Illusion Winery

In the summer of 2007, Illusion Winery moved its operations from Black Diamond to a location in southwest Washington near Lyle. As with humor, timing is everything, and unfortunately, this new location was not open at the time of this writing. Nevertheless, from taking a sneak peak at the pictures on the Illusion Winery website, the views from the new facility of a nearby vineyard, canyons, and a sliver of the Columbia River offer WineTrail trekkers another reason to head to the Columbia River Gorge.

I first met David and Dina Guest at the 2007 Taste Washington! event in Seattle. A constant stream of loyal followers eager to sample the Guests’ new vintage prevented me from asking them insightful questions such as “Why the heck do you do this?” or even better, “Where do you hope to take it?” So I didn’t. Instead, I really want to make the trek to their new winery and experience the new digs. I want to ask those questions in the quiet of the tasting room without the crowds. I want to concentrate on the fruits of their labor (especially their red blend wine with the enchanting name of “Apparition”) and give it quality time. Thus, I’m excited to visit their new Lyle location this coming summer and report my findings in the second edition of the guidebook. (I know this is a shameless way to plug the next edition but, hey, that’s my job.)

Directions: From SR-14 heading east, turn left onto 3rd St. in Bingen and head north. The road name changes to Columbia Ave. Turn right (east) onto Keasey Ave., then immediately turn left (north) onto Centerville Hwy. Proceed on Centerville Hwy for 10 miles. Turn left (north) onto Schilling Rd and proceed .3 miles to winery.

Addresses

• Columbia River Gorge WineTrail

  Winery/Tasting Room

  31 Schilling Road, Lyle, WA 98635
  Hours: Most summer weekends 11–5 from May through September; call ahead or check website for details
  45.731979-121.114033