More development, variety in store at winery, inn

GEORGE — When her son was well-established in kindergarten this year, Moses Lake resident Theresa Nevarez decided it was time to return to work.

In her position as catering sales manager at the Cave B Inn at SageCliffe, a position she has held for almost seven months, Nevarez is responsible for menu entries for groups in the 509 area code region, a small percentage of weddings and the main contact on the Cave B site.

A resident of Moses Lake for over 20 years, Nevarez said she happened to come across the posting for her position, and decided to apply, because she possessed many of the skills required, and see what happened.

"As it would end up, they hire the person before they necessarily hire the experience behind it," Nevarez said, noting that owners Vince and Carol Bryan make employees feel like one of the family. "They take a big investment in people more so than anything, and I think that's what makes our entire team so dynamic."

Pointing to the Bryans' plans and visions for the SageCliffe resort, Nevarez called for surprises upon every visit to the site.

"What a wonderful idea and vision, the things that are taking place out here at Cave B," she said. "The family, the company, is so immersed in our community and they try so hard to give back to the community … It doesn't take a huge function like a wedding to come out and really appreciate the beauty of it."

Nevarez is one of several relatively new faces at the destination winery, which is seeing some developments. The spa opened in November, and the wine-tasting room recently moved from its longtime location into a new facility, which also houses a 200-person-capacity estate room, which opened in late June and has housed a string of chamber music concerts.

"There seems to be a desire for wine tourism — some kind of reconnection to the land and its interest in wine has seemed to be sweeping the nation, and Washington wines in particular," said marketing manager Sherrye Wyatt. "So as they become more and more understood and well-received, it has impacted us."

Weekends are consistently sold out to leisure travelers, while midweek business varies, but includes more retreats and drop-in travelers.

"Local support has been fantastic for the restaurant and the winery," Wyatt said, noting many businesses are also taking advantage of the inn for company retreats. The resort is also drawing international attention, with international media groups hailing from the United Kingdom, Japan and France, as well as coverage closer to home on Seattle television. "But the local support is still absolutely critical, and the spa especially is seeing a local following."

A golf course is still under way. Nevarez said hopes are that it will be completed before Memorial Day in 2008.

As general manager of Cave B Enterprises, Hilary Huffman oversees those activities at the resort which do not apply to the winery or to the inn.

The destination will offer such opportunities as bicycle rentals and GPS rentals for geocaching, and Huffman is also overseeing an equestrian center currently in the process of being built. Horses have been purchased, and the pasture and fencing are in the works to house them. Huffman said that program will be running by the end of the summer,

"We want to explore all the possibilities to take advantage of our location," she said, adding one such possibility is a "stagecoach experience" that would offer 1800s-era coaches for guests to take out and have such Western experiences as cooking over a fire and singing under the stars. "I think that the more there is to do here, the more people will want to stay and make more of an overall experience of it."

An Ellensburg resident, Huffman is also Cave B products/services manager, and joined the company in November, selling her own corporate gift business in the process.

Winemaker Berle "Rusty" Figgins said this year will bring the last increase in production for the Cave B label, which will level off at about 5,000 cases.

"We're finally, in vintage 2006, reaching our production ceiling," Figgins said, noting a SageCliffe label will also continue on.

The Cave B lable is now offering a 2004 Syrah, a 2003 Cuvee du Soleil and a trio of sweet wines, Figgins updated. Under the SageCliffe label, the winery will offer a lightly sparkling wine Figgins said is "perfectly suitable" for wedding receptions and summer drinks on the terrace.

"I'm making the best wines of my life, and it continues to be the crowning jewel on my winemaking career, in terms of variety, in terms of the quality of the wine and in terms of inspirational surroundings," Figgins said.

Assistant winemaker Freddy Arredondo, who came aboard last week, is no stranger to Cave B; he's also son-in-law to owners Vince and Carol Bryan.

Ellensburg resident Arredondo explained that he desired a change from his career as a culinary chef, and had been looking forward to arriving at the destination site for the two years he worked on his viticulture education in Walla Walla.

"It's such an incredible opportunity to have this place in our state, and it's such a special place," Arredondo said. "I want people to just come and see it, just come and enjoy and hang out and have a glass of wine and enjoy the view and talk. And walk around and just take it all in."

With Yahoo! and Microsoft Network selecting nearby Quincy as a site for their data centers, Wyatt said all the attention helps.

"It definitely has made the word Quincy more recognizable for the hospitality industry," she said. "Quincy wasn't, prior to that, really. There's a curiosity about what amenities are available to this area, as there are more developments that seem to be coming into this area."