Yakima Valley gems hiding in plain sight
Downtown Yakima · Yakima · Winery Tasting Room
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed AntoLin Cellars Tasting Room’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into AntoLin on historic Front Street, you immediately get the sense that this place has its own thing going — live music on the patio, locals nursing a glass of Syrah, and zero pretension. The list is short, but it covers the Yakima Valley bases with a few curveballs thrown in. This is not a destination for serious cellar-hunting, but it earns its place on the Yakima wine trail without question.
AntoLin keeps things tight with somewhere between 8 and 12 wines at any given time, all estate-focused from the Yakima Valley. The lineup hits the expected Washington benchmarks — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay — but the presence of Carmenère and Viognier signals that someone here is paying attention beyond the crowd-pleaser playbook. Malbec rounds out a quietly interesting Bordeaux-adjacent roster. What the list lacks in depth it makes up for in coherence; this is a producer pouring their own story, not a curated restaurant list pulling from a dozen regions.
Tasting flights are the move here, typically structured around whites and reds with a $10–$20 fee that gets you a proper survey of what AntoLin is doing. Individual by-the-glass pours exist but specifics vary by visit and event — call ahead if you have your heart set on something in particular. The flight format is actually the better value here anyway; you get to cover Viognier through Syrah without committing to a bottle before you know what you like.
2017 Syrah — $20–$45
Washington Syrah at boutique-producer pricing is almost always a win, and AntoLin's 2017 sits in a range where you're getting Yakima Valley terroir without the markup that follows the name recognition of larger houses.
Carmenère
Most people skip Carmenère because they don't know what it is — which is exactly why you should order it. Washington Carmenère is rare, and AntoLin growing it in the Yakima Valley is a genuine curiosity worth a glass.
Chardonnay
Nothing wrong with it, but when a list has Viognier and Carmenère on it, ordering the Chardonnay is a wasted opportunity. Save it for somewhere it's the star.
2017 Viognier + Local snack board
Viognier's natural richness and floral aromatics play well with the salty, savory snack plates that AntoLin puts out during events — it cuts through without fighting the food.
🎲 The Bottom Line
AntoLin is a genuine local find: unpretentious, fairly priced, and pouring a tighter roster than most Yakima tasting rooms twice its size. If you're rolling through downtown Yakima and want to drink something real, this is your stop.
West Yakima · Yakima · Pub / American
Mickey's Pub isn't a wine bar and doesn't pretend to be, but the Wednesday half-price bottle deal makes it genuinely worth a stop if you're already in the neighborhood. Stick to the Pacific Rim, skip the Conundrum, and enjoy the fact that you're drinking Columbia Valley Riesling in Yakima for next to nothing.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
West Yakima · Yakima · Mexican
Xochimilco is not a wine destination, but it's doing more with its wine list than most restaurants twice its ambition level. If you're eating in Yakima wine country and want something local in your glass with your enchiladas, this is a legitimate option.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Yakima · Yakima · Bar / New American
Cowiche Canyon isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing right by its backyard — local producers, fair prices, and a patio that makes the whole thing go down easy. Send a friend here, order the Syrah, enjoy the sunshine.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Yakima · Yakima · Italian/Mediterranean-inspired American
Zesta Cucina isn't a wine destination, but it's doing more with 15 glasses than plenty of restaurants do with 50. If you're eating in West Yakima and want a solid, honest pour without getting gouged, this is your spot.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Yakima · Yakima · Farm-to-Table
Rooted is doing something genuinely worthwhile: a tight, local-first wine list that treats Washington producers with the same respect the kitchen gives its farmers. It's not a destination wine program, but for a quick dinner in Yakima, this is exactly the list you'd want in front of you.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Yakima · Yakima · Farm-to-Table / New American
Crafted is the kind of wine list that rewards curious drinkers who want to explore the region they're sitting in, not just order something familiar. It's small, it's local, and it's built with care — send a friend here and tell them to skip the Champagne.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Vancouver Waterfront · Vancouver · Winery Tasting Room
A single-producer tasting room shouldn't work as a wine destination, but Brian Carter's commitment to obscure European grapes grown in Washington makes it genuinely worth the stop. If you want to drink something you've never had before in a setting that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is your waterfront wild card.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Stadium District · Tacoma · Winery Tasting Room
Dahlman Cellars isn't trying to be a destination wine bar — it's a small producer showing you exactly what they make, at prices that don't feel like punishment. If you live in Tacoma and haven't stopped in yet, that's on you.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
Outskirts · Lubbock · Winery Tasting Room
English Newsom Cellars is a genuine Texas wine curiosity worth making the detour for — not because everything is world-class, but because where else are you tasting Sagrantino and Picardan grown on the Llano Estacado? Come thirsty, stay open-minded, and put the Flirt back on the shelf.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.