Sunday, Jun. 15, 2008

$3.5 million wine village in works near Red Mountain

By Mary Hopkin, Wine Press Northwest

A $3.5 million project called the Red Mountain View Wine Complex is being developed in West Richland, Wash., by Stacie and Russ Hamilton of Kennewick.

She said they expect to break ground on the initial building by mid-summer. It will be 18,000 square feet and include space for the Hamiltons' winery and home, plus five guest rooms, a commercial kitchen and an event center.

They hope the main building will entice other entrepreneurs to build wineries at the site or invest in one of 10 condo-style, two-story units. Those will offer retail space on the bottom floor with a living area on top.

They would like to have five or six wineries on site, as well as other wine-related businesses, such as restaurants, or quaint retail shops.

"We really wanted to incorporate the mixed use into this project and offer empty nesters the ability, and the security, of living at the business," Hamilton said.

The village will be just a few miles from Red Mountain, where another wine village is planned, as well as many other new wineries.

Hamilton said they hope to have their winery, which they still haven't named, complete by spring barrel tasting. Charlie Hoppes, owner of Fidelitas Wines on Red Mountain, will be the winemaker.