Red Mountain Roundup: 8/20/15 – 8/26/15

Posted on August 19, 2015 by admin

Weather:

This is such a wonderful time to be in the vineyards with harvest starting and the weather so nice.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/99320:4:US

Events, Places to Visit:

If a tasting fee for a winery isn’t listed below it’s only because I don’t know what it is, there still may be a tasting fee charged.GabbyandSam

  • Red Mountain Trails – Fri – Sun by reservation.  1/2 hour and 1 hour trail rides.  
    Family BBQ and Wagon Ride — Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday by reservation.  
    Sunset Dinner and Wagon Ride — Friday and Saturday nights by reservation.
  • Col Solare – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Weds – Sun.
    Sunday 2:00 pm — vineyard and winery tour.
  • Cooper – tasting room open 11am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.  Tasting fees often go to various charities.  
    Saturday 8/22/15 — Who Done It drive.
  • Fidelitas – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm
    Saturday 8/22/15 — Who Done It drive.  
  • Frichette – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm.
    Saturday 8/22/15 — Who Done It drive.
    Saturday 8/22/15 6:30 pm — Farm to Fork dinner.
    Sunday, 8/23/15 10:00 am — Vine to Wine event.
  • Hamilton Cellars – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm, Thursdays 11 am – 7 pm 
    Thursday 8/20/15, open late (until 7:00 pm)
    Saturday 8/22/15, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Cheeseburgers in Paradise.
  • Hedges – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Sat, Sun.  $5.00 nonrefundable tasting fee
  • Hightower – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.
  • Kiona –  tasting room open noon – 5 pm daily.  Tasting fee $7.00 (refundable with purchase) Red Mountain Trails offers trail rides through Kiona Vineyards on weekends and by reservation.
    Saturday 8/22/15 — Who Done It drive.
  • Linda Ellis Andrews — Artist in Glass and Bronze.  Linda is a fabulous artist and wonderful person!  Make an appointment to visit her studio, you won’t be disappointed!
  • Monte Scarlatto — tasting room open 10 am – 5 pm Thurs and Sun.  10 am – 6 pm Fri and Sat.  By appointment also. They have a 9-hole golf course among the vines, check it out!
    Saturday 8/22/15 — Who Done It drive.
  • Portrait Cellars — tasting by appointment only.  509-588-4534
  • Tapteil – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Fri – Sun.
  • Terra Blanca –  tasting room open daily 10 am – 6 pm.
    Thursday 8/20/15 Chef’s Seminar with Derek Bray.  6:30 pm – 9:30 pm.  More info here.  
    Friday 8/21/15, 7 pm — 10 pm.  “Cuisine de Vin” fundraiser for the Children’s Developmental Center.
    Saturday 8/22/15 —     Who Done It drive.
  • Tucannon – tasting room open Fri – Sun 11 am – 6 pm, Wed – Thurs 11 am – 5 pm.  $5.00 tasting fee.
    Saturday 8/22/15 — Who Done It drive.
  • Tri-Cities Events

Places to Stay:

  • Vacation Rentals by Owner — Red Mountain has some really nice vacation rentals available for your visit.  Most of these are right on Red Mountain and visitors get a discount on their trail or wagon ride when they stay.
  • Bella Luna House — gorgeous vacation rental offered by Tapteil winery.
  • Camping and RV — 
    • Beach RV Park – situated in Benton City — lots of pretty trees, gorgeous setting along the Yakima River waterfront, 5 minutes to Red Mountain.
    • RV Village Resort – West Richland.  Easy access to Red Mountain and Richland for restaurants, shopping, and wine-tasting.  Indoor pool and spa.
  • The nearest hotels are located in Richland and Prosser.

