Archive for the ‘Getting Festive’ Category

Stump the Chump Super Challenge: Start Your Wine Engines at Cave B

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011 marks Cave B Estate Winery’s annual Spring Wine Release.  The hallmark event is the tasting of Winemaker Freddy Arredondo’s newly-release red and white wines.  This is a first taste of these first wines….and definitely worthy of celebration.

 But what is this about “Stump the Chump?”  With a good-natured dig at that feeling we all get at times when tasting wines–that we don’t quite know what we’re doing–this contest is a Cave B Spring Wine Release tradition.  How does it work? Guests are presented with several varietals cleverly disguised in plain brown bags. Then guests are “challenged” to taste through each of the disguised wines and attempt to identify the varietals.   This year is our first Super Challenge, so the winery’s sure to turn up the challenge and the heat.  Always a great amount of fun, this contest has also proven to be a wonderful way for wine-lovers old and new to test their palate, refine their senses, and come away with a greater appreciation of each distinct varietal.

 So, what are you doing the weekend of March 25-27?  Come on down for our Spring Wine Release, challenge the wine chump inside us all, and come out victorious!  Then, don’t worry about driving home:  stay the night of March 26 at Cave B Inn with our special reduced Spring Wine Release Inn rates–a wonderful way to extend the fun, and give you another opportunity to visit the tasting room with your newly-awakened palate.  Visit the winery page on our SageCliffe site to get ticket and room prices, and place your easy room reservation.  But hurry:  Inn rooms are going fast.  See you at the Super Challenge!

The Best Cave B Wines Yet: at Spring Wine Release 2011

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

They say it takes time for every Winemaker to hit their stride.  If that’s the case, then Cave B Estate Winery Winemaker Freddy Arredondo is walking tall these days. 

Freddy came on board over four years ago as Assistant Winemaker under then-Winemaker Rusty Figgins.  Previously he had worked at Cougar Crest Winery, and earned his stripes there and in his enology courses in Walla Walla.  As Assistant Winemaker Freddy took on increasing responsibility, but knew that his heart would truly get full rein when he had the chance to become full Winemaker.  This occurred in November of 2007.  For the next few years the wines of Cave B Estate Winery were a combination of those  begun in bottle and barrel by Rusty Figgins–with assistance from Freddy–and, slowly, those begun by Freddy.  And, slowly, as the talent and tenaciousness of Freddy Arredondo became more and more ever-present, the Cave B wines took on a character of increasing distinction. 

It’s been tremendously exciting to watch the wines evolve; to see a Winemaker pour his passion and expertise into every bottle.  His touch is everywhere; from walking the vineyards and evaluating the grapes in the over 100 acres of Cave B estate vineyards, to that first swirl and whiff, to the subtly complex finishes that linger on the tonge and back of the throat.

 Spanish varietals such as Tempranillo were planted, cultivated, brought along, and now share space with the over 17 other Cave B  and SageCliffe wines.   Critics who questioned whether a winemaker could create consistently great wines across such a wide spectrum of varietals have been won over by the results.  In this case, the breadth of Freddy’s talent is equal to the breadth of the wines.  There is no spreading thin here, with quality and nuance suffering as a result.  Instead, year after year the wines have grown and evolved and improved and matured until now, in 2011, we feel we have wines of a tremendous nature.  And we have no doubt whatsoever that this is due to our Winemaker–a true talent.  It’s a thrill and a pleasure to see our grapes into the hands of a consummate wine creator, in the truest sense. If you have enjoyed Cave B’s wines all along, thank you and get ready for the best yet.  If  you are new to Cave B, good timing; choose a bottle, a lovely companion and a beautiful spot, and then get ready for a wine experience that will truly enthrall.  They are that good….sometimes, when it’s truly deserved, it’s okay to toot your horn a bit.  Toot and salute!

Our 2011 Annual Spring Wine Release is Saturday, March 26th.  A full day with the newly-released wines of Freddy Arredondo as its centerpoint.  Come meet these wines and others who share in your love of all things good.  Visit the winery page on our website for full details. 

Feeling the Post-Holiday Blues? No Worries–January at Cave B Inn is Made for Special Times

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

December and all its holiday finery has come and gone, but that’s no reason to sing the holiday blues…Cave B Inn at SageCliffe is ready and raring to go for 2011!

