Desert Hills Winery is located in quaint Prosser, Washington. Their southwestern styled winery is situated along the Yakima River. Their contemporary but cozy pueblo interior has plenty of comfortable space to sit by the fire and enjoy a bottle of wine. The Fries family have owned and operated the winery since 2001. They also own Duck Pond Cellars in Oregon and grown their own fruit on the over 1,000 acres of vineyard they have nationwide.
Desert Hills is an oasis of wine country. They have a picnic area, restaurant “Mojave”, demonstration kitchen, and private event facility. In addition to all of this they have four luxurious overnight guest rooms in the Inn at Desert Wind that can be booked for $195-$295 per night and includes a bottle of wine and breakfast. Spa services are available with notice. They have plenty of parking available and a gift shop. Since the production facility is also located on the property, facility tours can be booked for groups of 2-50 guests. Their tasting room provides complimentary samples of their full-bodied barrel-aged Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah varieties. They also have a Port-style dessert wine they have aptly named “La Puerta.”
Vintner Bill Burke has been crafting delicious award winning wines since prior to 2005. Desert Hills produces approximately 1200 cases a year sourcing grapes from outside their 8-acre vineyard. Their 2009 Three Boys Vineyard Syrah earned gold and best in class at the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine Competition. Their 2011 Eagles Nest Vineyard Merlot, 2011 Three Boys Vineyard Malbec, 2009 Mirage, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2012 Cactus White each earned silver. In 2015 however, at the San Francisco International Competition their 2011 Ruah earn gold and 2011 Black Sage Bench Cabernet Franc and Merlot both took silver. Four other varieties earned bronze awards.
The winery hosts events such as live music and wine socials throughout the year. They have six wine club options to choose from, Desert Wind, Duck Pond, or a combination of both. Members enjoy select reserved wines, events, discount admissions, 20% discount on wine and guest accommodations, complimentary tastings and a VIP tour of a facility of their choice.