Places to Eat

There are a number of chain restaurants around but here are some “off the beaten path” recommendations:

  • Red Mountain Trails — we offer Wagon Ride dinners in the spring, summer, and fall!
  • Terra Blanca Vineyard Grill — Fri, Sat, Sun noon – 5 pm.  Oh man, I love to eat on their patio — a glass of wine, some lovely food, and the views are to die for.
  • Tacos Garcia Taco Truck — West Richland.  The best taco truck around, and I love their ceviche.
  • Brickhouse Pizza — West Richland.  Great pizza crust on their pizzas and a nice fresh salad bar.
Posted in Round Up | Comments Off on Red Mountain Roundup: 8/20/15 – 8/26/15

Got Hitching Rails?

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Teresa

There are hitching rails at the South end of Kiona Winery’s parking lot.  These were put in several years ago, I believe by the Backcountry Horseman chapter (this is unconfirmed, because I’ve heard numerous others claim to’ve put them in).  At the time they were on Kennewick Irrigation District (KID) property.  

We all assumed it was Kiona property, as it was right on the line of a very old, brittle, barbed-wire fence that any logical person would assume marked the actual property boundaries.  (I have some stories about that fence though, and that’s another post for another time.) Great day to ride! Join us! 888-414-1619

The Aquilini group purchased the KID land and have since been planting 640 acres in vines.  

We knew early on that our access to the hitching rails would come to an end.  We loved setting up at Kiona — they’re family there and the location was so central to the rest of the mountain.  I took endless photos of my commute home from the hitching rails, ponying the rest of the string in a line behind me, clip-clopping along the road that led from the hitching rails to our home.  I loved that trip home, with the sun on my back.

Today I learned that the hitching rails were going to be pulled.  For what it’s worth, I did call Aquilini’s top guy (Barry Olivieri) and ask if he’d consider leaving the rails.  This was an understandably short conversation.  It does not make business sense to leave the rails there.  

So, that’s that.  The hitching rails are going.  We have been preparing for that by a.) doing rides by reservation so we spend very little time standing about, and b.) getting our place ready to run rides out of here.  Oh, and c.) talking with Kiona about other arrangements, which they graciously are considering.  

I see this in a way as a good thing.  Being stationed out of our place is such a great benefit to the horses.  They get to hang out in the shade, in corrals under the willows, with automatic waterers full of cold water, hay bags full of hay, and not being tied to the rails.  Not that they minded it, but a corral is nicer than a tether, I don’t care who you are.  It also enables us to get some chores done around here in between rides.  

I think the thing that worries me is that folks may assume that either we took the rails or that Kiona took them out or that it’s some big move to eliminate horses from Red Mountain.  That somehow it’s something “personal.”  It’s nothing like that at all.  It’s just the business of progress.

The good news is that there is a push to get a trail built out here, and it will be accessible for horses.  There’s a trail head planned and everything.  

So, if you are out here and wondering where we are with our horses, and where the hitching rails are, don’t worry!  Come and visit us at our place, we’d love to see you!

Posted in Home on the AVA, Life on the Ranch | Comments Off on Got Hitching Rails?

Holy Smokes These Things are Awesome!

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Teresa

I have two events which seem unrelated, yet have come together in perfect serendipity.  

  1. Event 1: the ripening of the grapes.  We have veils of black monukkas on our vines.  
  2. Event 2: a vintner’s dinner ride we’re doing this weekend.

And so I needed to try some different recipes.  

I think my favorite thing about this recipe is that I could walk out my door and pick everything I needed, except the tartlet pastry.  Oh god, what I’d give for a pastry tree.  Heck I’d have a whole orchard.

Anyway, so I did a test run of these tartlets and I have to say I was skeptical.  A savory recipe with something as sweet as black monukkas?  And onions?  and rosemary?  wpid-20150817_212038.jpg

These are a total home run.  I can’t describe how crisp and fresh they tasted.  The flavor combination was bowl-licking worthy.  I ain’t ashamed.

