With a scenic byway that’s as large in scale as the Cascade Loop, naturally the landscape, views and activities vary wildly from region to region. Each area delivers its own distinct vibe, character, rich history and of course, diverse locals. The combination of these elements yield a vacation experience like none other, and significantly, the people who live and work here are the living embodiment of what makes our destination so special. In a nutshell: our diversity is what makes the Cascade Loop so special.
Recently we realized that despite our best efforts, our visual communications really didn’t reflect the diversity of the folks living, working and growing up near and around the Cascade Loop. We put a call out on our personal media account to see if there were folks that we knew around the byway that wouldn’t mind being featured on our website and social media to help introduce our traveling guests to a fuller representation of the kind of folks that they may well encounter during their stay, and Michelle and Steven answered our request.
We’ve known Michelle and Steven for a few years and know that one of the things that they really enjoy together, like many Cascade Loop travelers, is our state’s amazing local wines. Did you know that Washington State is home to over 1,000 wineries and over 60,000 acres of wine grapes? AND the Cascade Loop is home to all manner of wineries with different varietals being grown in the various regions of the Loop. It makes sense that since our byway landscape, topography and climate vary wildly from region to region, so does our wine.
We met up with Michelle and Steven at Martin Scott, a local family-owned and operated winery in East Wenatchee—just a hop, skip and a jump off the byway— and all we can say is HOLY COW. This place is wildly beautiful. The drive approaching the winery is flanked on both sides by vineyards with roses and dahlias planted at the head of each row. Since we visited during the COVID-19 pandemic, our visit was limited to the outdoor area. Outdoor seating with lots of room was available on the west side of the property. Vineyards stand in silhouette over views of the Columbia River below with the rolling foothills and the Cascade mountains layered behind—it’s literally a scene one would expect in a movie set.
As we walked around the property it became quite clear that this winery wasn’t one of those businesses that says they’re family-owned but you never meet anyone from the family. When we arrived, we were brought wine by one of the owners’ sons, Chris, who also happens to be winery’s General Manager. Shortly after, the winery co-founder, Mike, rolled up on his four-wheeler and chatted with our group. Then, later in the evening when we settled into the outdoor patio area, Becky, Tim’s daughter-in-law, spent some time chatting with us and making sure nobody’s glasses were empty, and while we may have virtually no wine expertise beyond knowing we like to drink it, Michelle and Steven are quite the opposite.
Their love story is literally stitched together with wine as the thread. Steven and Michelle met in a wine bar in 2003 and were married in that same bar in 2009. Michelle worked in the wine industry for decades joining the Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest in the 1970’s and working in the international wine importing business throughout the 1980’s and 90’s. Michelle later worked for Vin Du Lac Winery in Chelan—FYI, Lake Chelan is Washington State’s 11th AVA (American Viticulture Area)—and went on to help produce a regional wine competition called the Foothills Wine Awards, where we first got to know her and Steven.
