Established in 1983, the Yakima Valley AVA, located in South Eastern Washington State, was the first American Viticultural Area established within Washington State.
The Yakima Valley is in Eastern Washington about 2.5 to 3 hours from Seattle if you’re driving. Yakima, the city, is the beginning point of a string of wineries all the way down the Yakima Valley that runs SE along highway I-82 to Red Mountain. Yakima, the city, is the beginning point of a string of wineries all the way down the Yakima Valley that runs SE along highway I-82 to Red Mountain. Plan about 2.5 hours to Yakima, the city, where there are a hand-full of wineries. Prosser is toward the southern end of the Yakima Valley, this small town is the birthplace of Washington wine and the home to some of the state’s oldest wineries. There is a good concentration of wineries between exits 80 & 82 off I-82. Plan about a 3.5 hour drive from Seattle to Prosser. There are about 60 wineries in this area that takes about an hour to drive from end to end.