Image: Little Badger Mountain
Little Badger Mountain by Scott Fischer Photography

Breweries, Fresh Farm Markets, and Wineries in the Tri-Cities Washington Region

A directory of breweries, fresh farm markets, and wine appellations and winery alliances is provided for Tri-Cities Washington and other nearby communities in Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon.

The directory covers breweries and brewpubs, beer history, hops, farmers markets, farm products, community supported agriculture (CSA), fruit stands, produce stands, LocalHarvest, Slow Food, specialty foods, cooperatives (coop), wine appellations, winery alliances, winery tours, books, and magazines.

Thumbnail image: The Grape Vine Event Guide
The Grape Vine - Free Guide to Winery Events, Tours, and Attractions

Breweries, Brewpubs, and Hops

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Bert Grant - Northwest Microbrewery Pioneer

In 1982, Bert Grant founded the Yakima Brewing & Malting Co. which became the first modern independent craft brewery in the Pacific Northwest. At that time there were less than 50 craft breweries in the United States. Bert sold the Yakima Brewing & Malting Co. and Grant's brewpub to Chateau St. Michelle Winery in 1995. After Bert's death in 2001, the Yakima Brewing and Malting Co. and Grant's Brewpub were sold to Black Bear Brewing Company. The microbrewery finally closed in 2005 after Black Bear ran into financial and legal problems. For more articles about Bert Grant, see Realbeer.com - Bert Grant.

According to Liquid Diet - the blog, the Yakima Craft Brewing Co. is now using a 3.5bbl brewhouse that is Bert Grant’s original one from 1982 and they are using an all-copper kettle that Grant had made plus the old dairy tanks and other original equipment.

Walla Walla Beer Making History

Gary Flynn of Bellingham, WA is a breweriana collector and novice historian. He has published a short history of beer making in Walla Walla that dates back to the 1850's. Also, BrewPublic.com has a short history article titled Walla Walla is Beer Country?

Local Breweries and Brewpubs

There are several breweries and brewpubs in this region that make hand crafted beers:

Mid-Columbia Zymurgy Association

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The Mid-Columbia Zymurgy Association (MCZA) was created to disseminate information about the techniques of creating good homebrewed beer, mead and wine. This group meets the third Thursday of every month at Ice Harbor Brewery in Kennewick.

Walla Walla Brewers Club

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The Walla Walla Brewers Club is a group of home and Pro brewers that meet on a continual basis. If you want to see some of the equipment and ingredients involved in making small batches of brew, check out the club's photo gallery.

Yakima Valley Hop Industry

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American Hop Musuem in Toppenish

The hops grown in Yakima Valley represent approximately 75 percent of the total United States hop acreage and 25% of the world's supply. For more information about this hop growing region, check out USAHops - Washington State. For more educational information about hops, check out Hop Education by Hopunion, a major supplier of hop products based in Yakima.

The American Hop Museum, located in Toppenish, is the nation's only hop museum dedicated to the preservation of the historical equipment, photos, and artifacts that have long been important in the growing and harvesting of hops. The Museum's website provides a brief history behind the hop industry in Yakima Valley and a walk through the typical hop season; from spring, to fall.

Fresh Farm Markets & Specialty Foods

Farmers' Markets

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Prosser Farmers' Market

There are several Farmers' Markets in this region that are open from mid May though early October. The following farmers' markets are located in this region:

Fresh Fruit & Produce Stands and U-Pick Farms (Tri-Cities)

Thumbnail image: Cool Slice Garden Fresh Produce Stand
Cool Slice Garden Fresh Produce

Some of the produce stands located in the Tri-Cities are listed below:

Some of the u-pick farms in the vicinity of the Tri-Cities include: Also, check out the Fruit and Vegetables section of the Tri-City Herald Classifieds for more offerings.

Roadside Stands and U-Pick Farms (outside Tri-Cities)

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The following are resources that list roadside stands and u-pick farms outside of the Tri-Cities: Note: If you are interested in fruit stands further north in the Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Lake Chelan region then check out the directory provided by the Cascade Foothills Farmland Association.

Fruit, Produce, Eggs and Meat Producers

The following are a sample of some of the fruit, produce, egg and meat producers in this region:

LocalHarvest and Community Supported Farms

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Several small farms in this region are members of LocalHarvest which is about "real food, real farms, real community." Check out the long list of LocalHarvest members in this region.

Some of these members have farms that are community supported agriculture (CSA) that provide subscribers with fresh, high-quality, local food all through the growing season. Several CSA's that supply subscribers in the Tri-Cities area are Schreiber & Sons in Eltopia, Heavenly Hills Harvest in Sunnyside, Finley's Fresh Produce in Hermiston, and Gypsy Sally's Produce Pallace in Walla Walla.

