Three Rivers Winery

After a long search for the perfect small farm setting, Duane and Mary Wollmuth purchased the then-called Biscuit Ridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. The year was 1998 and the vineyard had stood idle for seven years. Duane wrote a business plan, and partnering with two other couples, opened the new Three Rivers Winery in May, 2000 as the 14th licensed winery in the Valley.

Sitting on 16 acres, with eight acres of vineyards, the winery overlooks Mill Creek with panoramic views of the Blue Mountains. Upon this land the Wollmuths built a stunning 18,000 square foot Northwest river rock lodge with soaring open beam architecture. A destination winery, yes, but even better are their legendary wines.

Complete Vine-to-Wine Experience

Outdoors, the expansive south-facing deck offers tables and chairs for visitors to enjoy their own picnic lunches or to snack on the assorted cheese, crackers, and more available for purchase. Beyond the deck there's a three-hole par-3 golf course for visitors to use free of charge.

Inside the lodge, Three Rivers offers a grand tasting room and gift shop, plus a hospitality room and catering kitchen for winemaker dinners (also available to rent for social gatherings and business meetings).

A great place for visitors to start is with the self-guided tour through the vineyard and along the suspended catwalk overlooking the barrel rooms, cellar and wine production facility. You'll learn about pruning techniques, bud break, bloom, harvesting and more, plus discover the production life cycle from fermentation and barrel aging through bottling and distribution. You'll also get a working knowledge of the many decisions winemaker Holly Turner needs to make to create the optimal bottle of wine.

A Long Record of Excellence

Holly came to Three Rivers in July of 2000. Formerly with Chateau Ste. Michelle and Bodega la Rural Winery in Argentina, her extensive background brought the connections to source wine grapes from 24 of Washington State's top vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Yakima Valley, and Wahluke Slope grape growing regions or appellations.

Holly is the first winemaker, and Three Rivers the first winery, in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia to achieve 3 platinum awards in back-to-back years from the Wine Press Northwest Magazine. They also received critic’s ratings of 90 or higher on over 40 different Three Rivers Winery wines with their first six vintages.

According to Chef/Owner Mike Davis of 26brix Restaurant in Walla Walla, "Holly's enthusiasm is so genuine and her focus on quality is so evident. We have had her wines on our list since we opened our doors. Their great balance makes them a very easy match for our food at 26brix. In particular, the Boushey Vineyard Syrah and the Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon always make me smile."

While their Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently rated as one of the top Cabernet Sauvignons in the state, Three Rivers is probably best known for their Biscuit Ridge Vineyard Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. A proven performer that sells out consistently every year, it's a fitting tribute to the original estate vineyard at Biscuit Ridge, which still yields the grapes for this beautiful wine.