The Wine Knows

Three years ago, I wrote a column for Wine Press Northwest called, "Prosser on the verge", in which I talked about the Yakima Valley town having the opportunity to be the next great wine destination in the Northwest. Three years later, Prosser is almost there. I stopped in town today on the way home from a weekend in the Puget Sound, and I am thrilled with what I see. A few tidbits:

- Desert Wind Vineyards is right there with Tsillan Cellars (Lake Chelan), Maryhill Winery (Columbia Gorge) and Basel Cellas (Walla Walla) as true destination wineries, thanks to its lineup of wines, its on-site restaurant plans, its location overlooking the Yakima River and its beautiful guest suites.

- The cluster of wineries growing out of the desert near downtown. Thurston Wolfe and Willow Crest are well established in their new locations, and two other wineries are in construction phase (Airport Ranch and Olsen Estates), as is the new Winemaker's Loft, which will be home to six wineries under one roof. All of these are within a block of each other, so visitors will be able to stroll from winery to winery. Nearby is a terrific garden center, which makes for a nice diversion.

- Snoqualmie Vineyards, Kestrel Vintners and Hogue Cellars anchor the east end of town and cater to visitors. Snoqualmie's fountain is especially nice in the summer for picnics.

- The Walter Clore Center is still in the fund-raising stages but promises to rise over the banks of the Yakima River next to Desert Wind. It will be a visitor and education center and is named after Walter Clore, the man who came up with the idea of planting European wine grapes in Washington. He lived in Prosser and worked at the WSU research station there.

- The true sign of civilization is Starbucks (I'm slightly kidding), and one has arrived near "Fast Food Row" on the way to Thurston Wolfe and Willow Crest.

- Several other wineries in Prosser are visitor-friendly, including Alexandria Nicole, Yakima River, Hinzerling, C.R. Sandidge, Chinook (when it's open), Pontin del Rosa, VineHeart and Cowan.

- New wineries planning to go in are Bunnell Family Cellars, Prosser Wine Co. and Milbrandt.

What's still needed? Decent places to stay and eat.

The Horse Heaven Inn is a standard motel and works pretty well, but Prosser is ripe for a few B&Bs and maybe a wine-themed lodge or resort. Desert Wind's guest suites will appeal to those who enjoy fine surroundings and remind me of the Inn at El Gaucho in Seattle. Prices are going to be $200 and up, so the appeal will be to the higher-end traveler. More of this is needed, as well as nice lodgings in the $125 range.

The town has no restaurants of repute that will appeal to wine visitors, but there are rumors of a Seattle-area chef sniffing around. Desert Wind has a great kitchen set-up and can accommodate lunches and dinners. If the success of Tagaris Taverna in Richland (25 miles to the east) is any indication, Desert Wind should do fairly well, thanks to being surrounded by more than 20 wineries.

If someone out there has the fortitude to start a little restaurant or bistro and let the business develop for a season or so, I think they'll be sitting pretty in a town that could turn out to be the next Healdsburg.