Anyway, enough of all that.  Behold, I give you: Brie Tartlets wtih Grape Relish

Brie Tartlets with Grape Relish
Serves 8
A sweet and savory appetizer that is easy to throw together.
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Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  2. 1/2 (15 oz) package refrigerated piecrusts (I found that the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry cups worked perfectly)
  3. 1/2 (8-oz) Brie round, rind removed.
  4. 3/4 cup seedless red grapes, chopped
  5. 1 green onion, minced (I used some Egyptian Walking Onions from the yard -- so delish)
  6. 11/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  7. 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  8. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Place walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Increase oven temperature to 425.
  2. Unroll piecrust on a flat surface. Cut into 24 rouns using a 2-inch round cutter. Press rounds into bottoms of ungreased miniature muffin cups. Prick bottom of dough with a fork. (Or just do like me and bust out your Pepperidge Farm puff pastry cups, pour a glass of wine, and bake those puppies like the box says.)
  3. Bake at 425 for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden. remove from pans, and cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300.
  4. Meanwhile, cut Brie into 24 pieces. Stir together grapes and next 4 ingredients.
  5. Arrange pastry shells on a baking sheet. Place 1 Brie piece in each pastry cup; sprinkle Brie pieces evenly with toasted walnuts.
  6. Bake at 300 for 4 to 6 minutes or just until cheese begins to melt. Top tarts evenly with grape mixture. Serve immediately.
Notes
  1. These are totally do-able in a Dutch Oven. I would use one of the rectangular 9 x 13 ones, inverted, which is how I plan to do them on wagon rides.
  2. For the pastry, I'd do the cups in advance and then do the rest of the baking and whatnot (steps 5 and 6) on site.
https://www.redmountaintrails.com/
Posted in Chuckwagon | Comments Off on Holy Smokes These Things are Awesome!

Red Mountain Roundup: 8/13/15 – 8/19/15

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Teresa

Weather:

Oh August, how I love thee!  Such perfect days for riding!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/99320:4:USEnjoying a Ride.

Events, Places to Visit:

If a tasting fee for a winery isn’t listed below it’s only because I don’t know what it is, there still may be a tasting fee charged.

  • Red Mountain Trails – Fri – Sun by reservation.  1/2 hour and 1 hour trail rides.  
    Family BBQ and Wagon Ride — Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday by reservation.  
    Sunset Dinner and Wagon Ride — Friday and Saturday nights by reservation.
  • Col Solare – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Weds – Sun.
    Sunday 2:00 pm — vineyard and winery tour.
  • Cooper – tasting room open 11am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.  Tasting fees often go to various charities.  
    Saturday 8/15/15 — Food Truck Saturday with Northwest Sunset Grille.
  • Fidelitas – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm
  • Frichette – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm.
  • Hamilton Cellars – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm, Thursdays 11 am – 7 pm 
    Thursday 8/13/15, open late (until 7:00 pm).
  • Hedges – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Sat, Sun.  $5.00 nonrefundable tasting fee
  • Hightower – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.
  • Kiona –  tasting room open noon – 5 pm daily.  Tasting fee $7.00 (refundable with purchase) Red Mountain Trails offers trail rides through Kiona Vineyards on weekends and by reservation.
  • Linda Ellis Andrews — Artist in Glass and Bronze.  Linda is a fabulous artist and wonderful person!  Make an appointment to visit her studio, you won’t be disappointed!
  • Monte Scarlatto — tasting room open 10 am – 5 pm Thurs and Sun.  10 am – 6 pm Fri and Sat.  By appointment also. They have a 9-hole golf course among the vines, check it out!
  • Portrait Cellars — tasting by appointment only.  509-588-4534
  • Tapteil – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Fri – Sun.
  • Terra Blanca –  tasting room open daily 10 am – 6 pm.
    Friday 8/14/15, noon — 9 pm.  “Nights on the Terrace”.  Enjoy dining at the Vineyard grill on Friday night.  Menu and more info here.
  • Tucannon – tasting room open Fri – Sun 11 am – 6 pm, Wed – Thurs 11 am – 5 pm.  $5.00 tasting fee.
  • Tri-Cities Events