An Upcoming Winter Getaway Option for You

Cave B Inn will be extending its usual winter hours the weekend of January 14-16, so you may enjoy this three day weekend in SageCliffe style!  Martin Luther King Day is a very important holiday, and we don’t want it to go by unnoted.  If you stay at Cave B Inn Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 at Inn Best Available Rates*, you receive a Sunday, January 16 stay at Cave B Inn for only $89.  A truly amazing rate for a truly special holiday.

How to reserve your room/s?  Just call the front desk: 509-785-2283. 

We look forward to giving you a wonderful winter getaway weekend right in the middle of January…as it should be! Are you new to SageCliffe?  Visit our website and take your time wandering through the pages, getting lost in the panoramic photos, and learning what we’re all about. Have you visited SageCliffe previously? –We’d love to see you again.  And remember:  January at  Cave B Inn is made for special times!

*No other promotions, packages or special discounts are accepted with this promotional offer. Please contact the front desk to be quoted Best Available Inn Rates for January 14-16.

The First Night of the Year Deserves Celebrating, Too

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Thank you to all our guests who’ve chosen to ring in the new year December 31st at Cave B Inn…The Inn is sold out, and it will be a wonderful time! We can’t wait to take great care of you and help you usher one year out and another in with fun, fine food and wine, and special touches.

But spread the word….there are still some rooms left for Saturday, January 1st–at an amazing rate of $125 + tax.  Now that is a great way to kick off the first night of the year….so whether you’ve already booked a room at the Inn for New Year’s Eve and would like to extend the fun with a second night, or you’re looking for a great, different, utterly relaxing way to “recover” from your New Year’s Eve celebrating, or if you’re simply wanting to spend the first night of the year in an extraordinarily beautiful location—just pick up the phone and give us a call at the front desk to place your January 1st reservation:  509-785-2283.  Never been to SageCliffe before?  Take a look at our website to get a feel for who we are, and be sure to click on ‘Breathtaking Images’ on the home page to see a whole bevy of property photos.

 Hope to see you the first night of 2011!

The SageCliffe Team

How to Remember that Valentine’s Day is Right after New Year’s Eve

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

It’s before Christmas and New Year’s Eve and your mind is utterly focused on those two upcoming holidays.  As it is every year, right?  At least that’s how it is around here.  Because every year, without fail, that February 14th date sneaks up and bam!  It’s here. And the scramble begins.

 But no….it doesn’t have to be so!

Getting Valentine’s Day Plans Taken Care of

The truth of it is that for stores, hotels, restaurants–the whole kit and kaboodle of service-providers out there–planning and marketing of their Valentine’s Day offerings begins well, well before February.  It begins before….Hannukah, Kwanza and Christmas and New Year’s Eve!  And that means that not only can you find Valentine’s Day events, specials and activities well before the scramble of, say, February 13th, but by doing so you often get the best of the lot, great savings, and more.

Our Pitch for Our Valentine’s Day Package….You Knew it was Coming (But it’s worth it)

Every year we try to up our own ante in what we offer SageCliffe guests for Valentine’s Day.  And from what you’ve told us over the years, we’ve learned of those special somethings you would most like to have in a Valentine’s Day package for you and the one you love. 
So, drum roll please……Here it is–our Great True Love Valentine’s Package:

Package includes:

  • An overnight stay for two in a Cavern room, with private deck or balcony with sweeping gorge views.
  • 50-minute Couples Chardonnay Massage at the beautiful Spa at SageCliffe.
  • In-room truffles & a bottle of Cave B Estate Winery Blanc de Blanc

Available February 1 thru February 28, 2010.

$450 + tax for this singular experience. Spa gratuity included.

To get all the details on this package and to book, just visit our Cave B Inn Packages page

Last:  Have you ever stayed in a SageCliffe Cavern Room?  The entryway alone will awe your partner….it’s forged straight out of the basalt cliff on which it was built.  And the rooms?  How many places can you soak in the tub while looking into your room and out the patio doors to the amazing, drop-dead view?  They are rooms perfect for romance.  We just posted some pics on Cave B Inn’s Facebook page.  Take a look here.

