Windy Point Vineyards

Without doubt, Windy Point Vineyards offers one of the top 10 winery views in Washington. Situated on a hilltop in Wapato, you have a commanding view of the Yakima Valley, with mile upon mile of orchards below, and the Cascade Mountains in the distance. This is agricultural country. You can see the patchwork quilt of farms below with I-82 snaking its way southeast toward the Tri-Cities.

Featuring award-winning syrah and cabernet franc, Windy Point Vineyards is the creation of Mike and Liz Stepniewski. With three decades of farming under their belts, the Stepniewskis converted 15 acres of fruit orchards to wine grapes. Varieties planted include two white grapes riesling and gewürztraminer; and nine red grapes, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, pinot noir, zinfandel, nebbiolo, barbera and malbec. The result is that Windy Point Vineyards produces all estate wines and the fact that they limit their vineyard to 15-aces assures us that they will remain boutique with total annual production of 3,000 cases.

While Mike tends the vineyards, Liz is the winemaker with a focus on pure varietal wines, “Pointless blends” including “Pointless Red” and “Exclamation Point!” and a port.

The elegant design of the tasting room (originally Mike’s tractor and repair shop) is strongly reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s style, reflecting Mike’s keen interest in architecture. This is especially evident in the wall facing the Yakima Valley, which incorporates plenty of glass for panoramic views. The wine tasting room features a full-service kitchen that clearly shows the Stepniewskis’ devoted interest in cooking. Is there a cooking class in your future? Call ahead and inquire.

Windy Point Vineyards’ excellent wines, great views, and fantastic architecture add up to a highly desirable destination for a WineTrail journey.

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  Windy Point Vineyards was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Wapato WineTrail on page 278!