My husband and I are Napa junkies. Man we love that place. What is better than hot weather without a cloud in sight, sprawling vineyards around every corner, and beautifully detailed tasting rooms where you can often get an intricate story told to you about the wineries’ history and details on their grapes and vines.
We just eat it up and love the experience! There however are some disadvantages to Napa, such as expensive tastings, wineries that aren’t family friendly, and even some with extensive wait-lists to get in for a tour by appointment only.
This is one reason we LOVE our little wine country here in Washington, since the wines (we think) are often times just as good, the price tag is far less, and the tasting rooms are extremely easy-going in comparison.
Karma Vineyards was on our list to visit last time we were in Chelan… we have been here before but didn’t explore it much. After browsing around online we found that they have a cave you can tour and were intrigued to come back and check it out! The endearing side of what a small town Chelan is came out when I called to book their “cave tour”… the woman on the phone was relatively confused why I was calling and said we were welcome to just wander through and check them out during normal business hours!
If I remember correctly, you can taste any 3 of their wines for $10, and can wander the grounds as you do so. They brought some little bread bits/pallet cleansers that did a great job entertaining my toddler. We sat on the edge of the coy pond and fed the fish… I enjoyed a lighter tasting flight of two whites and a rose while my husband sampled some reds. The dry rose was my favorite, and he in general enjoyed the variety he tasted across the reds.
We had fun wandering back into the caves, checking out the old dusty bottles aging in the cool cement rooms. They do weddings and other events back there, and I can see how that would be a fun venue for wine enthusiasts!
The other great thing about Karma Vineyards is that they are located right next to some other must-hit wineries such as Nefarious and Tunnel Hill, so it is a natural stop to make as you are tasting your way around Lake Chelan. Next time you are east of the mountains, be sure to give them a try!
You can shop Karma Vineyards on Amazon, so here are links to a few of my favorites if you are interested in giving them a try! (affiliate links)
My husband’s favorite: 2009 Karma Vineyards “Zen” Rhone Style Red Blend 750 mL
My favorite: 2010 Karma Vineyards Estate Dry Rose-Eh! 750 mL
Cave-Aged Bubbly: 2009 Karma Vineyards Methode Champenoise Brut de Brut 750 mL
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Amazon Affiliates program… I am not sponsored by any of these products, I just really like them! I do however get a little kick-back if you purchase anything through the links provided. Prices are no different than if you were just shopping on your own 🙂
Wow! It looks so amazing! xx
Sounds like a lovely place, really worth visiting 🙂
How fun! You’ve inspired my to visit more wineries this summer xx.
Oooh…I’ll add things to do this summer, I’ve never really visited a Vineyard before.
Such a pretty winery! I looove wine tasting
Thank you! I love it too, I really enjoy hearing all the stories behind them that make them unique.