Charlie & Lacey Lybecker

Cairdeas Winery

Cairdeas (pronounced, “Cardis”) was founded in 2009 by Charlie & Lacey Lybecker. Charlie pulls inspiration from the Rhône valley of France to craft traditional wines and blends from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Cinsault and Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul. Lake Chelan was an area that called to them and they’ve grown their business and family on their property overlooking the lake. Listen in as they offer advice for anyone dreaming of a business and their plans for a new 2-story tasting room.

Visit Cairdeas Winery

A different vantage point—e-Bike Wine Tour!

We decided to lug our own e-bikes for the Chelan Electric Bikes wine tour rather than to rent them. Our guide for the day was Caroline and she took us down paths along the river, the main road, through neighborhoods and scenic views on our way to a few wineries that we’ll talk about.

Thank you, Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring our e-bike wine tour with Chelan Electric Bikes!

Standing strong in Lake Chelan—Charlie Lybecker, winemaker for Cairdeas Winery

Rhône inspired wines at Cairdeas Winery in Lake Chelan.

Beautiful Grenache-Syrah rosé at Cairdeas Winery

Joesph Phelps clone Syrah now at the Cairdeas Winery estate vineyard

What do we do? We ride!—”Merv” and Coroline from Chelan Electric Bikes.

We love our Sondors and Rad Power Bikes.

Judy Phelps, Hard Row to Hoe

Happy 10th Anniversary, Lake Chelan AVA!
When we contacted the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce to plan our trip, they connected us to a woman who is one of the leading authorities on this region, Judy Phelps, owner and winemaker of Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards and Winery. Judy and her Vineyard manager husband, Don, are committed to promoting the use of locally grown fruit. Judy shares what makes the Lake Chelan AVA so unique and what varietals should be known. Plus, she reveals the whimsical, yet suggestive name of their winery and the background on the colorful historical events that inspired it.

Visit Hard Row to Hoe

Lake Chelan Upcoming Events

Crush—Oct 2020
Play Your Stay
Winterfest—Jan 17-26, 2020
Play Your Stay (tickets available November 1, 2019)
Red Wine & Chocolate—Feb 2020 (dates to come)
Play Your Stay
Chelan Cycle De Vine—June 2020
Check it out
Lake Chelan Arts Festival—June 2020
Learn More

Our top Lake Chelan wineries to visit

Lake Chelan has a little over 30 wineries and in three and a half days, we visited and tasted through 19 that were recommended by others or we discovered on our own. 19! (Decanted: Doing the hard work) Here are our picks to visit.

Succession Wines (Wine Press Northwest’s 2018 Washington Winery to Watch)
Cairdeas Winery
Rocky Pond Winery  (Wine Press Northwest’s 2019 Washington Winery to Watch)
Fielding Hills Winery
Hard Row to Hoe Winery
Nefarious Cellars
Tildio Winery
Karma Vineyards (Wine, Méthode Champenoise bubbles, whiskey and food)
Tsillan Cellars and Sorrento’s Ristorante (book early for outdoor dining)
Siren Song Wines (outdoor bistro style food and wine tasting)
Tipsy Canyon Winery (new tasting room)

Hard Row to Hoe Estate Gewurztraminer, Lake Chelan

Visit the cheeky Hard Row to Hoe tasting room and taste some serious wines

Breakfast on the patio at Blueberry Hills, Lake Chelan

Brock Lindsay, winemaker for Successon Wines and manager for Antoine Creek Vineyards

Gorgeous Succession Wines tasting room with outdoor patio and live music.

Everyone Loves Larry! This young pup is HUGE—he might actually be a polar bear … dunno.

Stop 1 on e-bike wine tour: Bubbles lineup at Karma Vineyards—perfect way to kick off the tour.

The Tipsy Canyon Viognier from Antoine Creek Vineyards (Brock Lindsay!) is SUBLIME. New tasting room is opening too!

Fielding Hills is a place to relax, soak in the sun and lake view.

Road to Fielding Hills

Taste through a solid lineup of reds at the Fielding Hills tasting room.

We had a great experience at the Tildeo Winery tasting room sipping and sitting in our wine barrel adairondack chairs.

Hang out with the flowery view of Roses Lake under the trees or on the patio

Tsillan Cellars’ Sorrento’s Ristorante—make your reservation early because it’s popular!

Outdoor dining and wonderful cuisine at Tsillan Cellars Sorrento’s Ristorante

Stop 2 on e-bike wine tour: Nefarious Cellars is a bustling tasting room with a solid lineup, views of the lake and estate vineyards

Benson Vineyards tasting room is a popular wine destination and wedding location.

Enjoy a full food and wine tasting menu at Siren Song and feel like you are in Italy. You can even stay at the Villa.

Wood fired pizza for lunch at Siren Song