My best friend and I recently did a girl’s trip over the mountains into eastern Washington. We knew we wanted to spend some time touring some wineries but we weren’t quite sure which destination would be ideal for us. We eventually settled on doing one day exploring Lake Chelan wineries before settling in at Leavenworth for the weekend.
Despite only living about 3 hours away for most of my life, I had never been to Lake Chelan before. And now? I’m obsessed! It’s a gorgeous lake, the weather is lovely, and the wine??? GUYS, it’s good. We made a plan to visit six Lake Chelan wineries in 24 hours. While this might seem like it would be exhausting, the perpetual chill vibes of Lake Chelan kept everything so lovely, and we had a great time.
Considering that there are over 30 Lake Chelan wineries, it can be a little intimidating to narrow down the choices. Here is a breakdown of each of the wineries we visited with recommendations, information about tastings, and vibe checks.
Tips for Visiting Lake Chelan Wineries
Having never been to Lake Chelan before, there are definitely some things I learned about wine tasting around the lake:
- Make reservations when possible! I know I struggle with this when I just want to have a relaxing time and not feel rushed from place to place, but remember it’s always best to have a plan! While most of the tastings didn’t require reservations, I strongly recommend figuring out where you want to eat your main meals and making those reservations in advance. We had at least two restaurants we wanted to eat at that we ended up missing out on because we didn’t make reservations.
- Chelan is not a town that stays open late; most restaurants are closing by 8pm. So if you want to have a luxurious dinner, make sure you’re starting your wine tour early enough in the day so that you’re ready for dinner around 5pm or 6pm.
- Chelan is not much of a walking town, so you will need a car to get around. Make sure to have a designated driver!
- Staying hydrated is always key! All of the wineries we went to provided a carafe of water, so you have no excuses to not match your wine pours with equal amounts H2O.
- In addition to staying hydrated, you will also want to sunscreen up before going out. Chelan famously gets more than 300 days of sun a year so make sure to protect yourself!
- There are 30+ wineries in the Lake Chelan region… you’re not going to hit them all in one trip. Remember that you can always come back. It’s better to enjoy your relaxing trip to the lake instead of pushing yourself to go to more wineries than you can handle during your stay!
- You’ll want to visit each winery’s official website for information about hours as they are constantly changing with Covid + summer (see links below!).
Karma Vineyards
Karma Vineyards was the first winery we visited in the Lake Chelan region. It’s located on the south side of the lake and was easy to find. Karma is known for their sparkling wines, so they were high on my list. I immediately knew I planned to order the bubbles tasting.
The sommelier gave us an overview on the winery and told us about how their fermentation process is different than many other sparkling wines in that they don’t add any additional carbonation, making the bubbles smaller and brighter. They also pride themselves on their French style and boasted that they have the only French style Chardonnay in the state.
We ordered our tastings, a charcuterie board, and an order of jalapeño ahi tuna. The ahi tuna was a weekend standout for me; I look forward to ordering it again someday! They brought a carafe of water with glasses to the table to start, which is always nice. They also offered a bowl of bread with a palette cleanser between tastings, which was also a nice touch.
Vibe check: Fun, colorful umbrellas, covered patio, adorable well maintained grounds, great menu with large appetizer style options. They offer wine, bubbles, and cider tastings. Great food!
Sommelier Recommendations: Stephanie recommended the Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting: I had the $20 Champagne tasting, but they also offer a $5 wine tasting, and a $5 cider tasting, all of which come with a bowl of bread to nibble on between sips.
Website: https://goodkarmawines.com/
Nefarious Cellars
Next we moved on to Nefarious Cellars. Nefarious has a much more personal and homey vibe, and offers a great view of Lake Chelan. We had the chance to speak to one of the owners, Heather Neff, and learn all about the winery from her perspective. She told us how she and her husband Dean bought the Chelan vineyard in 2004 after learning about wine making in the Willamette region. Heather makes all the whites and Dean makes all the reds; their operations are completely separate, resulting in unique products.
Vibe Check: Small, personal, laid back. Less like a bar, more like a winery. Sit on the patio looking out at the Lake for a peaceful experience and beautiful view.
Sommelier Recommendations: Heather and Katie both recommended the Viognier, Katie’s dubbing it the “Everyday Viognier” because that’s how often she drinks it. Jeff and Heather also recommended the Syrah, with Heather saying that’s the bottle they take home most often.
Tasting: Purchase of two bottles waives the $15 tasting fee. Our tasting consisted of the 2020 Rose, the 2018 Syrah, and the 2018 Malbec.
Website: https://nefariouscellars.com/
Siren Song Wines
Siren Song Wines is totally different from all of the other wineries we visited, and is a bit of a show stopper. Also located on the south side of Lake Chelan, the winery instantly gives “italian villa” vibes. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and a beautiful view of the lake.
Winemaker Kevin Brown was inspired by European-style winemaking techniques and designed the winery around that idea. They think that wine is meant to be drank with food, and offer a full restaurant to enjoy with your wine. We had probably our favorite piece of food here: Fig and Fruit Compote Wrapped and Baked in Phyllo Dough. Delicious! We also had an incredible flatbread.
