On our fourth day in the Prosser region we visited three wineries/vineyards about a half-hour south of the downtown area. Our first visit was to McKinley Springs. The winery tasting room is in a separate building than the winemaking facility. Surrounding the tasting room are acres of grapes as far as the eye can see.  Kathy and I went on a tour of the vineyard and learned about winegrowers in Horse Heaven Hill who are trying to get their vines back to health after last November’s deep freeze. Fruit production at some of the vineyards can be down 60 to 90 percent.

Our next stop was Champoux Vineyard. Champoux doesn’t make wine. However many of the clients they sell their grapes to do add the name Champoux Vineyard to the wine bottle label.

We visited the winery and vineyard at Alexandria Nicole Cellars and sampled some wines. Their vineyards are close to the Columbia River and we spied many more grapes on the vines than we saw elsewhere in the Horse Heaven Hills. Visitors should check out their tasting room in Prosser near I-82 Exit 82.

After these visits we headed to Portland reflecting on our Prosser experience. There are very good wineries in the other areas of the state that we visited however we feel closer to those in Prosser. The winegrowing and winemaking scene in Prosser has history and it seems to be more family oriented. We experienced a warmer family-like feel than in other wine regions, similar to that felt in Mendocino County, California. We enjoyed our travel to Prosser and hope to return again. As we brainstorm areas of the country to visit for an upcoming book, Prosser has gained a place as a winery/vineyard destination.

Cheers,
Terry