riblet mansion and arbor crest winery

I love this place. It is located on top of the bluff overlooking the Spokane Valley and the Spokane River. Great place to go during the summer for the concerts. Nice wine tasting room with great wines.

Situated on a cliff high above the Spokane Valley the Arbor Crest Winery this winery offers a unique view off the valley at the site of the Riblet Mansion. Although any time is a good time for wine tasting, the absolute best time to visit is in the summer when they offer outdoor concerts. Bring a picnic dinner and buy a bottle of their wonderful wine and you have an instant date night. We go there several times a summer and love it. No one under 21 is allowed.

I don't think of Spokane as a wine producer but Arbor Crest has produced some fine results. We ventured to their hilltop winery set a short distance outside Spokane. We got there a little early for tasting and leisurely strolled the grounds with its structures (some historical), gardens, and panoramic view of the area and downtown Spokane in the distance. The wine tasting room is quite large and seemed to allow for sit down tasting. That day we had three different taste flight choices corresponding to their three levels of wines. We opted for the premium and specialty wines and swapped off to taste most of them in those categories. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality which often matched up to the best of Washington wineries' will revisit them on subsequent Spokane trips.Note: There is a tasting fee priced according to level, but it was applied to our bottle purchases in the two categories we tasted.

The Cliff house over looks Spokane Valley with expansive views of the area. In the summer there are concerts that can be enjoyed with friends, a bottle of wine and food. A must if your are in the area if a summer concert is on.

I worked in the winery industry for about 15 years. I've spent time bottling, sorting grapes, shipping and receiving, greeting guests, and most importantly being the hostess in the tasting room. Customer service makes or breaks the experience. Ours is broken. It was difficult to get the hostess’s attention, then to get any information from her. I asked about the history of the place and she handed me a brochure saying “Here, this will tell you more than I’ll ever know.” Having extensive experience in wine, I wanted to try more robust characteristics in a Cabernet or Merlot but those items were not available on the tasting list for the day. The tasters next to me were sipping gleefully from a bottle of cab. I had to step out of my comfort zone to ask the patrons about their privilege because the hostess continued to be unavailable or uninterested in our experience. The patrons were members, I understand, but I would have gladly paid by the glass to try their product. I mean, there it was right on the counter and I couldn't try it. We bought a class of a blend and walked the grounds. We stumbled upon a fabulous life sized checkerboard and started a game, a redeeming point to our experience, but midway a staff person shouted out “We close in 20 minutes.” Unwelcoming and berating, I would say this place doesn't want you to visit. 2 points, 1 is for terrible, 2 is for the view.

They have events almost every week in the warmer weather. I have been here for many weddings, special events and even the symphony. The wine tasting room is quite nice and the ground to explore. A must see for visitors.

Nice tasting room for some great wines. The area is beautiful and incredible view. They have great concerts in the summer.

Going to definitely have to think twice about visiting after our last visit. May even cancel our wine club membership. My wife and I decided to take a business client that had stayed with us over the weekend to this winery for a tasting experience. We arrived at around 20 minutes to 5 and were immediately informed by the two employees behind the counter that there was not enough time for a tasting as they were closing. We informed them of our long drive to even get there assured them that we would not dabble. They reluctantly agreed. We should have just left because for the next twenty minutes every time we wanted to try another wine we were forced to get their attention. Two times I had to ask to buy a bottle of wine, which is ludicrous for an establishment like this to not offer the bottle after tasting. We had to wait to get checked out and finally were so fed up we left with only one bottle.Conclusion. If you run a service based facility like this I strongly urge the owners to tell their employees that if a customer comes in at 3 minutes to closing you treat them like gold as you never know how much they are willing to spend. We came in intending to buy a mixed case and left with one bottle and the heavy thoughts to cancel our wine club. I guess they will know who this is tomorrow when they see we have cancelled.

