Spaswinefood recently toured Lake Chelan Wine Valley. Lake Chelan is located in the north central part of Washington State. The Lake Chelan AVA is a sub-appellation of the Columbia Valley AVA. What defines Lake Chelan AVA however, is its location at an higher elevation, unique soils and the overall effect of the lake on the growing season. I was excited to explore what Wines Northwest describes as the newest and amongst the most scenic of Washington State's wine growing regions. Amongst my discoveries in Lake Chelan Wine Country were amazing wines and great hospitality. Now, let me introduce you to the best of Lake Chelan Wine Country.
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| View of Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
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| View of Lake Chelan from Karma Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
Our tour was part of the Wine Bloggers Conference #WBC13 in Penticton, British Columbia. When it was announced that there would be a #WBC13 pre-conference tour to
Lake Chelan Wine Valley I signed up. I knew it would be a great opportunity to explore Lake Chelan Wine Country. The first grapes were planted in the area 1891. However, it was not until Lake Chelan became a popular tourist destination that today's modern wine industry began. Today you will find over 50 wineries in the area. During our tour we were introduced to the best of wine happenings in Lake Chelan.
Touring Lake Chelan Wine Country
We were met at the airport in Seattle by Lake Chelan Wine Valley hosts. During our bus trip to Lake Chelan we sampled some Lake Chelan Wines.
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| A great introduction to Lake Chelan wines © Spaswinefood |
Here are a few highlights of the
Lake Chelan Wine Valley wineries that welcomed us to the valley. The wineries included in our tour on day one were:
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| Rio Vista Winery, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
RioVista Wines hosted a welcoming reception for our group. Later at
Tsillan Cellars during a Grand Tasting we sampled wines from
Atam Winery,
Nefarious Cellars,
Vin du Lac,
Mellisoni Vineyards and
Tsillan Cellars. Here are a few of these wines:
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| Atam Winery Gewurztraminer, Lake Chelan 2009 © Spaswinefood |
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| Nefarious Cellars Riesling © Spaswinefood |
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| Nefarious Cellars Estate Syrah, Defiance Vineyard 2011 © Spaswinefood |
Tsillan Cellars restaurant hosted a special winemakers dinner for us. It was awesome.
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| Dining at Tsillan, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
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| Dining at Tsillan, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
Yes, it was the perfect day for a tour around the lake with
Chelan Seaplanes.
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| Seaplane tour of Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
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| Seaplane tour of Lake Chelan Wine Country © Spaswinefood |
Day two of our visit began with brunch at
Karma Vineyards. During a wonderful brunch at Karma we sampled some of Karma's wines. We were also introduced to wines from other wineries such as
Cairdeas Winery and
Hard Row to Hoe.
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| Brunch at Karma Winery, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
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| Karma Vineyards Methode Champenoise Brut, Columbia Valley 2011 © Spaswinefood |
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| Cairdeas Winery, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
Winery Tours
After brunch at Karma Winery our tour options included visiting one of the following wineries:
1.
Vin du Lac
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| Wines from Vin du Lac, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
2.
Hard Row to Hoe
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| Hard Row to Hoe, Lake Chelan © Spaswinefood |
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| Hard Row to Hoe The Coquette, Columbia Valley 2011 © Spaswinefood |
3.
Mellisoni Vineyards
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| Tasting Mellisoni wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Mellisoni Pinot Grigio, Lake Chelan 2011 © Spaswinefood |
4.
The Blending Room by WineGirl Wines
5.
Karma Vineyards
While in Lake Chelan #WBC13 wine bloggers stayed at the beautiful
Campbell Resort , which is located right on Lake Chelan. In fact all the rooms at the resort are facing onto the lake.
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| A view of Lake Chelan from Campbell Resort © Spaswinefood |
After leaving beautiful Lake Chelan we made our way to the Canadian border for #WBC13 in Penticton, British Columbia. However, the amazing Washington State hospitality did not end in Lake Chelan. On the bus we were treated to a lunch paired with wines from
Veranda Beach Cellars.
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| Veranda Beach Cellars Regatta Rosé, Washington State 2012 © Spaswinefood |
If you are looking for a relaxing wine country getaway put Lake Chelan Wine Country, at the top of your list. You will be glad you did. You will discover some amazing wines and great hospitality. I
look forward to writing
more on my travels in Lake Chelan Wine Valley and elsewhere in Washington State at Spaswinefood.
Lake Chelan Wine Country, Washington State
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