So we hope you become an early-birder and enter into these next holidays with that great feeling of satisfaction that you have the next “biggie,” Valentine’s Day, all taken care of.  Enjoy! 

Having a Bad Time at New Year’s Eve Parties? Try a Different Tack

Monday, December 6th, 2010

SageCliffe is a Different Kind of Place

There’s no question that SageCliffe is unique….in the true sense of the word; that is, one of a kind. Yes, it is primarily due to our location, but it’s more than that, too.  It’s the blend of agricultural and luxe, rustic and contemporary, family-owned and a premier destination resort.  So it’s become clear over the years that SageCliffe should maintain that “differentness” in all things we do…for it comes with the territory.

Different Means Good Times for You

Just as our annual winery Harvest Festival, Spring Wine Release & Summer Wine Release & BBQ have their own blend of SageCliffe flair, so to should all of our events at SageCliffe; this axiom is what we have decided to adhere to here at SageCliffe, and we truly feel that means even better, more interesting, more wonderful experiences for you.  Because we can provide an option–and options are always good. 

New Year’s Eve at SageCliffe:  A Quiet Night Inn

The next upcoming event in which we’re putting our axiom into practice is New Year’s Eve.  In the past we’ve provided a very nice New Year’s Eve event, with band, favors, and meal.  And it was nice.  But from listening to our guests, we’ve learned that you wish you had an array of different kinds of New Year’s Eve options to choose from.  And we agree.  So this year we’ve taken a little bit of holiday fairy dust, sprinkled it upon the heads of our event planners with the axiom firmly in their minds, and voila–A Quiet Night Inn was born.  This year, we offer you the choice of a highly enjoyable, festive and wonderous New Year’s Eve occasion, but without the noise.  At least not the hard-to-talk noise of huge crowds and loud bands.  A Quiet Night Inn is an all-exclusive overnight experience for two at Cave B Inn, December 31st-January 1, 2011.  As the old year changes over to its brand-new counterpart, couples will enjoy a prix-fixe 3 course dinner for two at Tendrils (special New Year’s Eve menu by Chef Craig Day and paired with Winemaker Freddy Arredondo’s Cave B wines), beautiful luminary-lined pathways to your private Cliffehouse or Cavern Room, special turn down service (set while you dine) with a bottle of Cave B Blanc de Blanc, chocolate-dipped strawberries, special bed turn-down, I-pod docking station so you may play your own music, and more.  And, up at the Inn, if you want to continue the socializing, you may take part in DIY poker, bridge or pinochle in the Inn’s Petite Cordon Room, or gather around the musician before the grand lobby fireplace at midnight for an Auld Lang Syne sing-along.  However you choose to use your time and special amenities at Cave B Inn New Year’s Eve, we can truly say it will be a special experience.  The beauty, the natural majesty of the setting, the quality of the food and wine, the wonderful comfort and privacy of your room and its special touches….all of these features will provide what so many of you say you are looking for to mark the turning of the year: a truly special, memorable experience with someone you care about.

 Here’s looking to 2011; to unique and special times, to beauty and the best of everything.  Leave your yelling-to-be-heard voice at home this year and join us for A Quiet Night Inn.  We look so forward to exceeding your expectations.

Thanksgiving: Dining Out Together Equals Togetherness

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Cave B Inn at SageCliffe, home to Tendrils Vineyard Restaurant

Thanksgiving meals at home are a lovely thing.  We all know the cozy familiarity of gathering at a family home, the kitchen a-bustle with helping hands and simmering pots of traditional Thanksgiving fare.  There’s nothing quite like it.  But there are other options that are gaining steady ground–other ways that celebrate this most food-centric of holidays in great “togetherness fashion.”

Dining Out is In

The interesting thing about get-togethers is that it’s the togetherness that’s key.  And increasingly that togetherness is taking place in venues different than your home or that of your aunt or mother….families are gathering around tables in restaurant dining rooms which offer distinctive Thanksgiving meals.

But What About the Turkey?

Many fine dining establishments offer the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing (no need for anyone in your family to go without!) But even these foods most stock-in-trade may be done with a slight twist, or level of culinary aplomb most of us only hope to achieve in our own kitchens.  In the hands of a talented chef, the turkey can sing, the potatoes can make you swoon, and the stuffing can literally melt in your mouth.  Such is the dining, when dining out. 

