room or give us a call.  We would love to host your next event.

Adventures

Canyon Rocks

The Tasting Room Yakima includes Wine Tasting and so much more!

With over 80 acres of vineyards, orchards and sageland bluffs to explore, a seemingly simple wine tasting experience transforms into an afternoon full of adventure. Your visit can include wine tasting, picnicing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, wildlife viewing or relaxing on the lawn.

Wine Tasting:

As Washington's first cooperative tasting room, The Tasting Room Yakima represents four bouqitue WA wineries: Harlequin Wine Cellars, Mountain Dome Winery, Naches Heights Vineyard and Wilridge Winery.  With over 20 wines available by the glass or bottle, you are sure to find a wine to love.  Check out the Wines section to view all the varietals available.

Picnic Areas:

Pack a picnic lunch, choose your favorite WA wine from our wide selection and spend the afternoon relaxing under the sun. The porch on our 1900's farmhouse tasting room provides picnic tables with amazing views of the Yakima Valley and Wilridge Vineyard. Picnic tables are available on a first come, first serve basis.  But can always bring along a blanket and camp out on the lawn in the shade of the vines and fruit trees.

Cowiche Caynon = Hiking/Biking Trails & Wildlife Viewing:

The Cowiche Canyon Nature Preserve trail and mountain biking area is a few steps from The Tasting Room Yakima's back door.  The 1/2 mile trail through Wilridge Vineyard down to the canyon floor is surrounded by century old sagebrush, wildlife and beautiful Andesite and Basalt rock formations.  Once a railroad line, Cowiche Canyon is now a 2.9 mile unpaved trail, framed with basalt and andesite rock as it winds to make 9 crossings of the creek.  Several hundred species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, birds and other wildlife flourish in the area. Bring along your walking shoes, water bottle, and camera and we'll point you in the right direction.

"The Cowiche Canyon Trail is a great location for finding Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Yellow-breasted Chat.  It is also a very quiet location with little man-made  noise intrusions and the steep walls confine the birds in a very narrow band.  Late May through early June features the prime period for claiming territories, the birds will be most vocal and visible at this time.  Chats, Orioles, and Grosbeaks are usually found within the first three bridges...with additional individuals added as we go farther.  This year, we didn't find a Bunting until bridge six.  Probably went by more but they are small and have rather weak high pitched calls.  Plus they prefer a drier habitat lingering just behind the riparian band.  

Rock Wrens and Canyon Wrens are also vocal along the trail at this time of year.  Frequently, they will be high on the walls or on the rim.  Turkey Vultures and Ravens cruise by if one remembers to look up.  Common Nighthawks were seen this year and every year brings Swallows...both Violet-green and Cliff nest heavily there.  

Marmots are usually seen and a variety of plants also add appeal to the walk.  And though the trail has a reputation for rattlesnakes, I have never seen one in all my visits.  I suppose if you walk heavy and slow, they move out of the way. "

~Excerpts from reports by Richard Repp on Yakima Valley Audubon field trips to Cowiche Canyon in May and June.  

Rock Climbing:

Grab your gear and come rock climbing!  Two sections of andesite rock on the south side of Wilridge Vineyard host bolted anchors with top rope climbing opportunities ranging from 5.8 - 5.12.  We'll point you in the right direction....all you need is a sense of adventure and your rock climbing gear.  We do suggest delaying the wine consumption part of your visit until after climbing!

Wildlife Viewing:

Enjoy a glass of wine on the porch and see: raptors flying overhead, squirells running here and there, quail meandering on the lawn, marmots seeking food on the bluffs, butterflys and praying mantis in the garden, and so much more.