If you’re looking for a place to taste different wines and craft beers, head to the Yakima Valley in South Central Washington. There are over 120 wineries, 20 craft breweries, and numerous distilleries within an hour’s drive. This isn’t surprising when you consider that 75% of the U.S. and 20% of the world’s hops and 50% of Washington State’s wine grapes are grown in this area.
If you’ve had a bad experience while visiting well-known wine-growing regions, it won’t happen in the Yakima Valley.
Wineries are unpretentious and welcoming, and employees and winemakers are friendly and open and go out of their way to make wine tasting a fun, rewarding experience.
Yakima Valley brewers serve their house specialties and offer signature, seasonal craft beers on rotation. They also love experimenting with craft beers, and many offer their latest innovations on tap.
Whether you plan your own tour or decide to take a guided wine or beer tour, these are some top breweries, wineries and distilleries you should plan to visit.
The Ten Best Yakima Valley Wineries, Breweries, & Distilleries
Bron Yr Aur Brewery
12160 US-12, Naches, WA 98937 // (509) 653-1109
The Bron Yr Aur Brewery is near the base of Mt Clemens on the highway from the Yakima Valley to Seattle and Mt Ranier National Park. Here’s why it’s also one of the best Yakima Valley Wineries.
Mike and Annette Hatten opened Bron Yr Aur in 2013 and named it after an 18th-century cottage in Wales where Led Zeppelin wrote some of their hits. The name means “Hill of Gold” in Welsh.
Their beers also have interesting names. Thriller Diller is a rock-climbing station near Mt. Clemens. Tieton Blonde is named after Mike’s grandmother who owned an apple processing company in Tieton, a nearby town. Beaver Deceiver is named after a beaver trap design.
Bron Yr Aur also serves food, and pizza is one of its specialties. It uses a recipe the Hatten’s son developed for beer-infused pizza dough with a “secret” mix of spices. Hard liquor, cocktails, wines, and hard cider are also available.
Bron Yr Aur is open from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday, 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm Friday and Saturday, 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Sunday, and is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outdoors. Parking is available onsite.
The Distillarium
2305 Industry Ln., Yakima, WA 98901 // (509) 424-3386
The Distillarium produces craft spirits using practices master distillers used hundreds of years ago. They source all grains and grapes locally, and Austin Hallford, the master distiller,makes all products from start to finish—even milling the grains by hand.
It also offers hand-crafted cocktails. I enjoyed my Lychee Lemon Drop, which contains Distillarium’s Eau de Vie Brandy, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and lychee extract.
The Crimson Tide was developed for Austin, an Alabama fan. It includes straight bourbon whiskey, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, muddled raspberries, and blackberries. The Pineapple Firecracker, a 4th of July inspiration, includes rye whiskey, fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juices, boysenberry jam, and cantaloupe syrup.
The Distillarium is open from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm Tuesday through Thursday, 12:00 pm to 11:00 pm Friday and Saturday, 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Sunday, and is closed on Monday and major holidays. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outdoors. Parking is available onsite.
Fortuity Cellars
160 Lombard Loop Rd., Wapato, WA 98951 // (509) 779-6000
Fortunity Cellars got its name because owners Emily & Lee Fergestrom met by chance. They were each at a restaurant waiting for match.com dates. Lee’s was a no-show, and Emily arrived early for hers. They started talking, and the rest is history.
Both worked in the fast-paced Seattle technology industry, Emily for a telecommunications company and Lee for a software company, and wanted out of the “rat race.” They decided to open a winery and moved to the Yakima Valley.
They started in the Yakima Valley College Winery Incubator and were named the 2019 Rising Startup of the Year for Washington State and Northern Idaho.
They source grapes from the Yakima Valley and pick them earlier than usual. This produces a brighter, more vibrant taste that showcases the fruit. They also use stainless steel tanks to process and store white wines, which yields a crisper taste.
Fortuity Cellars is open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday through Sunday from the end of March until mid-December. Seating is available indoors and outdoors and dogs are welcome outdoors. Parking is available onsite.
Freehand Cellars
420 Windy Point Dr., Wapato, WA 98951 // (509) 866-4664
A big part of the experience while visiting Freehand Cellars is seeing the tasting room and the grounds. The founders were architects and built a stunning building on a hilltop overlooking the Yakima Valley to the south and east, Mt. Adams to the west, and the Rattlesnake Hills to the north.
We enjoyed samples of Rose of Sangio which has aromas of melon, raspberry jam, zest of kiwi, with candied strawberries and pomegranates, and Syrah 2021 with Blackberry jam and plum aromatics and hints of anise.
Freehand Cellars also serves appetizers and light entrees like pizza, charcuterie boards, sandwiches, and desserts.
Freehand Cellars is open 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Monday through Wednesday, 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outside. Parking is available onsite.
Owen Roe Winery
309 Gangl Rd,, Wapato, WA 98951 // (509) 877-0454
Owen Roe offers premium wines made with grapes from the best vineyards and everyday drinking wines. They own a vineyard in the Yakima Valley and source grapes from three local vineyards and a few vineyards in Oregon.
According to Dr. Marji Morgan, Owen Roe offers a “total wine experience” where you can see the grapes being grown and harvested and the wine being produced and bottled. Their tasting room also provides a panoramic view of the Yakima Valley and Mt Adams.
Dr. Morgan works part-time for Owen Row giving lectures on wine and its history and organizing tastings for various groups in central Washington. She also hosts Lines on Wine, a podcast series on everything to do with Washington wines.
The Owen Roe Winery is open daily from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm except for Christmas and New Year’s Day. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outside. Parking is available onsite.