Slow Food Southeast Washington Chapter

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Slow Food "is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment."

There is now a Slow Food USA chapter in this region known as Slow Food Southeast Washington (SFSEWA). You will find a list of local producers of meat, eggs, fruit, and produce. A few of the farms listed are community supported agriculture (CSA). Also, restaurants in this region that use local products are listed.

Specialty Food Products

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Various specialty products are packaged and marketed from this region and most can be ordered online. They include:

There are several other specialty food products worth mentioning that are available in the Tri-Cities:

Blue Mountain Cider Company

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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.

Blue Mountain Lavender Farm

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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.

Note: there is another lavender farm called Sleepy Hollow Lavender that is located in Waitsburg.

Daily Market Cooperative - Walla Walla

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The Daily Market Cooperative is a food co-op located in Walla Walla that carries local meat, bread, and produce plus organic groceries ranging from juice and coffee to soups, pasta, and baking ingredients.

Note: another co-op in this region, the Pendleton Community Co-op, expects to open their doors in September 2010.

Shop the Northwest - Home of the Parkway and More

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Shop the Northwest - Home of the Parkway and More operates from downtown Richland and is a collective effort of local businesses, farmers, artists and vendors, selling together online to expand their customer base nationwide. Farmers and vendors who sell at local farmers' markets throughout the summer months have a way to stay connected to local buyers throughout the year. Order perishable items by Thursday with pick-up at 1201 Jadwin, Suite 201 on Fridays between 4 and 6 p.m.

Walla Walla Sweet Onions

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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.

Vineyards and Wineries

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Vineyard near Dallas Road, Tri-Cities Area (photo by Scott Butner)

About the appellations...

This region is host to many vineyards and wineries that are located in different appellations. 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, Snipes 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. Note: the few wineries in Northeast Oregon (near Milton-Freewater) are part of the Walla Walla Valley appellation.

The Snipes Mountain appellation, located in Yakima County, received federal approval during February 2009 to become its 10th appellation or American Viticultural Area (AVA). Upland Estates has more information about the appellation.

Wineries

Some of the appellations are represented by alliances formed to promote their wineries and to increase tourism. The following alliances list wineries associated with the appellations they represent:

Wines Northwest has additional information about the wineries in this region for Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Snipes Mountain & Red Mountain and South Columbia Valley Tri Cities Area, Horse Heaven Hills & Red Mountain.

Wineries - Calendars of Events

For winery related events, check the following:

Books, Magazines, and Northwest Journeys

Food and Wine Pairing
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Dr. Robert J. Harrington, a former Tri-Citian, is a professor and holder of the Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in Hospitality in the School of Human Environmental Sciences at Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (University of Arkansas - Fayetteville). He 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.

Northwest Journeys
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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 including Lecole No 41 (Lowden), Preston Premium Wines (Pasco), and Terra Blanca (Benton City).

The Science of Grapevines: Anatomy and Physiology
Thumbnail image: bookcover for 'The Science of Grapevines: Anatomy and Physiology'
Markus Keller, Ph.D., a Washington State University viticulturist at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, is the author of The Science of GrapeVines: Anatomy and Physiology. This textbook is the only one to comprehensively explore the physiology of the grapevine as it occurs around the world. It is available from Elsevier, the publisher of this book, and from Amazon.com.

Wine Press Northwest
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The Wine Press Northwest is a quarterly publication, produced in the Tri-Cities, for those with an interest in wine. You can subscribe to this glossy magazine for $20 per year.

Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine

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

Tri-Cities Wine Society

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The Tri-Cities Wine Society is a non-profit organization that hosts monthly educationally focused wine-tasting events for its members and their guests in a casual and relaxed atmosphere.

Walla Walla Wine News

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Walla Walla Wine News is your complete guide to everything wine in the Walla Walla Valley.

Washington Wine Commission

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

Washington Wine Country

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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.

Wine & Dine Walla Walla

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Wine & Dine Walla Walla brings you reviews of the wine and food of the Walla Walla Valley.

Wine Away

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Wine Away is manufactured by Evergreen Labs, Inc. in Walla Walla for removing red wine stains. You can purchase it online or at most wineries and wine shops. You can also find it in the wine department of select grocery stores.

Wine Diaper

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Protect your wine by treating it as delicately as you would a baby: diaper it! Diapering your wine bottles will help protect them from breakage and absorb up the liquid should something cause damage to the bottle. For more information, visit Wine Diaper.

Winery Tours

Several limousine services in this region offer three hour winery tours at an average cost of $300 for a small group.

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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.

For more information on tour services, visit the following:

Note: Walla Walla Pedi-Power used to offer touring services and has two pedicabs up for sale.

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