Places to Stay:

  • Vacation Rentals by Owner — Red Mountain has some really nice vacation rentals available for your visit.  Most of these are right on Red Mountain and visitors get a discount on their trail or wagon ride when they stay.
  • Bella Luna House — gorgeous vacation rental offered by Tapteil winery.
  • Camping and RV — 
    • Beach RV Park – situated in Benton City — lots of pretty trees, gorgeous setting along the Yakima River waterfront, 5 minutes to Red Mountain.
    • RV Village Resort – West Richland.  Easy access to Red Mountain and Richland for restaurants, shopping, and wine-tasting.  Indoor pool and spa.
  • The nearest hotels are located in Richland and Prosser.

Places to Eat

There are a number of chain restaurants around but here are some “off the beaten path” recommendations:

  • Red Mountain Trails — we offer Wagon Ride dinners in the spring, summer, and fall!
  • Terra Blanca Vineyard Grill — Fri, Sat, Sun noon – 5 pm.  Oh man, I love to eat on their patio — a glass of wine, some lovely food, and the views are to die for.
  • 8/8/15 Cooper Wine Company hosts the Northwest Sunset Grille food truck.  
  • Tacos Garcia Taco Truck — West Richland.  The best taco truck around, and I love their ceviche.
  • Brickhouse Pizza — West Richland.  Great pizza crust on their pizzas and a nice fresh salad bar.

News

Remember me grousing about the weather a while back and how bloomin’ hot it was?  Cherry harvest was 2 weeks early and wine grapes are nearly 3 weeks to a month early.

Holy heck.

Washington Wine Harvest Sets Mark as Earliest in History 

 

Posted in Round Up | Comments Off on Red Mountain Roundup: 8/13/15 – 8/19/15

Red Mountain Roundup: 8/6/15 – 8/12/15

Posted on August 5, 2015 by admin

Weather:

I looked at the 15-day forecast for the area and nearly fell on the floor and wiggled around in utter happiness.  It looks like great riding weather for the next while!  Join us!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/99320:4:US

Events, Places to Visit:

If a tasting fee for a winery isn’t listed below it’s only because I don’t know what it is, there still may be a tasting fee charged.

  • Red Mountain Trails – Fri – Sun by reservation.  1/2 hour and 1 hour trail rides.  
    Family BBQ and Wagon Ride — Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday by reservation.  
    Sunset Dinner and Wagon Ride — Friday and Saturday nights by reservation.
  • Col Solare – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Weds – Sun.
    Sunday 2:00 pm — vineyard and winery tour.
  • Cooper – tasting room open 11am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.  Tasting fees often go to various charities.  
    Saturday 8/8/15 — Food Truck Saturday with Northwest Sunset Grille.
  • Fidelitas – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm
  • Frichette – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm.
  • Hamilton Cellars – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm, Thursdays 11 am – 7 pm 
    Thursday 8/6/15, open late (until 7:00 pm).
    Wednesday 8/12/15, Bunco from 6 to 8!  Info here.
  • Hedges – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Sat, Sun.  $5.00 nonrefundable tasting fee
  • Hightower – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.
  • Kiona –  tasting room open noon – 5 pm daily.  Tasting fee $7.00 (refundable with purchase) Red Mountain Trails offers trail rides through Kiona Vineyards on weekends and by reservation.
  • Linda Ellis Andrews — Artist in Glass and Bronze.  Linda is a fabulous artist and wonderful person!  Make an appointment to visit her studio, you won’t be disappointed!
  • Monte Scarlatto — tasting room open 10 am – 5 pm Thurs and Sun.  10 am – 6 pm Fri and Sat.  By appointment also. They have a 9-hole golf course among the vines, check it out!
  • Portrait Cellars — tasting by appointment only.  509-588-4534
  • Tapteil – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Fri – Sun.
  • Terra Blanca –  tasting room open daily 10 am – 6 pm.
  • Tucannon – tasting room open Fri – Sun 11 am – 6 pm, Wed – Thurs 11 am – 5 pm.  $5.00 tasting fee.
  • Tri-Cities Events