Vibe Check: European, a bit fancy, Italian countryside vibes, with a gorgeous view of the lake. Amazing food and standout venue.
Sommelier Recommendations: Anika recommended the Spanish Dancer for a white and A Night in Madrid for a red. I agree – I bought a bottle of each!
Tasting: Purchase of two bottles waives the $10/15 tasting fee. We tasted the 2020 Matisse, 2017 Piazza, 2017 A Night in Madrid, 2020 Spanish Dancer, 2019 The Muse, and another 2020 Matisse.
Website: https://www.sirensongwines.com/
Hard Row To Hoe
Hard Row to Hoe was definitely the most unique vineyard we visited. They have beautiful grounds with rolling hills and mountain views. It was quieter when we visited, but you get the impression that this is the type of place you might bring your whole family to just hang out.
They’re very proud of their organic and salmon-safe status; they don’t use any pesticides and they do everything they can to make sure there are no downstream effects from their vineyard. They also have an interesting piece of Lake Chelan history built into their name:
In the 1930’s a group of “professional” women bought and moved into the Edgemont Lodge on the shores of Lake Chelan. For men to visit them at the lodge, they would have to row across the Lake as there were no roads leading to Edgemont (there still aren’t!). A local man even started a rowboat taxi service! Hence: Hard Row To Hoe.
Vibe Check: Unique vineyard with a great vibe. Relaxed, laidback, rolling hills with lawn games. American standards playing in the background. They enjoy their story and have fun with their wine names. Organic and salmon safe.
Sommelier Recommendations: Laura recommended the SMS, the Primitivo, and Malbec. We also spoke to a wine club member who has been a remember since 2010 and highly recommended the Cabernet Franc.
Tasting: Purchase of two bottles waives the $15 tasting fee. We tasted the 2020 Whole Picture Orange Muscat, 2019 Reserve Chardonnay, 2020 Shameless Hussey Rose, 2017 S&M, and the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon. We also tasted their late harvest Gewurztraminer and bought two bottles. It’s the perfect dessert wine!
Website: https://www.hardrow.com
Lake Chelan Winery
Lake Chelan Winery was one of the first wineries in the Lake Chelan area, so they’ve had a long time to build. And what they’ve built is A LOT! In addition to offering one of the only free wine tastings in the area, they’re also known for their evening BBQ, and their gift shop.
They also house Lake Chelan Cheese, Chelan Valley’s premier cheese shop. This leads to a really cool experience where you can pick out a selection of cheese and meats and create your own custom charcuterie board to enjoy with your wine! You will be buying a whole chunk of cheese and/or meat, but you can take extras home, and you would be surprised how quickly meat and cheese will disappear when you’re drinking wine…
We visited too early in the day to enjoy their BBQ, but it smelled amazing (they were already cooking!) and you could tell that the backyard BBQ is a good place to have a party!
Vibe Check: Lots going on with the winery, tasting room, gift shop, cheese shop, and BBQ! Make your own charcuterie is very cool, and one of the only wineries around with a free tasting option.
Sommelier Recommendations: Leslie recommended their Tempranillo and their Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting: They have a free tasting, and a premium $10 tasting with more options. We tasted the 2019 Falling Cow White, 2019 Rose, the 2017 Pinot Noir, and the Stormy Mountain Red.
Website: https://lakechelanwinery.com/
Vin du Lac
Maybe it’s the name, but this place screams French! They have a really lovely outdoor patio for their bistro, and a unique view of Lake Chelan from the North side. This was probably my favorite view of the weekend!
Vin du Lac embraces the strong connection between wine and food and that really shows in their bistro presentation. We didn’t make it in time to eat here, but the food looked and smelled amazing! They source as many ingredients as possible from their local garden, and even sell some of the garden’s produce in the summer!
At this point in our trip we had had too much wine, but when I saw that they had a sangria on the menu, I was suddenly excited to have more! They offered a red and white; we had the white and it was delicious!
Vibe Check: Great lake views, lounge chairs for wine bar guests. Busy bistro, but quiet relaxing viewpoint of the lake. I want to try their bistro!
Sommelier Recommendations: Maggie recommended the wine they are most known for: their Cabernet Franc
Tasting: Purchase of a bottle waives the $10 tasting fee.
Website: https://vindulac.com/
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This looks like such a perfect getaway! The scenery, the food .. and the wine OF COURSE! I will definitely have to add a trip like this to my bucket list. Thanks for the tips!
Wow this place is so beautiful. I would definitely visit it. I found your tips for visiting very useful, especially to be aware of closing times.
All these wineries look lovely! I especially like the siren song wines 🙂 I’m saving your guide for the future.
I’ve only recently started going to wineries, and have so far loved them all. These all look so beautiful and I love that each one has something different to offer too!
We visited the Leavenworth area of Washington and totally missed the Lake Chelan winery district. We love trying new wine regions so we will have to go back and check this area out. Wotj 30+ wineries, we will have to plan to stay for awhile! What an interesting selection of wineries and wines. Several sound right up my taste palette!