When you think of wine country most people think of Napa Valley California. But the southern end of Washington State’s Yakima Valley is fast becoming well known for it’s fine wines around the world. In the last 15 years the wine industry in this area has grown from 10,000 acres to over 40,000 acres of grapes. And during this time the vineyards in Washington State have exploded in growth from 50 to over 400 wineries.

Today we’re going to visit the “Terra Blanca” winery, located in a fertile and scenic area of eastern Washington where the high calcium carbonate content actually whitens the soil; thus the name “Terra Blanca” which in Latin means white earth. It is this productive soil that helps the vineyard produce some of the best wines in the country.

Wine maker and owner of Terra Blanca, Keith Pilgram, can now enjoy the fruit of his nearly 20 years of labor spent crafting his trade. His professional career as a geologist in the 1980’s and a winemaking background helped him in his search to find just the right place to grow his special variety of wines. After checking out numerous regions throughout the northwest, Pilgram chose the southwestern slope of Red Mountain in Washington’s Yakima Valley. His dream to produce fine wine became a reality when his first vintage was bottled in 1997. Now the winery produces fine wine became a reality when his first vintage was bottled in 1997.

Dana Lee especially likes to take visitors on tour on the massive wine caves that tunnel deep beneath the earth. “Terra Blanca” was the first winery in the state to practice the ancient tradition of aging wines in caves. Over 1,000 oak barrels of fermenting wine lie on their side as they age to perfection. “The caves are great assets for wines. Meeting the needs of discriminating wine connoisseurs is the new passion in the rolling hills around Terra Blanca. So if your looking for a unique wine tasting experience this is definitely the place to start you adventure. http://www.terrablanca.com/