Places to Stay:

  • Vacation Rentals by Owner — Red Mountain has some really nice vacation rentals available for your visit.  Most of these are right on Red Mountain and visitors get a discount on their trail or wagon ride when they stay.
  • Bella Luna House — gorgeous vacation rental offered by Tapteil winery.
  • Camping and RV — 
    • Beach RV Park – situated in Benton City — lots of pretty trees, gorgeous setting along the Yakima River waterfront, 5 minutes to Red Mountain.
    • RV Village Resort – West Richland.  Easy access to Red Mountain and Richland for restaurants, shopping, and wine-tasting.  Indoor pool and spa.
  • The nearest hotels are located in Richland and Prosser.

Places to Eat

There are a number of chain restaurants around but here are some “off the beaten path” recommendations:

  • Red Mountain Trails — we offer Wagon Ride dinners in the spring, summer, and fall!
  • Terra Blanca Vineyard Grill — Fri, Sat, Sun noon – 5 pm.  Oh man, I love to eat on their patio — a glass of wine, some lovely food, and the views are to die for.
  • 8/8/15 Cooper Wine Company hosts the Northwest Sunset Grille food truck.  
  • Tacos Garcia Taco Truck — West Richland.  The best taco truck around, and I love their ceviche.
  • Brickhouse Pizza — West Richland.  Great pizza crust on their pizzas and a nice fresh salad bar.

 

 

Posted in Round Up | Comments Off on Red Mountain Roundup: 8/6/15 – 8/12/15

Easiest Saddle Rack in the World

Posted on August 4, 2015 by admin

I wanted saddle racks that I could mount on the outside of our corrals and round pen — something that folds down when not in use, and that would keep my saddles and bridles and everything else off the ground and in order.  Ugh, and I also wanted to keep them out of reach of Siobhan who thinks that everything on the planet is meant to be chewed.  I swear she is worse than a goat.  

We have a scrap lumber pile I’m trying to burn through, so this project was perfect for it.  

You’ll need:

  • a length of 2″ x 4″ (my scraps were 41″ long, so that’s what I used)
  • pencil
  • measuring tape
  • a rope hook
  • an eye bolt
  • screws (if they don’t come with the rope hook)
  • a drill motor
  • screw driving bits to fit the rope hook screws
  • (optional) a drill bit
  • (optional) a coat hook

wpid-20150803_192417.jpg wpid-20150803_192345.jpg wpid-20150803_192331.jpg wpid-20150803_192317.jpg wpid-20150803_192221.jpg

Instructions:

In my case I needed to mount the racks on a board that I could then hang off the corrals.  If you are mounting these to your wall, you’ll do it slightly differently than shown.)

wpid-20150803_192157.jpg wpid-20150803_192206.jpg

  1. Determine your location for your racks.  Like I say, I was just using a board that I could hang off my corrals.  
  2. I recommend mounting to a stud.
  3. Use your pencil to mark where the eye bolt will go in the wall.  (If you do like me and mount it to a board, you’ll want washers for the back of the bolt)
  4. Pre-drill a hole for your eye bolt.
  5. Screw the bolt into the wall
  6. Hold the butt end of your 2 x 4 against the wall below the eye bolt.  Place the rope hook through the eye bolt and rest the flat piece on the top end of your 2 x 4.  Use the pencil to mark the screw holes for your rope hook screws.
    wpid-20150803_192216.jpg
  7. Pre-drill your 2 x 4 at the marks you just made for your screw holes.
  8. Attach your rope hook.
  9. At this point you can simply hang your saddle rack as-is.  I wanted something that would also keep the bridles untangled and out of the way, so I attached a coat hook to the end of the 2 x 4 as shown.  

You can get as fancy with this thing as you want.  I didn’t want to as I’d exhausted my ability to string swear words together coherently, which usually is my sign to stop practicing carpentry for the day.  

