Due to popular consumer demand, the First Annual Vineyard Trip to the Tagaris Estate Vineyards in the Wahluke Slope AVA has been scheduled for Saturday, September 11.
The Wahluke Slope AVA is a 13-mile-wide gravel bar created by the ice age floods that ravaged Eastern Washington some 15,000 years ago. It's bordered to the north by the Saddle Mountains and on the other three sides by the Columbia River.
One of the state's warmest grape growing regions, top winemakers consider the Wahluke Slope as the backbone of the Washington Wine Industry. Two of Tagaris' vineyards, its 174 acre organic Michael Vineyard and its smaller Alice Vineyard both lie within the Wahluke; its Arete Vineyard lies just to the east in the Columbia Valley AVA.
The trip will leave from Richland Washington's Tagaris at 9:00am heading off to the vineyards via motor coach with Starbucks and Danish in hand.
First stop will be Tagaris' newest vineyard, 2-year-old, organic Michael Vineyard. Plantings consist of Carménerè, Cab Franc, Muscat Canelli, Cinsault, Barbara, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Winemaker Frank Roth and his staff will pour barrel samples of each grape variety in each varietal block, and grapes can be tasted from the vine to explore the connection from vine to wine.
The group will then move on to King Fuji Ranch, home to one of America's largest Fuji apple plantings with more than 1.5 million trees. King Fuji is also home to 6-year-old Alice Vineyard, where Mourvèdre, Counoise, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Malbec are grown. Smaller groups will split up to tour the orchards and the vineyards, with barrel samples and grape and apple-picking along the way.
The final stop will be at the 26-year-old, old-vine Areté Vineyard. Here, tour guests will walk amongst organic plantings of Sémillon, Gewürztraminer, White Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc and will enjoy a traditional Mexican fiesta and wine pairings served at Tagaris' private park in the heart of the vineyard. The park has spectacular 360-degree views of the Saddle Mountains, Mount Adams, and Mount Rainier.
In all, the tour will include 322 acres of vineyard delight, and over 1000 acres of appleliciousness!! Estimated time of return to the winery is between 3:00-4:00 pm.
Tickets are on sale now for just $90.00 per person and may be purchased at Tagaris or ordered over the phone. The cutoff date for ordering tickets is August 31st. Tickets are not refundable after that date.Â
For more information send an email, call the Taverna at 509.628.0200, call the Winery at 509.628.1619, or visit the Tagaris Website.
Posted by Joe and Colleen Lane, your Tri Cities Real Estate Agents. Call or email us today! 509.438.9344
Source: TRIDEC E-Newsletter August 5, 2010
Posted by Colleen Lane on
We've got some great wine regions in SA. I live pretty close to the Barossa Valley and there's nothing better than going on a wine tour so that you can sample some of the best wines so that you can replenish your wine stock at home.
Posted by Sire on Sunday, August 8th, 2010 at 11:51pmLeave A Comment