The Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail is wine country like it used to be with wineries in the vineyards and owners tending the tasting bars. The Rattlesnake Hills is often referred to as the 'green' tour of the Yakima Valley wineries. Situated in the low rolling hills, the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail takes you through some of the best orchard and vineyard land in the area. Each winery offers a unique setting in which to enjoy the fruit of the vine. The tasting rooms vary from Northwest modern architecture to traditional European with everything in between. All tasting rooms are open to the public without reservations during their published hours.
Our mission is to promote the wines produced in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA and to promote wine tourism within our area through high quality wines, education, and positive tasting room experiences.
Centered around Zillah, the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, Washington's ninth federally recognized wine region, is nested entirely within the Yakima and Columbia Valleys. Defining the northern boundary of the Yakima Valley, this high-elevation area features its highest peak and a viticultural history dating back to the 1968 planting of the Morrison Vineyard. Today, its rugged southern slopes and notable sites like Hyatt and Portteus provide essential, high-quality grapes for winemakers across the entire state.
The story of the Rattlesnake Hills began in 1968 with our first commercial vineyards. By 1980, the first wineries opened their doors, paving the way for our official recognition as Washington’s ninth federally designated AVA in March 2006.
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Our vines are protected from harsh Pacific influences by the Cascade Range, creating a rain shadow that ensures perfect ripening conditions.
Wine tasting in the Rattlesnake Hills is real wine country, only 2 ½ hours from Seattle via the I-90 interstate. The Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail extends from Union Gap, the beginning of the Yakima Valley, where the Yakima River squeezes between Ahtanum Ridge to the west and the Rattlesnake Hills to the east, then down to the Sunnyside Gap where Highway 241 heads for Vernita. The 18+ wineries on the Wine Trail guarantee that you will have a fabulous time and will take home some of the best wines that you have ever tasted.
Aligote, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and more.
Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Syrah, Zinfandel, and more.
Beyond single varietals, explore creative, award-winning blends like the famous 'Bung Dog Red'.
American Viticulture Area, a wine grape-growing region distinguished by geographical features. It is also known as an appellation.
Rattlesnake Hills was established an AVA in 2006
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a federal department, regulates the AVA process, and decides when an application has merit.
In order to become an AVA, there is a petition process that defines boundaries, land formation, soils, climates, historic and current support for the name, and supporting evidence. There is a period for comments by the public, then the TTB reviews all information and documents, and rules whether the area can be called an American Viticulture Area.
Several factors distinguish the Rattlesnake Hills area from others close by. These include temperature, soils, and climate.
Temperature: The Rattlesnake Hills has 2683 - 2870 annual degree-days (each degree that a day’s mean temperature is above 50 degrees F is called a degree-day), which is temperate compared to the surrounding regions. Moxee is more than 500 degree-days cooler, and Parker, Badger Canyon and Benton City are more than 100 degree-days hotter annually.
Soils: Fine, shallow silt loam soils left over from the ice age are the norm here. Sandier soils surround the AVA, but the silt loam on top of the rock and flood formations here provide the perfect soil structure for quality grapes.
Climate: To the west, the high Cascade Range shields the Rattlesnake Hills, and much of Eastern Washington, from ocean influences, and Umptanum Ridge, Yakima Ridge and the Rattlesnake Hills ridgeline shields the grapevines from the freezing polar air from Canada that can severely damage or kill the vines.
From Union Gap just south of Yakima, the boundary follows the Sunnyside Canal (at about 900 feet elevation) to the power line just east of the former Tefft Cellars. It follows the power line to the summit of Rattlesnake Hills, than back along the ridge to the point of origin.
An AVA must be given the most common name both currently and historically. The Rattlesnake Hills name originated in the 1850s with the first settlers in the area. It has appeared on Yakima Valley maps since 1910, and was the only choice since the AVA lies on the Rattlesnake Hills slopes.
No Snakes, Just Great Wine! Those traversing the Rattlesnake Hills Trail won’t likely encounter slithery reptiles as they visit the various rural tastings rooms and vineyards. AVAs are named for geography, not local fauna. In this case, the Rattlesnake Hills are a nearby land mass.
An AVA defines where the wine grapes come from. Grapes will take on certain flavors, based on the soil, climate and temperature from the region they were grown in. Consumers and vintners can then determine the “flavors” of the grapes in a certain wine based on the AVA where the grapes were sourced. When a vintner prepares a wine, if 85% of the grapes in that mix are from the Rattlesnake Hills, the label can say “Rattlesnake Hills” on it.
The Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail Association is The Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail, a nonprofit, 501(c)6 association of participating wineries within the Washington State Rattlesnake Hills AVA, is dedicated to providing a fun and educational tasting experience, offering wine tasting, vineyard tours, and entertaining events, and is open to the public year-round.
