Our first visit since the original family repurchased the winery. I’ll give the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good: All their wines are solid. You won’t find a bad or undrinkable wine here. Some are excellent.
The Bad: While their wines are solid, this still isn’t the Owen Roe of 25 years ago. Their good wines are over-priced and their very good wines are exorbitantly priced relative to similar quality at other wineries (and yes, other wineries also make excellent wines too). We tasted their $85 wines and, while lovely, aren’t at the $85 quality. There is a limit and for your wines to stand out at $80+ it needs to be life altering. These aren’t. Their $20-$35 wines are much more reasonable but no longer outshine many other local wineries.
Owen Roe seems to be living off their reputation of the past, but their wines haven’t kept up and other wineries have improved dramatically in the past twenty years. Maybe the family will be a bit more realistic in the future.
The Ugly: As wine snobs and frequent wine tasters and buyers, we are seeing an ugly trend in the entire wine tasting experience, and Owen Roe is a prime example. 1.) They charge $20 per tasting, and 2.) They don’t waive it until you’ve purchased at least $40 in wine. Yes, I’m still bitter that tastings are often no longer free, and recognize that a small fee is probably reasonable. But wineries are often charging $10 or more and not waiving with a one bottle purchase. The tasting alone at Owen Roe was not a $20 experience nor $20 worth of wine. We had to buy two bottles before they would wave the fee. The Owen Roe tasting would be much more palatable at $10 and waived with any single bottle purchase. We left with a sour taste in our mouths and are pretty sure we’ve now scratched Owen Roe off our list of wineries to track.
Their wines are good, but not good enough to merit the hassle and price of tastings. It’s sad too because we used to really like them.
Michael Hawthorne
I’ve been a long-distance fan of Owen Roe wines for several years. Their Sinister Hand red blend has been a long-time favorite. I recently experienced a shipping mix-up with an order and David O’Reilly, the winemaker, was very understanding and generous in contacting me and quickly resolving the issue. I will continue to be a fan of Owen Roe wines and look forward to visiting the winery in person when visiting family in Washington.
James
Owen Roe is hands down the best winery in the Yakima Valley. Many of their wines are served in top restaurants. We're from CO and they are a top wine at the 5-star Broadmoor Resort!
Albert Meerscheidt
Great wine and wonderful tasting.
Brent Daley
Nice winery to visit and get some flights. Very nice setup and comfortable. Great hospitality. Nice selection.
Lauren Michael
Beautiful property, great wine and really friendly staff!
David Bufton
Absolutely gorgeous setting, outside with the vineyards! Beautiful Sunday, not very busy as it was the opening NFL Sunday! Great tasting, lovely wines. Wonderful producer with varied production levels. None of which are slouches! A must visit if your in Yakima. DCB
Brandi Lauer
It was a beautiful experience, with delicious wines, and exceptional service! David was our guide and he was so fabulous, as well as all of the other staff! Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon and we will absolutely be back!
Beautiful place! Stopped in with my fiancé and we going quiet and just staring out from our seat on the patio. The lady who poured our wines was very friendly and knowledgeable of different wines and how the grapes are grown. Overall a pretty and cozy little vineyard.
Sean Mon
nice people & nice place !
Vivek Raval
This is a wonderful winery! The wines are some of the best and most refined in the region. A definite recommend to do a tasting if you're in the area.
Edwin C
Something is missing here, wine wise. This used to be our stop and their wines were good with great service!! Decided to stop by today, and something definitely changed along the way. Amenities were excellent, but the wine and service were not as good as it was before.
Tender Dear
Did the tasting today and was able to bring in my dog. The lovely lady who assisted with my tasting also got my dog treats and water. When I told her I’m a travel nurse, she got me the Yakima Valley magazine with things to do and wineries and breweries to visit. She also recommended local places for me to visit. Got myself two bottles of wine. Will definitely be back to enjoy the beautiful large patio!
david was super helpful
Our first visit since the original family repurchased the winery. I’ll give the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good: All their wines are solid. You won’t find a bad or undrinkable wine here. Some are excellent.
The Bad: While their wines are solid, this still isn’t the Owen Roe of 25 years ago. Their good wines are over-priced and their very good wines are exorbitantly priced relative to similar quality at other wineries (and yes, other wineries also make excellent wines too). We tasted their $85 wines and, while lovely, aren’t at the $85 quality. There is a limit and for your wines to stand out at $80+ it needs to be life altering. These aren’t. Their $20-$35 wines are much more reasonable but no longer outshine many other local wineries.
Owen Roe seems to be living off their reputation of the past, but their wines haven’t kept up and other wineries have improved dramatically in the past twenty years. Maybe the family will be a bit more realistic in the future.
The Ugly: As wine snobs and frequent wine tasters and buyers, we are seeing an ugly trend in the entire wine tasting experience, and Owen Roe is a prime example. 1.) They charge $20 per tasting, and 2.) They don’t waive it until you’ve purchased at least $40 in wine. Yes, I’m still bitter that tastings are often no longer free, and recognize that a small fee is probably reasonable. But wineries are often charging $10 or more and not waiving with a one bottle purchase. The tasting alone at Owen Roe was not a $20 experience nor $20 worth of wine. We had to buy two bottles before they would wave the fee. The Owen Roe tasting would be much more palatable at $10 and waived with any single bottle purchase. We left with a sour taste in our mouths and are pretty sure we’ve now scratched Owen Roe off our list of wineries to track.
Their wines are good, but not good enough to merit the hassle and price of tastings. It’s sad too because we used to really like them.
I’ve been a long-distance fan of Owen Roe wines for several years. Their Sinister Hand red blend has been a long-time favorite. I recently experienced a shipping mix-up with an order and David O’Reilly, the winemaker, was very understanding and generous in contacting me and quickly resolving the issue. I will continue to be a fan of Owen Roe wines and look forward to visiting the winery in person when visiting family in Washington.
Owen Roe is hands down the best winery in the Yakima Valley. Many of their wines are served in top restaurants. We're from CO and they are a top wine at the 5-star Broadmoor Resort!
Great wine and wonderful tasting.
Nice winery to visit and get some flights. Very nice setup and comfortable. Great hospitality. Nice selection.
Beautiful property, great wine and really friendly staff!
Absolutely gorgeous setting, outside with the vineyards! Beautiful Sunday, not very busy as it was the opening NFL Sunday! Great tasting, lovely wines. Wonderful producer with varied production levels. None of which are slouches! A must visit if your in Yakima.
DCB
It was a beautiful experience, with delicious wines, and exceptional service! David was our guide and he was so fabulous, as well as all of the other staff! Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon and we will absolutely be back!
Great -genuine- service and good quality wine!
Restaurantji Recommends
Beautiful place! Stopped in with my fiancé and we going quiet and just staring out from our seat on the patio. The lady who poured our wines was very friendly and knowledgeable of different wines and how the grapes are grown. Overall a pretty and cozy little vineyard.
nice people & nice place !
This is a wonderful winery! The wines are some of the best and most refined in the region. A definite recommend to do a tasting if you're in the area.
Something is missing here, wine wise. This used to be our stop and their wines were good with great service!! Decided to stop by today, and something definitely changed along the way. Amenities were excellent, but the wine and service were not as good as it was before.
Did the tasting today and was able to bring in my dog. The lovely lady who assisted with my tasting also got my dog treats and water. When I told her I’m a travel nurse, she got me the Yakima Valley magazine with things to do and wineries and breweries to visit. She also recommended local places for me to visit. Got myself two bottles of wine. Will definitely be back to enjoy the beautiful large patio!
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