The Horse Heaven Hills region of Washington is known as a small but excellent area in which to produce wine. One of the most acclaimed wineries in the region is Columbia Crest, which is distributed nationally but also boasts many reserve wines available only from the winery.

The winery itself is located just north of the Columbia River on gently rolling hills filled with vineyards. The undulating vines give way to a large estate that houses the winery’s facilities, including a tasting room. The stuccoed exterior, along with some stone-work and wooden windows, give the facility a European vibe, and the stone and wood interior lends a tavern-like atmosphere. We made our way to the tasting area, where our lovely host served us several different wines from Columbia Crest’s portfolio. You are able to choose between a complimentary tasting of Columbia Crest’s standard wines and a $5 tasting that includes the winery’s reserve series. We opted for the latter in order to have a wider variety. This tasting did include some of the wines that they distribute, but we also were able to try some of the winery’s reserve wines. We decided to sample a variety of reds and enjoyed all of the wines we were able to taste. We particularly enjoyed Columbia Crest’s H3 Merlot.

After our tasting, we enjoyed a bit more wine outside near a fountain in front of the winery. The winery is in a rather remote location, so we were able to sip our wine amid lots of peace and quiet.

There are many other wineries in the Horse Heaven Hills area, but we were only able to visit Columbia Crest. However, Columbia Crest is a well-known and award-winning winery, and we were very glad to be able to sample their wine.