Desert Wind Winery

A destination winery in Prosser? Yes.

Few wineries in Washington can boast that they offer a place for wine tasting, for dining, for overnight lodging, for attending a cooking seminar, and for getting married, but the 34,000-square-foot Desert Wind Winery in Prosser offers just such amenities and more. Designed by Tate Architects of Pasco, WA, the Pueblo-style building opened its doors in early 2007 and readily distinguished itself from other wineries in the lower Yakima Valley in sheer size and ambiance. In a state with few destination wineries, Desert Wind sets the bar high with thoughtful touches such as flat-panel TVs in the suites, warm earth tones throughout, full-length mirrors in the bride and groom changing rooms, and a set of French doors leading to a magnificent view of the Yakima River.

Desert Wind Winery is co-owned by the Fries and Jenkins families, who started Duck Pond Cellars in Dundee, Oregon, in 1993. After considerable study, they decided to locate Desert Wind Winery conveniently off I-82 in Prosser, in the heart of wine country. Next to the winery is the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center. Given the location and plenty of parking spaces even for the family’s RV, Desert Wind’s 4,755 square foot tasting room easily accommodates plenty of thirsty visitors.

Son Greg Fries is the chief winemaker for Desert Wind Winery as well as Duck Pond Cellars. He enjoys the fact that this is a fully integrated approach to winemaking and sales relying on fruit from their family vineyards in both Washington and Oregon. As such, his style of winemaking strives to meet the needs of most palates at relatively low price points. For example, their Ruah red blend sales for $20 a bottle and even their double platinum Wine Press Northwest award winning Duck Pond Merlot sales for $12 a bottle. A spectacular value!

Come hungry and enjoy fine dining at their in-house 65-seat capacity restaurant, Mojave by Picazo. Their thoughtful menu uses fresh local produce, fish and meats served up southwestern style with select wine pairing suggestions. My afternoon visit satisfied my empty tummy with Southwestern Grilled Hanger Steak Skewers nicely paired with a glass of Desert Winds Ruah. Check their event calendar for winemaker dinners, wine flights and small plate happy hour specials and cooking school classes that take advantage of their demonstration chef’s bar.

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  Desert Wind Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Prosser WineTrail South on page 362!