Okanogan Estate and Vineyards (Leavenworth)

Okanogan Winery offers two different tasting locations to sample its estate wines: One is in Leavenworth and the other is in Oroville, near British Columbia.

Most visitors experience Okanogan Winery at the Wine & Gift Shoppe in Leavenworth on Highway 2. By your third sip of Okanogan wine, you might be surprised to learn that the fruit used for its wines comes from the winery’s estate vineyards in the Okanogan Valley. Its orchards (along with the winery and tasting room) are located north on Highway 97, before you enter Canada’s premier wine-growing region in British Columbia’s Okanagan. (By the way, that’s not a typo. On the American side, it’s spelled “Okanogan,” but on the Canadian side, it’s spelled “Okanagan.”) As stated in the winery’s brochure, “The vineyards are located on the valley’s sandy, desert sage benches and on the sunny slopes amongst the orchards of this fruitful valley that sits at the edges of beautiful Lake Osoyoos.” Wow, a desert-like climate in northern Washington? Yep.

But if Leavenworth is the end of the WineTrail North for you, the Wine & Gift Shoppe offers a full slate of Okanogan’s dry and sweet white wines (e.g., pinot grigio, riesling, gewürztraminer, and late-harvest sauvignon blanc) as well as classic reds (e.g., merlot, pinot noir, and “Bench Rock” blend). Formerly using the moniker “Gold Diggers Cellars,” named after its fruit orchards, the renamed Okanogan Winery is proud of the fact that its wines don’t rely on grapes trucked in from Yakima Valley or other points south. The friendly tasting room staff also can advise you on where to eat, sleep, and shop in Leavenworth.

If, however, your wine-related travels take you north on Highway 97, Okanogan Winery’s downtown Oroville location is a fun pit stop. Oroville is an old mining town, and you’ll want to budget time to experience Oroville’s charm. Just dig around a bit to discover its nuggets.

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  Okanogan Estate and Vineyards (Leavenworth) was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Leavenworth-Peshastin WineTrail on page 196!