Touring in Prosser, WA.

On the road to Seattle, I spent a night in Prosser. The group I was with wanted to stop here for wine tastings. I didn’t really know what to expect! Wine tasting in a small town in the middle of Washington?

First off, I’m no wine aficionado. I can appreciate a good wine, but my palette is far from picky. To frame a point of reference, my go to at home is the Bota Box from Costco. That said, I’ve done the Napa thing, I’ve done my fair share of tasting, and I’m not a complete noob. All things considered, I’m not going to rate wines. I tried many, liked some better than others, and they all tasted like wine. Blanket ruling: the wine in Prosser was good.

First off was Airfield. I didn’t manage to get any pictures, but I really loved the building and whole feel. The vineyard was created on an old WW2 airfield, so the branding was props, planes, and pinup girls housed in modern and open facilities. This resonated with me, as a past pilot.

Next up was Alexandria Nicole.

I have to admit, I had low expectations as the tasting room was in a strip mall. Through the door and the strip mall appearance was behind me.

Dressed up like a modern tequila bar, the ambiance was comfortable, the staff was friendly and knowledgable and entertaining, and the wine was good. Hard to complain.

We then headed over to Kestral, a short walk away. While technically in a strip mall, Kestral had the curb appeal. Fountains, plants, and art draw you in.

Kestral provided a more conventional wine tasting experience, with a large tasting room, windows for viewing large stainless steel silos, and bottles everywhere.

While walking to our next destination, we noticed the Blue Flame distillery in the same strip mall positioned right next to Alexandria Nicole.

We decided to mix things up and try it out. You walk in to a small room with a medium sized bar, and a back shelf full of Blue Flame products. All sorts of vodkas, whiskies, gin, brandy and even a grappa. Most were made with locally sourced ingredients, which I always like to see.

We did a round of tasters here, which woke everyone up, and then got a brief tour of the back room and distillery which had beautiful copper silos and tanks.

We bought a bottle of the Peppered Vodka. We thought it would go great in a Bloody Mary, and it surprised us how well it blended into a margarita. Be warned though, boutique spirits like these run high in price. Our fifth of vodka was $35!

After that it was on to Thurston Wolfe and Coyote Canyon for more of the same: good people and good wine.

The day concluded at Wine o’ Clock for some grub, and an early turn in for the now somewhat tipsy group of Seattle-bound travelers.