Options Make for Happy Families

Every year Tendrils Vineyard Restaurant–at Cave B Inn at SageCliffe–offers a Thanksgiving meal with the goal of making every member of the family happy.  And that means giving options.  This year, Tendrils provides a choice of two starters, three entrees and two decadent desserts.  Dining guests make their choices and then talk, laugh and look forward to their ‘custom-chosen ‘ Thanksgiving meal.  With starter options like Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Thyme, or Baby Greens Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese, Hazelnuts and (SageCliffe farm-grown) Apples, entrees which range from Roasted Turkey Breast with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes to Brined Pork Tenderloin or Seared Steelhead, it would be hard indeed to find a member of the family without an option that seems to be made just for them.

Oh–and yes; we can’t forget the best part–dessert:  Spiced Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Ice Cream, or Huckleberry Sundae with Honey Ice Cream and Hazelnuts.  (Which will  you choose? Let’s take a moment to vicariously enjoy….)

And Yes–There are No Dishes

This is a well-known “pro” of dining out, and on a big holiday like Thanksgiving, it frankly cannot be overstated.  There is simply pure bliss in knowing that at the end of the long, delicious meal, you can simply….get up from the table.  At SageCliffe, you may visit the Cave B Estate Winery tasting room, or take your full-tummied family members on a leisurely stroll among the vineyards and ponds, or on a brisk hike down into the gorge.  Or, a card game or continued discussion in front of the huge lobby fireplace may be just the ticket.  Whatever you choose to do with your loved ones, the one thing you won’t have to do is the dishes.

If you decide to celebrate your day of thanks this year outside the home, we wish you fabulous culinary options, lots of conversation and laughter, wonderful togetherness and a day without soap suds.  May the celebrating begin!

To see the full Thanksgiving menu at Tendrils Vineyard Restaurant or to make your reservation, visit http://www.sagecliffe.com/tendrils.htm

The Best Harvest Festival Yet: Right Around the Corner

Monday, October 11th, 2010

Believe it or not, this is the 7th year for our annual Cave B Estate Winery Harvest Festival.  And we truly believe that lucky #7 means this is our best harvest festival yet. 

Harvest Festival: A Luxury & Working Farm Hybrid

What started as a small Wine Club gathering at Cave B has grown year by year to our largest annual event, and one that is appropriate for every age…from babes in arms to the eldest among us.  This is a time when we pull out the stops and share everything we can about what it’s like to be a working farm and luxury resort in one…and we do so by offering our deluxe accommodations at Cave B Inn at SageCliffe and Chiwana Village right along with pumpkin carving for the kids, visits to the winery crushpad for adults and curious kids alike, tractor-driven vineyard and apple orchard tours, a tremendous gourmet lunch provided by Tendrils Vineyard Restaurant, and so much more. 

Seven Years of Cave B Harvest Festival Memories

It’s wonderful to think back on all the memories that have been created at Harvest Festival:  the squeals and smiles of the adults (and, yes, the kids  too!) during the Great Grape Stomp Competition, the lovely Cave B and SageCliffe wines introduced pre-lunch by Winemaker Freddy Arredondo, the guest authors who have chatted and mingled with the crowd, the glee of the children as they finished their All things Green treasure hunt at Harvest Festival 2009 and received their button and lollipop reward. And, again, so much more.

It brings SageCliffe Resort great pleasure to see guests having a great time.  That’s really the bottom line.  Cave B Estate Winery is host of the Harvest Festival and is the hub of the day’s activities.  But we love how guests spread themselves throughout the property….taking breaks in the action to pop into Cave B Inn, or walk along the Chef’s Garden or take a hike down into the Gorge, as well.  And then we like them to return to the Harvest Festival, so we can give everyone a fond farewell and wish all concerned safe travel home.  Or, for those who are staying the night at Cave B Inn or Chiwana Village, we continue the welcome and the great Harvest experience.

 We know lucky #7 will be our best harvest festival yet….and luck probably has very little to do with it!  Our event is so much fun because of you, the guests, and we simply can’t wait to see you (October 16th!)