Posted in Life on the Ranch | Comments Off on Easiest Saddle Rack in the World

Plum Apple Chutney

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Teresa

I could’ve named this post “how I further promote the decomposition process happening in my fridge and make it palatable”.  Chutney is my way of dealing with the drunk, mushy fruit in the bottom of my fridge, sort of like soup is how I deal with leftover veggies.  

I doubt you’ll ever want to eat at my house again.  

Anyway, so our wrangler Suzie brought me some beautiful plums.  Sadly, it was during Cowboy Camp and so the plums sat on my kitchen counter, bleeding their briney juice onto the formica for several days before I could tend to them.  Given that chutney and jam are basically mushy fruit with sugar, I decided to make a plum chutney.  But by the time I picked out the seriously rotten ones (which I fed to the chickens who are now completely blottoed), I needed a little more fruit.  What do you know?  I had some mushy apples too!  My fridge is a dang gold mine!  

Chutney to me is best with lots of texture, so I cut everything in biggish chunks and left the skins on.  Here are some photos of the process:

Plum Apple Chutney

Plum Apple Chutney getting ready to cook. Your house will smell awesome.

muffin tin for freezing small quantities.

Jumbo muffin tin of plum apple chutney. I put this in the freezer. Once solid, I then individually vacuum seal and freeze these little hockey-pucks of awesomeness.

And here is the recipe!

Plum Apple Chutney
Serves 24
A pretty chutney that goes well with pork, chicken, or turkey. Beautiful. Could add pistachios right before serving.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 1/2 cups pitted, chopped plums
  2. 1 cup chopped apples
  3. 1 cup brown sugar
  4. 1 cup white sugar
  5. 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  6. 1 cup dried cranberries (you could try raisins too)
  7. 2 teaspoons salt
  8. 1/3 cup chopped onion
  9. 1 clove minced garlic
  10. 2 teaspoons mustard seed
  11. 3 tablespoons ginger paste
Instructions
  1. Combine sugars and vinegar in a saucepan.
  2. Bring to boil, stirring to melt sugar.
  3. Mix in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat and cook gently 45 minutes until thickened. Stir frequently.
  5. At this point you can choose your preservation method. I ladled it into a muffin tin to freeze small portions. Once frozen, I take them out and then vacuum seal them and freeze them. Otherwise you can can them.
Notes
  1. This is a chunky, spicey chutney that is a beautiful color -- great for pork tenderloin, chicken, or turkey. Or you can do like me and just eat it with chips.
https://www.redmountaintrails.com/
Posted in Chuckwagon | Comments Off on Plum Apple Chutney

Red Mountain Roundup (7/30/15 – 8/5/15)

Posted on July 29, 2015 by admin

Weather:

I remember last week when I was so happy it was cooling off.  That was short-lived.  Over a hundred degrees again.  Boom!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/99320:4:US

Events, Places to Visit:

If a tasting fee for a winery isn’t listed below it’s only because I don’t know what it is, there still may be a tasting fee charged.

