Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

This year brings the 31st Annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival to the Three Rivers Convention Center with judged competitions, a silent auction, vendors and artisans. This year’s festival will be held on November 6th and 7th and all events are open to te public.

The Tri-Cities Wine Festival is the state’s longest running judged wine event and is a major fundraiser for the Wine Society’s educational fund.

The move to the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick was suggested by wine makers and vendors, for the ease of flow and more elbow room.

For more information, visit: www.tcwinefest.com

Our beautiful Tri-Cities has grown so much over the last few years and the wine industry has been a large part of that growth.  Below are some of the wonderful wine events upcoming in our communities. Please take a look and schedule yourself a little jaunt to these festivals and sample all that our Mid-Columbia Wine Country has to offer.

September 26 & 27: Catch the Crush, Tri-Cities/Benton City. This 23rd annual event is a lot of fun with many activities, including grape stomps, harvest and crush activities, winery tours, free-run juice, hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting and live music. Find out about all the fun at www.columbiavalleywine.com

November 6 & 7: Tri-Cities Wine Festival, Kennewick. This event is one of the Northwest’s oldest and will be held at the Three Rivers Convention Center this year. Lots of competition amongst wineries, and loads of camadraderie as well. For more information go to www.tricitieswinefestival.com.

November 13 & 14: Savor the Flavor, Pasco. Tri-Cities wine and food come together to benefit the Oasis School. For more info go to www.tastetricities.com/savor.

By Mary Hopkin, Journal of Business

Since its first vintage was released, the only place wine enthusiast could taste the big red wines made by well known winemaker Victor Cruz for Anelare was at Canon De Sol, in Benton City. But now, Anelare owners Forrest and Kathryn Alexander and Jim and Cathy Campbell have opened a new tasting room in Kennewick, where Tri-Cities residents and visitors can taste the Anelare’s Nonna Viola, a red blend that took home a gold medal at the Tri-Cities wine festival in November.

The intimate and artfully decorated tasting room is conveniently located in the new Southridge Village development at the corner of Highway 395 and Hildebrand road, across the highway from Canyon Lakes Golf Course. Anelare has previously been a private, limited bottling winery that distributed only 600 cases of wine. In 2007, its production went up to 800 cases, said Kathryn Alexander. Now Anelare can be found in select local grocery stores and the new tasting room will also help introduce Anelare’s wines to more wine lovers.

The tasting studio at 3617 Plaza Way, Suite B in Kennewick opened Friday. The regular winter hours will be from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and non to 4 p.m. Sunday. Seasonal hours will be adjusted and the tasting room will likely be open more often in the spring and summer month, said Alexander.

The studio also features a private tasting room, which can be scheduled for private sit-down tastings or business functions at any time. the sit-down tastings are $15 per person and include antipasti and are free for winery club members.

For more information or to make reservations for a private sit-down tasting, call the winery at 509-588-6171. For more information about Anelare, visit the website at 222.anelare.com