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You
don't need hiking boots to tread on this trail, just the willingness to
explore the prettiest wine region in Washington State and the Yakima Valley - The Rattlesnake Hills
of the Yakima Valley.
(Please note, the only rattlesnake you will find is the shape of the hills.)
Explore new wineries; rediscover older
wineries originally in the Yakima Valley Winery Association. The friendliest tasting room staffs in the world will both
educate and entertain you. You have a good chance of being served by
the owners themselves. Your job is to decide which wines you like and
want to take home with you. Many of the wines are from small producers
and not available in the big city.
The Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail extends from
Union Gap, the beginning of the Yakima Valley, where the Yakima River squeezes between Ahtanum Ridge to the west
and the Rattlesnake Hills to the east, then down to the Sunnyside Gap where
Highway 241 heads for Vernita. The 15 wineries on the
Wine Trail
guarantee that you will have a fabulous time and will take home some of the
best wines that you have ever tasted.
We hope to see you soon and again and again!
2009 Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail
Commemorative Posters
(Available at
the wineries in the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail)
About the
artist:
 Russian
artist Alexei Kazantsev, known for his unusual stone sculptures, brightly
colored abstract paintings, and eclectic wine-themed photographs, was born
in Alexandrov, 100 kilometers from Moscow. From age 7 to 10, he was confined
to a Russian clinic, strapped in a bed to correct a rare medical condition
of irregular bone growth. "Let me tell you," he says, the melancholy Russian
surfacing in his lilting voice, "I lie in bed- just a kid- day after day.
The spots on the walls, they start to make patterns. So I draw them. And
then I start drawing everything. But I'm not an artist then.
"I get out of hospital, and I decide I want to be auto mechanic. Yes. So I
am just a kid for a few more years: maybe I draw, maybe I don't. Then when
I'm 13 or 14, my mother, she says, you draw so good, Alexei, why you not go
to Moscow and study with your uncle the famous sculptor? So off I go, and I
do pretty good, win lot of prizes. But I get tired of Soviet social realism,
big sculptures of soldiers and workers, and I start doing primitive,
naturalistic designs. Then I get in trouble, and my teachers, they like my
work but they say, 'Alexei, this is not a good idea.' Before I know it, I'm
in Russian artistic underground. In 1993, I have chance to go to America as
a tourist. I take it. Here I am.”
Currently working on commissioned sculptures in New Orleans, Kazantsev will
return to the south after the Red Wine and Chocolate weekend event. A
Whidbey Island resident for the past 27 years, Alexei has exhibited his art
at galleries in Russia, Germany, Italy, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans
and Santa Fe.
Kazantsev will be showing some of his art pieces and signing posters
at Bonair Winery on Friday and Saturday during Spring Barrel Tasting
weekend, April 24 – 25, from 12 noon to 5 PM. There will be a signature fee
of $5. Posters are $15 each, and can be purchased unsigned. The newly
released posters will be available at many of the Rattlesnake Hills
wineries.
Vineyard Tours
Each Sunday Morning at 9:00 am, we offer a 90 minute tour of the
vineyards of the Rattlesnake Hills for $10 per person. Your guide will be a qualified
winegrower or winemaker. Advanced reservations are a must.
Reserve online or
509.965.4521
Winery Tours
Each Sunday Morning at 9:00 am, we offer a 60 minute tour of one of the
wineries of the Rattlesnake Hills for $10 per person. A qualified guide will explain the
process of winemaking from beginning to end. You will even get a
sample from a barrel. Advanced reservations are a must.
Reserve online
or
509.965.4521
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There are gold medal wines at the end of the rainbow!
Pick up a Passport at the Yakima Valley Visitors Center or from the first
winery. The $10.00 passport entitles you to discounts and reserve wine
tastings. After visiting 10 wineries on the trail, you will qualified to
attend the annual gala Rattlesnake Hills Picnic with the winemakers. |
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