  • Red Mountain Trails – Fri – Sun by reservation.  1/2 hour and 1 hour trail rides.  
    Family BBQ and Wagon Ride — Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday by reservation.  
    Sunset Dinner and Wagon Ride — Friday and Saturday nights by reservation.
  • Col Solare – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Weds – Sun.
    Sunday 2:00 pm — vineyard and winery tour.
  • Cooper – tasting room open 11am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.  Tasting fees often go to various charities.  
    Saturday 8/1/15 — Food Truck Saturday with Northwest Sunset Grille.
  • Fidelitas – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm
  • Frichette – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm.
  • Hamilton Cellars – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm, Thursdays 11 am – 7 pm 
    Thursday 7/30/15, open late (until 7:00 pm).
    Sunday 8/2/15, music with Gary Johnstad & Danika Nolton, 2pm – 4 pm.
  • Hedges – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Sat, Sun.  $5.00 nonrefundable tasting fee
  • Hightower – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.
  • Kiona –  tasting room open noon – 5 pm daily.  Tasting fee $7.00 (refundable with purchase) Red Mountain Trails offers trail rides through Kiona Vineyards on weekends and by reservation.
  • Linda Ellis Andrews — Artist in Glass and Bronze.  Linda is a fabulous artist and wonderful person!  Make an appointment to visit her studio, you won’t be disappointed!
  • Monte Scarlatto — tasting room open 10 am – 5 pm Thurs and Sun.  10 am – 6 pm Fri and Sat.  By appointment also. They have a 9-hole golf course among the vines, check it out!
    Saturday 8/1/15, Rockin’ Beer and Wine Car and Bike show with live music by My Favorite Toy.  10 am – 6 pm (Music starts at noon).
  • Portrait Cellars — tasting by appointment only.  509-588-4534
  • Tapteil – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Fri – Sun.
  • Terra Blanca –  tasting room open daily 10 am – 6 pm.
  • Tucannon – tasting room open Fri – Sun 11 am – 6 pm, Wed – Thurs 11 am – 5 pm.  $5.00 tasting fee.
    Tri-Cities Events

Places to Stay:

  • Vacation Rentals by Owner — Red Mountain has some really nice vacation rentals available for your visit.  Most of these are right on Red Mountain and visitors get a discount on their trail or wagon ride when they stay.
  • Bella Luna House — gorgeous vacation rental offered by Tapteil winery.
  • Camping and RV — 
    • Beach RV Park – situated in Benton City — lots of pretty trees, gorgeous setting along the Yakima River waterfront, 5 minutes to Red Mountain.
    • RV Village Resort – West Richland.  Easy access to Red Mountain and Richland for restaurants, shopping, and wine-tasting.  Indoor pool and spa.
  • The nearest hotels are located in Richland and Prosser.

Places to Eat

There are a number of chain restaurants around but here are some “off the beaten path” recommendations:

  • Red Mountain Trails — we offer Wagon Ride dinners in the spring, summer, and fall!
  • Terra Blanca Vineyard Grill — Fri, Sat, Sun noon – 5 pm.  Oh man, I love to eat on their patio — a glass of wine, some lovely food, and the views are to die for.
  • 8/1/15 Cooper Wine Company hosts the Northwest Sunset Grille food truck.  
  • Tacos Garcia Taco Truck — West Richland.  The best taco truck around, and I love their ceviche.
  • Brickhouse Pizza — West Richland.  Great pizza crust on their pizzas and a nice fresh salad bar.

 

 

Posted in Round Up | Comments Off on Red Mountain Roundup (7/30/15 – 8/5/15)

Watermelon and Avocado Salad

Posted on July 28, 2015 by admin

My mother made this and oh my gosh, you can eat it like salsa or eat it as a salad.  

Enjoy!

Watermelon Avocado Salad
My mom made this and it's awesome!
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Ingredients
  1. 1 red onion, chopped
  2. 2T red wine vinegar
  3. Combine these and marinate overnight.
  4. 2 ripe avocados cut into 1-inch chunks
  5. juice of 1 lime
  6. 6 lbs of watermelon, cut into 1.5 inch chunks.
  7. Toss avo and watermelon with lime juice
  8. juice of 1 orange
  9. 2t extra virgin olive oil
  10. 1 c cilantro, chopped and loosely packed (set aside a bit for garnish)
  11. S & P to taste
Instructions
  1. Toss together melon, avo, oj, olive oil, and cilantro. Drain onion and add. S and P to taste. Toss once more and garnish
  2. Mom uses the onion/vinegar with all kinds of melon and fruits and apples and pears,
  3. Also, she uses raspberry vinegar for the marinade.
https://www.redmountaintrails.com/
Posted in Chuckwagon | Comments Off on Watermelon and Avocado Salad

Red Mountain Round Up (7/23/15 – 7/29/15)

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Teresa

I know, I know, the boat races are this weekend.  Still, here’s a roundup of events, places to stay, and things to do on Red Mountain for the week of 7/23/15 through 7/29/15.  

