Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Along Hwy 240, you may notice a large plywood building shell, partly painted blue.  This spring, that building will be transformed to Thomas O’Neil Cellars.  Construction began in August for the 3,000 square foot building that will include a tasting room, production facility, and outdoor patio and stage. 

Owner, Tom O’Neil, had a passion for viticulture when his college, Michigan State University, created a certificate program for it.  He comleted his internship at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Patterson and has been working with wine ever since. 

They will be concentrating on mostly red wines like cabernet, syrah, and merlot; however, they will also feature chardonnay and Riesling.  Future plans also consist of holding small concerts and events next summer. 

For more information, find him on his upcoming website, www.thomasoneilcellars.com, find him on Facebook or call 737-0851

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October 2010 marks the move date for the Z Place Salon & Spa in Kennewick to their new home in the Southridge area of town. This move will allow for a expansion of services as well as more room for staff & clients – approximately 3 times as much room! The groundbreaking for the new building will be Thursday June 3rd at 9 am. The owners, Vonda and Doug Smith, plan to have two other spots in the facility to lease out – with a potential for a restaurant and perhaps a clothing store. The new facility will allow clients from Richland, Pasco and West Richland easier access via the highway to this location, without having to travel through traffic to their current location. Southridge is considered to be the new growth area in the Tri-Cities, with a proposed new restaurant and water park in the works as well as current tenants HAPO Credit Union, KGH medical center, and wine tasting rooms. To visit Z Place online, go to www.zplacesalonspa.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.

Columbia Valley wineries are celebrating the 2008 grape harvest with wine tasting, food sampling, tours, art displays, live music and – of course – grape stomping.

The annual Catch the Crush event runs this weekend, Sept 27-28, and involves 16 wineries in and near the Tri-Cities and Benton City area.

The wineries are generally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

During the busy Catch the Crush there’s no time for washing glasses so take one along. There is no charge for regular admittance to the wineries. However, some wineries will be charging a tasting fee.

For more information on Catch the Crush or directions to the wineries visit the Catch the Crush website www.columbiavalleywine.com/catchthecrush.htm of call toll-free 866-360-6611.