10 Stops for Yakima Valley Sparkling Wines
It’s a sparkly time of year! If you’re looking for a little holiday magic, we know just where to go and what to pour! Holiday festivities are in full swing all around the Yakima Valley and the calendar is filled with ways to celebrate the season.
- Find everything you need for gifting, gathering and your holiday tables at holiday markets and unique boutiques and shops around the valley in our Merry & Bright Holiday Shopping Guide.
- Find something special to light up the nights this weekend in our list of lighted events. Don’t miss the Yakima Area Arboretum’s Luminaria, the Drive-Thru Holiday Light Fest or Holiday Lights at the Yakima Museum.
- Celebrate the spirit of the season with Yakima Valley wineries all decked out for the holidays and giving back to local nonprofits during Christmas in the Valley. Enjoy holiday sipping, special savings and plenty of festive events.
Cheers to the New Year with Local Sparkling Wines – Where to Find the Very Best Bubbles
If you’re looking something sparkly to ring in the new year, take look at our list of sparkling wines from local wineries. Take a tasting tour through Yakima Valley Wine Country and find your favorite bubbles with 10 stops beginning in Naches Heights and Yakima and on to Zillah to Prosser.
🍾 #1 Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery – Naches Heights
Start the tasting tour with Estate Sparkling Rosé Nebbiolo from Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery. Settle into one of the cozy seating spaces in the farmhouse tasting room to enjoy this very special wine produced with grapes grown in the state’s very first certified organic and biodynamic vineyard.
🍾 #2 Gilbert Cellars – Yakima
Just a short drive away, surrounded by Yakima Orchards, enjoy the newly released 2025 Pét-Nat from Gilbert Cellars. The always highly anticipated release of this wine never disappoints. Crafted in the pétillant naturel method (*notes below), the winery describes this year’s offering as, “straw-gold color with a little pop” and “bright, juicy, and slightly unruly. Playful on the nose, crisp on the palate, and buzzing with orchard energy from first sip to last.” Sounds like a perfect way to ring in the new year!
🍾 #3 Treveri Cellars
You can’t possibly have a list of Yakima Valley sparkling wines that doesn’t include Treveri Cellars! As Washington’s premier, dedicated sparkling wine house, they’ve been handcrafting sparkling wines in the traditional méthode Champenoise) for more than 15 years. Known for putting Washington on the “sparkling wine map,” they’ve garnered recognition and acclaim for their range of wines. Savor a tasting flight at their picturesque tasting room overlooking the valley and find the perfect pour for your special night, from their wide range including blanc de blanc and blanc de noir to sparkling gewürztraminer, syrah and rosé.
🍾 #4 Freehand Cellars – Wapato
At Freehand Cellars in Wapato, sip their 2022 Sparkling Blanc de Noir while you linger in the tasting room’s fireside glow and take in some of the best views in the valley. Initially in limited production, this very special wine is just now available to all! “Our sparkling is something we’re truly proud of: It’s bright, expressive, and delicious all on its own. This isn’t a bottle you mix with OJ or anything else—it’s one you sip, savor, and celebrate with,” says Tyra Bleek, winery manager.
Freehand Cellars always has a selection of delicious bites to pair with their wines and a fantastic lineup of events. Check out their festive happenings all season, including their NY New Year’s Eve ending with a pour of the Sparkling Blanc de Noir.
🍾 #5 Fortuity Cellars – Wapato
Next up on the tour, the Amusez-Vous sparkling rosé from Fortuity Cellars tastes just as the name (meaning “enjoy yourself”) suggests. With “Tiny, fine bubbles, resulting in a lively, fruity palate and a desire for one more sip,” the latest vintage offers “notes of apricot nectar, white blossom, raspberry purée and clementine, finishing with a slight hint of shortbread and toasted almond.” Owners, Lee and Emily Fergestrom say they’ll pair it with “sushi, chicken and waffles, any and all grazing meat/cheese boards, popcorn and even nachos!” Sounds like a NYE party!
🍾 #6 Two Mountain Winery – Zillah
The yearly release of Two Mountain Winery’s pét-nat sparkling wine comes in mid-July, just before their annual wine club dinner (reason enough to join the club!). It sells out each year, but we’re in luck because they reserved a VERY limited quantity of the Two Mountain 2024 Pét-Nat and it’s available just in time to celebrate the new year! Described as a “sparkly little joyride built for snowy nights, cozy fires, and any excuse to pour some bubbly. Bright, bouncy, and always the life of the party, it bursts with peach, apricot, honeysuckle, and that nostalgic POG vibe you can’t help but love. Light, lively bubbles carry pink grapefruit and blossom notes that keep things crisp and refreshing. It’s festive, fizzy, and built for holiday toasts and midnight magic.”
Keep an eye on their social channels and website or sign up for their newsletter for it to be released this coming Monday (12/15) as a special treat with their sitewide 15% off sale. Order online to pick up in the tasting room and enjoy $10 off wine purchases in tasting room only with a comparable non-perishable food or cash donation to the Zillah Food Bank.
🍾 #7 Airfield Estates – Prosser
The 2023 Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine promises all the finesse you desire in a special bottle for your elegant NYE festivities. Made in the méthode traditionnelle, this brut cuvée, has vibrant palate that’s “richly layered, offering flavors of stone fruit, crème brûlée, and a touch of smoked cashew.” You’re in luck with just days left in their 12 Days of Christmas case sale (ending Monday, 12/15), including the Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine! Stop by the tasting room to pick it up!
🍾 #8 Coyote Canyon Winery – Prosser
Coyte Canyon Winery is a must-stop on your tour of Prosser wineries. Their 2023 CCW EL Chespear Sparkling Albariño elevates all your special occasions.
🍾 #9 Tirriddis Sparkling Wines – Prosser
Taking their name from the three steps to naturally produce sparkling wines in the traditional method, Tirriddiss Sparkling Wines was founded by three friends and graduates of the Washington State Universities Viticulture and Enology program. Together they’re working to pioneer and curate Washington’s sparkling identity. Producing only sparkling wines, their tasting room’s walls of glass overlooking the Yakima River (along with their wines, of course!) make it a stop you can’t miss on a sparkling wine tasting tour. Experience their wide range of sparkling wines, from blanc de blanc to brut rosé and barrel fermented blanc de blanc.
🍾 #10 Wit Cellars – Prosser
Wit Cellars has two fantastic sparkling wines in their lineup. The NV Luminous Sparkling Blanc de Noir is a brand-new release that has the makers excited! It’s made for a celebration with “delicate notes of orange blossom that lend a floral elegance.” It also has a warm depth and aromatic complexity that makes it a delicious pairing with dishes ranging from seafood to spiced desserts. The award-winning 2024 Unleashed Sparkling Rosé is “fun wine that starts with a nose full of fresh ripe strawberries, and watermelon. The palate has a creaminess to it that is reminiscent of strawberry shortcake. The palate is lively, with dancing bubbles and a candy-like finish.” It’s perfect for a party!
*Note: Wines made in the pétillant naturel, or ancestral method, are bottled while still fermenting, without yeast or sugar added for a second fermentation. Pét-nat wines often have lighter, more delicate, effervescent bubbles with fresh fruit flavors, and you may note a somewhat rustic cloudiness to the wine.
Categorized in: Wine Country