Weather:

Whew!  Mid 90s for the next few days!  I’ll take that!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/99320:4:US

Events, Places to Visit:

If a tasting fee for a winery isn’t listed below it’s only because I don’t know what it is, there still may be a tasting fee charged.

  • Red Mountain Trails – Fri – Sun by reservation.  1/2 hour and 1 hour trail rides.  
    Family BBQ and Wagon Ride — Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday by reservation.  
    Sunset Dinner and Wagon Ride — Friday and Saturday nights by reservation.
  • Col Solare – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Weds – Sun.
    Sunday 2:00 pm — vineyard and winery tour.
  • Cooper – tasting room open 11am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.  Tasting fees often go to various charities.  
  • Fidelitas – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm
  • Frichette – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm.
  • Hamilton Cellars – tasting room open daily 11 am – 5 pm, Thursdays 11 am – 7 pm 
    Thursday 7/23/15, open late (until 7:00 pm).
  • Hedges – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Sat, Sun.  $5.00 nonrefundable tasting fee
  • Hightower – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Thurs – Mon.
  • Kiona –  tasting room open noon – 5 pm daily.  Tasting fee $7.00 (refundable with purchase) Red Mountain Trails offers trail rides through Kiona Vineyards on weekends and by reservation.
  • Linda Ellis Andrews — Artist in Glass and Bronze.  Linda is a fabulous artist and wonderful person!  Make an appointment to visit her studio, you won’t be disappointed!
  • Monte Scarlatto — tasting room open 10 am – 5 pm Thurs and Sun.  10 am – 6 pm Fri and Sat.  By appointment also. They have a 9-hole golf course among the vines, check it out!
  • Portrait Cellars — tasting by appointment only.  509-588-4534
  • Tapteil – tasting room open 11 am – 5 pm Fri – Sun.
  • Terra Blanca –  tasting room open daily 10 am – 6 pm.
  • Tucannon – tasting room open Fri – Sun 11 am – 6 pm, Wed – Thurs 11 am – 5 pm.  $5.00 tasting fee.
    Friday 7/24/15 11:00 am – 5:00 pm   — Red Ribbon Cutting – Attendees can expect waived tasting fees, snacks, entertainment, and winery tours.   Ribbon cutting is at 1:00 pm
    Saturday 7/25/15 11:00 am – 8:00 pm — Toast to a Cure Fundraiser.   Featuring wood fired pizza, several wine related vendors, an amazing local art exhibit, raffles, and games with prizes. 
    Saturday 7/25/15 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm — Live music (as part of the Toast to a Cure) with Dallin Puzzey.
  • Tri-Cities Events

Places to Stay:

  • Vacation Rentals by Owner — Red Mountain has some really nice vacation rentals available for your visit.  Most of these are right on Red Mountain and visitors get a discount on their trail or wagon ride when they stay.
  • Bella Luna House — gorgeous vacation rental offered by Tapteil winery.
  • Camping and RV — 
    • Beach RV Park – situated in Benton City — lots of pretty trees, gorgeous setting along the Yakima River waterfront, 5 minutes to Red Mountain.
    • RV Village Resort – West Richland.  Easy access to Red Mountain and Richland for restaurants, shopping, and wine-tasting.  Indoor pool and spa.
  • The nearest hotels are located in Richland and Prosser.

Places to Eat

There are a number of chain restaurants around but here are some “off the beaten path” recommendations:

Red Mountain in the News

Washington Wine Part 1: Key Players on a Hot Streak 

Washington Wine: Part 2.  Ample Room for Growth 

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down: Proposed trail connecting ridges in Tri-Cities.

 

Posted in Round Up | Comments Off on Red Mountain Round Up (7/23/15 – 7/29/15)