Washington’s wine country is never more beautiful than in late summer, when the scorched rolling hills turn green and the harvest of lush fruit-laden vines begins. This month, temperatures range in the toasty 80s east of the mountains, in the dry land where most of Washington’s 43,000 acres of vineyards grow.
Our wine industry is ripening at an astounding rate—nearly tripling in the past five years—and new wineries and tasting rooms are opening at a remarkable pace. Lucky us: so are new options for stellar meals and overnight stays in lovely wine-country accommodations. We’ve rounded up some of the best of what’s new and exciting in Washington wine travel to help you plan a weekend of sampling our state’s exceptional diversity of wine. You don’t have to be an expert: Trust your taste and go forth fearlessly to explore.