New Cave B Estate Winery Tri-Cities Tasting Room, the Cable Bridge & Red Stain

The photo above shows the most tremendous sunrise greeting the sun had for us last week in Kennewick. The Cable Bridge (aka the Ed Handler Bridge) spans the Columbia River making a convenient and gorgeous crossing between Pasco and Kennewick, WA, two of the three cities referred to as the “Tri-Cities” in southeastern, WA.  For over a year we have been working with the Port of Kennewick, on a new Port project at the Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village to put in our new 3rd Cave B Estate Winery tasting room with a view of this beautiful bridge in the distance. There have been the expected and not expected delays that occur with any new building project but the end result has been a gorgeous new building that we are proud to call our 3rd home (opening in March 2020).

We all wear many hats working at Cave B and the last few weeks have been no exception, with my hubby, Cave B Winemaker Freddy Arredondo turning old pallets into a gorgeous new tasting bar (#reuse, #recycle … #tryingourbest). Building it was no small feat and definitely harder than anticipated but his perseverance paid off and the bar is a beauty. We had a small moment of panic when the double doors had an interior bar that none of us had noticed before and it appeared our entryway was half the size. It reminded me of when my parents, the Cave B founders, built a sailboat in my Grandparent’s basement many moons ago (in their 20’s), only to realize the wood had swelled and they could not bring the finished hull up the stairs. Never fear, we had a different outcome and once we realized it was a removable metal bar the tasting bar made it safely into it’s new home.   

There was a lot to still finish on the bar and many other projects including a spontaneous decision for Freddy and I to build a back counter table to cover the dishwasher and hold the wine bottles for service. This lead to a trip to Home Depot last Tuesday night, where we literally closed the place down. I have never had someone have to open the doors at Home Depot with a key before to let us out, no one told us to hurry or even that they were closed. People in Kennewick are most gracious or maybe they just felt bad for us as we looked so tired. Freddy is the one good with the saw and I am the one good with the paint, or in this instance red stain. Last Wednesday, February 12th happened to be a gorgeous sunny and warm(for this time of year) day and I found myself setting up a stain center on the back of our long flatbed trailer. In retrospect I think it would have been easier to stain the table once it was built instead of as individual pieces of wood but as Freddy was busy on the bar I got to work outside staining away. There are a few things I learned from this experience. One is to wear latex gloves when you are staining so your husband doesn’t have to run to the store for paint thinner while you hold your red stained hands in the air for 15 minutes. Two is that this location, just above the bike path, in view of the Cable Bridge and close to historic downtown Kennewick is a very peaceful spot.

One might not think  so driving in passing used car dealers etc., but once here in this quite space, looking out at the water from our back porch, a different world opens up. I saw three Blue Herons sweeping down into the water directly in front of our tasting room, plenty of ducks and a hint of spring on some of the trees as I brushed on that stain. The tantalizing smell of Swampy’s BBQ Sauce & Eatery Food Truck, steps away from our tasting room, in the new Food Truck Park also located at Columbia Gardens brought a constant stream of workers grabbing a quick and tasty lunch. A Mom & her son rode their bikes along the bike path and two young friends whispered secrets to each other as they walked along (possibly about how much stain I had on me :). I was also reminded that working alongside your husband can be very fun, even if he doesn’t understand why all the photos need to be put up at 10pm after a long day, but he still helps you with it so you can check it off your list. Then he smiles as he realizes you have given him a little gift by putting up the photos because the laughter, joy and beauty in the photos of our annual events and Cave B Wine Club members and fans brings back so many good memories. We stumbled back to our hotel 5 minutes away and just as the sun had greeted us in the morning the moon said goodnight under the Cable Bridge in our new 3rd tasting room home. We are glad to be here and happy to be neighbors to Gordon Estates, Bartholomew Winery & Palencia (Monarcha) Winery. Lots of great wine and good people. We can’t wait to open soon (just waiting on the liquor license to come through). Put it on your calendar to visit in March (we will announce it when we open) and tell all your friends and visit often, we like getting to know you.

Our address is: 313 East Columbia Gardens Way, Suite #120, Kennewick, WA 99336. Once open our phone will be 509-820-3710. If you have any questions now email carrie@caveb.com.