Information about wineries, breweries, novelty food products, and fresh farm markets is provided in this section for Tri-Cities Washington and other nearby communities in Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon.

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A vineyard in Southeastern Washington

Vineyards and Wineries
This region is host to many vineyards and wineries. The Columbia Valley appellation is 185 miles wide and 200 miles long, sprawling across nearly half of Washington State.

It consists of the Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Walla Walla Valley, and Yakima Valley sub-appellations that are all in this region. These sub-appellations were created based on the different micro-climates and soil conditions.

The Washington Wine Commision provides information on the appellations in this region and allows you to search for wineries and even prepare a travel itinerary.

The mission of Washington Wine Country is to promote education about the wineries in Washington including the appellations in this region. An extensive directory of wineries in each appellation is provided.

Some of the appellations are represented by alliances formed to promote their wineries and increase tourism:

Note: the few wineries in Northeast Oregon (near Milton-Freewater) are part of the Walla Walla Valley appellation.

For winery related events, check the following:

Northwest Journeys
John Crancer, an Emmy award recepient, hosts Northwest Journeys, which shows 30 minute features about the Northwest each week. Shows have been produced about the Southeast Washington wine industry that you can view online.

Publications
The 2008 edition of the The Grape Vine (PDF) provides wine and tourism information that is categorized by the different wine appellations in this region.

Wine Press Northwest is a quarterly publication, produced in the Tri-Cities, for those with an interest in wine.

Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine
Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine is a great blog consisting of "Wine Wisdom, Wit and Words from a Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman."

Winery Tours
Several limousine services in this region offer three hour winery tours at an average cost of $300 for a small group. Red Mountain Country Carriages will take you on a 2.5 hour tour of wineries in the Red Mountain area in their horse drawn carriage for about $50/person.

Breweries
There several breweries in this region that make hand crafted beers:

Hard Apple Cider
Blue Mountain Cider Company, located in Milton-Freewater, produces several kinds of hand-crafted, artisan style, hard apple ciders. Their ciders are a refreshing alternative to beer and wine and are a perfect compliment to many foods.

Novelty Food Products
Various novelty food products are packaged and marketed from this region and include:

Food and Wine Pairing

Dr. Robert J. Harrington, a former Tri-Citian, is an associate professor at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville). He recently published the reference book Food and Wine Pairing: A Sensory Experience.

This is "the only book that presents food and wine pairing from a culinary and sensory perspective." Chapter 11 features food and wine pairing from the Northwest. This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Small Farms
Several small farms in this region are members of LocalHarvest which is about "real food, real farms, real community."

Some of these farms are community supported agriculture (CSA) which provide members with fresh, high-quality, local food all through the growing season. One CSA that supplies members in the Tri-Cities area is Schreiber & Sons in Eltopia.

Farmer's Markets
There are several Farmer's Markets in this region that are open from June though October.

Washington State Farmers Markets Association lists locations and dates for Kennewick, Othello, Pasco, Prosser, Richland, and Walla Walla while Oregon State Farmers' Markets lists locations and dates for Pendleton and Umatilla.

To see what these markets typically have to offer, check out the Prosser Farmer's Market and the Walla Walla Farmer's Market.

Roadside Stands
If you drive the secondary roads through the lower Yakima Valley or in the Hermiston area, for example, you will find fruit and vegetable roadside stands during the harvest season.

The Yakima Valley Visitor's & Convention Bureau offers the Yakima Valley Fresh Produce Guide (PDF), that lists fruit and vegetable road stands and u-pick locations in the lower Yakima Valley. The guide also includes a harvest schedule.

Blue Mountain Lavender Farm
The Blue Mountain Lavender Farm, located in Touchet, grows 15 fragrant varieties of lavender. The public can cut and gather bouquets of lavender from June through July. In addition, various lavender related products are available for purchase.

Cool Slice Garden Fresh Produce (Pasco)
There is an outdoor market located in Pasco called Cool Slice Garden Fresh Produce at Road 48 and W. Court Street that is open every day during the harvest season that begins in June.

Walla Walla Sweet Onions
Walla Walla Sweet Onions, famous for their exceptionally sweet taste, have been grown for over a century in the Walla Walla region. The Walla Walla Sweet Onion is the official Washington state vegetable.