The Best Way to Enjoy Washington Wine Country this Fall?

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

….Stay in a luxury yurt.  Have you never put Washington wine country, harvest season and round dwellings begun by nomadic Mongolian tribes together in one sentence, yet alone one experience?  That’s what we thought…and that’s one of the reasons we’ve added our 25 Chiwana Village luxury yurts to SageCliffe resort.  With September beginning tomorrow, so to0 does the harvest season at SageCliffe.  For a destination winery resort, this means the most exciting, dynamic, and true-to-nature season of the year…and this year you can experience the food, wine, amenities and festivities of SageCliffe in an entirely new way…with a yurt stay.  There is simply something divine (no pun intended) about staying in a beautiful, comfortable and conversation-worthy yurt while you enjoy a weekend of harvest activities (our Harvest Festival runs October 15-17 this year), or a mid-week mini-trip to enjoy a grape-inspired spa treatment or signature Chef Joe Ritchie meal at Tendrils.  There’s something great about leaving your yurt and walking the short distance through beautiful vineyards heavily laden with ripening grapes to experience a wine tasting in the Cave B Estate Winery roundhouse, or glimpse the winemaker and his team at work loading the crusher with newly-picked grapes. There’s something “best” about the fact you can gaze at the sunset over the gorge from your yurt patio, and sip your coffee from the same as you watch the sun rise the next morning.  Surrounded by vineyards at their prime, a working winery, delicious, seasonally-inspired meals, the utmost in spa relaxation, ruggedly beautiful and dramatic gorge hiking trails and viewpoints, with your personal, beautiful yurt and the great Chiwana Village Hosts at your disposal, this may very well be the absolute best, most creative and inspiring way to enjoy Washington Wine Country this fall.

Best Gorge Concert Lodging Around? We think so.

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Planning on attending an upcoming show at The Gorge?  Have you camped just one too many times, or groaned as you realized that after your wait to get out of parking post-concert, you’ll still have a drive ahead of you to your hotel?

We understand.  And we think just maybe we’ve kept SageCliffe a little bit too much of a good secret.  Because  did you know?  It’s right next door to The Gorge Amphitheater.  And it has not one, not two, but three different kinds of lodging options.

Just this summer, we added 25 luxury yurts to SageCliffe’s lodging options, which already included beautiful Cave B Inn, with its Cavern rooms (built right into the cliff), three suites in-lodge, and 15 ultra-cool stand-alone Cliffehouses.  The yurts are part of Chiwana Village at SageCliffe, and are just a stone’s throw from Cave B Inn & Spa and Cave B Estate Winery, nestled among vineyards and with a beauty all their own.

But what of the cost, you say?  You won’t be paying camping costs.  But…you won’t be camping.  And we have all sorts of special packages happening all the time, to help provide both great value and that signature SageCliffe “something special.”  Right now Chiwana Village has three special package offerings.  You can see them here.  And Cave B Inn  has a whole bevy of options for you as well.

Just think:  After the Gorge concert is over, you only need to take a short walk or a shorter drive a few minutes away, and voila–you’re at your accommodations.  No tiredness behind the wheel; no hassles.  And then in the morning, there’s Tendrils Restaurant, the pool, the sun, the gorge, the trails–all the amenities–just waiting for you.  Now, we call that the ultimate Gorge concert weekend.  Why settle for the same Gorge experience each time?  Try us out….SageCliffe is owned by the same people who built and started The Gorge Amphitheater (anyone remember when it was called Champs de Brionne Summer Music Theater?) so you get to take part in a little bit of The Gorge history simply by staying at SageCliffe, too!  And to help you visualize your ultimate Gorge Concert Getaway, here’s the concert line up:

Aug. 14:  Vans Warped Tour
Aug. 28: John Mayer & Keith Urban
Sept. 3-5: Dave Matthews Band
Sept. 11:  Brad Paisley
Oct. 2:  Jack Johnson

We know:  It’s hard to choose.  But we feel we can say with some certainty that no matter which Gorge concert you choose to attend, you’ll make it just that much more fun, and that much more enjoyable, if you try a stay at SageCliffe.  Your friends will think that you’re the rock star.

Yurt at Chiwana Village at SageCliffe
Cave B Inn