Single Hill Brewing
102 N. Naches Ave., Yakima, WA 98901 // (509) 367-6756
Zach Turner and Ty Paxton started Spring Hill Brewing for a good reason—they like beer. Zach came from a large brewery in Colorado.
Ty is from Yakima and is plugged into the music scene. So, he lines up musical acts to perform on weekends and during special events.
The brewery’s name refers to a single hill from which ingredients originate and grow, the native soil and environment that create flavor (similar to terroir for wine), and the latter stages in hop breeding when individual experimental plants grow in single hills for evaluation.
Single Hill Brewing is open from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm Tuesday through Thursday, 11:00 am to 11:00 pm Friday and Saturday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on Sunday, and is closed on Monday. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outside. Parking is available onsite.
Tirriddis Sparkling Wines
2880 Lee Rd., Ste. B, Prosser, WA 99350 // (509) 502-8576
Winemaking has traditionally been a “retirement” profession, but more young people are entering the field. Tirriddis Sparkling Wines is a perfect example. Andrew Gerow, Gabriel Crowell, and Matthew Doutney started the company while they were students in the Viticulture and Enology program at Washington State University (WSU).
They decided to produce sparkling wines because they always drank sparkling wines to celebrate successes and milestones.
They also wanted to address an underserved market. There are over 300 wineries in the Yakima Valley alone but only three specialize in sparkling wines. Their name represents the three steps that are required to make sparkling wine–tirage, riddle, and disgorge.
Tirriddis uses a “traditional” process similar to the one used to produce champagne. We sampled the Blanc de Blanc, a Chardonnay, Brut Rose, a “new wave” rosé,and Blanc de Gris, one of Tirriddis’ “rising stars.”
Tirriddis Sparkling Wines is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Thursday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, and is closed Monday through Wednesday. Seating is available inside and parking is available in front of the building.
Tieton Cider Works
619 W. J Street, Yakima, WA 98902 // (509) 571-1430
Tieton Cider Works is an artisan cider company that offers visitors a consummate orchard-to-glass experience. Craig and Sharon Campbell own Tieton Cider Works and Harmony Orchards, an organic farm that’s been in Craig’s family for almost 100 years.
They use fruit from their orchards in all their ciders. In 2008, they planted a test plot of 25 varieties of cider apples, produced 200 cases of cider their first year, and increased production to 12,000 cases within five years.
We toured the facility and saw how the fruit is processed and turned into hard cider. Then we stopped in the tasting room and sampled flavors like Blueberry, Huckleberry, Blackberry, and Bourbon Barrel Peach.
Tieton Cider Works is open from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday and Saturday and is closed Sunday through Thursday. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outside. Parking is available onsite.
Treveri Cellars
71 Gangl Road, Wapato, WA 98951 // (509) 877-0925
Treveri Cellars is a family-owned winery that produces handcrafted sparkling wines in the European tradition. Juergen Grieb, Head Winemaker and Owner, learned how to make champagne and sparkling wines from two of Germany’s most decorated winemakers.
After he received his winemaking degrees, he worked for a Washington winemaker and then started Treveri Cellars.
We sampled sparkling wines and sparkling wine cocktails like Strawberry Guava, Mango Ginger, Cucumber Lemonade, and Orange Dragonfruit in their beautiful tasting room while we enjoyed a delicious brunch buffet.
Trevari Cellars is open from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm Monday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday. Brunch is served on Sunday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outside. Parking is available onsite.
Varietal Beer Company
416 E. Edison Ave., Sunnyside, WA 98944 // (509) 515-2222
Varietal Beer Company is a microbrewery and taproom in the lower Yakima Valley. Chris Baum is a former wildlife biologist and was an amateur home brewer. His friends liked his beers so much that they encouraged him to open a brewery.
He worked at a friend’s brewery and then took their advice and opened Varietal Beer Company in 2018. He celebrated five years in business in July 2023.
We sampled Sup Cuz IPA, a hazy IPA made with hops from Loza Farms, the only Hispanic hop grower in Yakima Valley, High Rider IPA, which is made with hop varieties that have mango, guava, and passion fruit aromas, and Low Rail, a beer reminiscent of a Riesling wine that was made in collaboration with Côte Bonneville Winery.
Our last sample was Rites of LUPOcalia IPA, which combines different hop lots to create a consistent taste and increase yield. The name came from Lupocalia, the daughter of Saturn. Varietal collaborated with Haas to produce it and also worked with Haas to create another beer called Mysteries of Bacchus.
Varietal Beer Company is open from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, and is closed on Monday. Seating is available inside and outside and dogs are welcome outside. Parking is available in front of the building.
Yakima Valley Wineries: Conclusion
If you’re looking for distilleries, breweries, and wineries where you can sample spirits, enjoy craft cocktails, and taste local wines and brews, you’ll find them in the Yakima Valley. You’ll also see magnificent scenery, visit inviting small towns, and meet friendly people.
The distilleries, breweries,and wineries on this list will help you plan your trip. Have fun visiting them and discovering others while you’re there. Cheers!
Visiting other destinations in Washington State? Check out our other guide:
- 11 Amazing Things To Do In Tacoma Washington
- 9 Best Tacoma North End Restaurants
- 10 Must-Try Bellevue Restaurants
- 7 Amazing Things To Do In Redmond WA
- Where to Eat in Yakima Valley, WA
- Must-Try Seattle Seafood Restaurants
Marni Patterson is a travel writer, photographer and videographer in Phoenix, AZ. She has lived and traveled extensively in the U.S. and Europe and is gradually making it to all the destinations on her “bucket list” in Asia/Pacific, Africa and South America. After years of writing web content and marketing materials in the high-tech industry, she’s applying her experience writing about software, cloud computing and cybersecurity services to promote destinations and provide travel tips.