... for the management of Arbor Crest. We have visited Arbor Crest for the past 15 years. What was once a 5-star location for us has descended into the 2 star range.When we first visited Arbor crest, we were enchanted with the mansion literally on the edge of a cliff, the lovely grounds with beautiful gardens, and even the wine (which is not among Washington's best). The views of Spokane are spectacular, and strolling the grounds with wine glass in hand was a real treat. The winery hosted regular concerts (free) to which you would bring your beach chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. Wine was readily available for a truly enjoyable evening of entertainment.However, in the past few years, the management has chosen to start charging for the concerts, and has become increasingly more restrictive to what is allowed, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth (no pun intended). The end result is that this last visit will likely be our last because the delightful ambiance has been replaced by corporate America in which the dollar is all that matters.We have also regularly attended the annual wine clearance event during which you can purchase case lot wines at a significant discount, but even these have been changed to the point where we will not likely return.

A bit of a drive but worth it for the peaceful setting and views from the winery. A local told me I "had" to visit this, and I'm so glad I did. Just beautiful. Bring a camera or your smartphone, for there are many lovely sights from high above Spokane Valley.

As a child a grew up in the shadow of Riblets about a mile away. I use to play baseball with my fellow students at Hutton Settlement, a home for children who parents are discovering how to be themselves before raising children.I was adventurist, my mother husband was one of those rat bastards that came back from WWI with more hate than compassion and believed in beating a child to death, and so she was more than delighted to allow us to leave early and go find a world of amazement. When you are 7 or 8 and given free range to explore, what an amazing world one can find. Riblets at first appeared to be miles away, daunting over the Spokane river and a high on basalt cliffs. As I braved my way closer to those cliff me and my friend found a way to free climb the face walls. When you visit go to the front lawn, and imagine your 10 year old free climbing them. LOL, youth right. I am not the young man now, I look over the bluff and remember following the aquduct the JFK somehow was part of as his intial are on the duct bridge. In the late 50's or early 60's and Air Force jet lost control and crashed into the bluff. The crash spot can still be seen. My grandmother remember the chute and the young man lost his life in the power lines, at least that what I was told. The white stucco all over the rock. Well, across the river once was a concrete plant, the dust will blow and the rains would come. Instant dust cement. This not overlooked by Mr. Riplet who sued the plant into bankruptcy. The concrete plant was taken down about 10 years ago. I remember the area well, as I swam almost every day in the river at the island, now closed off.Riplets has a stunning view. Several great kisses, holding hands, and dancing while the car radio played. During a summer lighting storm that come from the south the beauty, the rumble, the roar of lighting and I have never captures one bolt on a picture plane of my camera's.Now, the Riplets has Vines, the access to climb the face is litterally shutoff, the attempt to restore this rustic place to old glory is still in the works.In the summer, one slumbers up on a Sunday. Buy some wine, and listen to several bands that come up to play, as the sun sets to the west. The view has changed as I have over the years, my adolescent youth has given to fine lines, and graying hair line, waist line has expanded too. But watching the smile of most over 40 people, dancing an remembering time long gone by, I still am amazed at the simple peace, tranquil beauty, the wind blown dust, and the view.Have a great Dance, drink some fine wine, and enjoy the moment.My memories of this place have never faded. The past romances, experiences, and laughter....... What a place to see!

We visited here as part of a convention I was attending. The grounds are immaculate with lots of flowers and landscaping. It's on top of a hill and gives you a great view of the town. There's a gift shop there that's pretty nice as well. There are lots of wineries in Spokane, so if you're on a wine tour this is one you'd want to add to your list.

Good wines at a good value. The summer music series is a real winner. Great location. Watch for the half-off case sale in November.

Wow......what an awesome view from atop of Fruithill Road. Went to several Sunday Concerts here with family and friends. Great venue, good local bands, food service and of course some GREAT WINES. I prefer the Reisling and the Pinot Grigio, but their wine list is a mile long. Nice gift shop too. Will be going back again and again.

The Arbor Crest Winery and Riblet Mansion are located on a bluff overlooking Spokane and the Spokane Valley. The wine is excellent and the views are outstanding.On Sunday's during the summer they bring in bands that play various types of music (Country, Classis Rock, Jazz or Big Band). These are some of the best regional and national touring bands. This is a great time to sample some very good wine with friends and listen to some very good music.See you up there! P.S. - No children allowed.