What do you do with a Chelan Saturday in November? Riverwalk Park went quiet after October 29. That was the last Thursday of the Chelan Evening Farmers Market, which ran 2 to 6 p.m. at 218 South Emerson Street and closed a season that goes from May through October. Downtown's next big night is Friday, November 27. Caroling and a mini-concert with BassICally start at 5 p.m. at the corner of Emerson Street and Woodin Avenue, followed by the Santa Parade and Christmas tree lighting at 6.
The weeks in between have their own event. Lake Chelan Wine Valley treats the stretch from the first day of fall to Thanksgiving as Wine Harvest, ending with Fall Barrel Tasting on November 13–15 and 20–22, 2026. If you live in town, plan on a drive. Of the barrel events on the valley's 2026 lineup that list an address, three of four are in Manson on the north shore.
One Barrel Stop on the Chelan Side
The only featured barrel event you can reach without driving around the lake is at Tsillan Cellars, 3875 Highway 97A. It's also the most structured one. On Saturday, November 14, Head Winemaker Garrett Grubbs and Assistant Winemaker Nic Stevens lead four tours, at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Each tour is capped at 20 guests and costs $30 per person.
The tour is built around one comparison. It starts in the tasting room with a pour of the 2023 Estate Syrah, then moves into production for a sample of the 2025 vintage straight from the barrel, so you taste two Estate Syrah vintages back to back. Tickets are sold through the winery's online event page. With 80 spots across the whole afternoon, it's the stop most likely to sell out before the weekend.
This is also the first barrel season under new owners. The Lake Chelan Mirror reported that Tsillan Cellars, Sorrento's restaurant included, passed to a local investor group effective June 30, 2026. The company said the winery, restaurant, tasting room, events and wine club would all continue.
Across the Lake, Four Ways to Pay for a Barrel Sample
Every other stop is in Manson or near it, and the four of them couldn't be priced more differently. A barrel sample can come free with a standard tasting, cost a $10 cover, or be one course of a $160 dinner. Here's how they compare:
| Winery | Location | Dates and times | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsillan Cellars | 3875 Hwy 97A, Chelan | Nov. 14, tours at 12, 1, 2, 3 p.m. | $30 per person, 20 per tour |
| Hard Row to Hoe | 300 Ivan Morse Rd, Manson | Nov. 14 and 21, 12–5 p.m. | Included with regular tasting fee, walk-ins welcome |
| El Mochuelo Viñedo | 411 Lakayuse Rd, Manson | Nov. 14 and 15, 12–4:30 p.m. | $10, free for Owl Club members, no reservation |
| Tipsy Canyon Winery | 270 Upper Joe Creek Rd, Manson | Nov. 14 and 21, 1–4 p.m. | Fee not posted |
| Cairdeas Winery | Address not on event page | Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m. | $160, or $145 for club members and guests; 18 seats |
Hard Row to Hoe is the easiest to drop into. Head Winemaker Julian Shaver draws samples from barrels or tanks and talks through how the wine is developing. Futures are available, and the barrel tasting comes with the regular tasting fee, no appointment needed.
El Mochuelo Viñedo holds its tasting in the production building. You get barrel samples plus your choice of three wines poured from the bottle. The Wine Valley listing also shows case discounts of 50 percent for club members, 30 percent for industry and 20 percent for guests.
Tipsy Canyon pairs each Saturday with live music. Andru Gomez plays on November 14 and Ray Glover on November 21, both 1 to 4 p.m., and each afternoon includes an exclusive barrel tasting of a featured wine drawn with the winemaker. The event listings don't post a price, so check Tipsy Canyon's events page before you go.
Cairdeas Winery's Fall Barrel Dinner with Chef Austin Harmon is a sit-down evening. It's a five-course fall menu paired with Rhône-inspired wines, followed by barrel-room samples of the 2025 Icarus and Daedalus. Reservations are required, and the dinner listing shows only 18 tickets.
The Calendar Is Really Two Saturdays
The official window covers six days, but the listed events gather on two of them. Friday, November 13, and the whole November 20–22 weekend apart from Saturday have nothing on the featured lineup. Sunday, November 15, has a single option, El Mochuelo's second day.
That leaves two different Saturdays.
November 14 is the wine day. Every featured north-shore winery except Cairdeas is open, and Tsillan's tours run on the Chelan side. A loop that starts with a noon Tsillan tour and then heads over to Manson for the afternoon fits the posted hours, since Hard Row to Hoe stays open until 5.
November 21 is when downtown joins in. It's the one day this month when barrel season and a Woodin Avenue event happen at the same time:
- Noon: Hard Row to Hoe opens for barrel samples until 5 p.m.
- 1 p.m.: ONE of a Kind Vendor Market opens at One Wines, 526 East Woodin Avenue, and Ray Glover starts playing at Tipsy Canyon.
- 4 p.m.: Music winds down at Tipsy Canyon.
- 5:30 p.m.: The vendor market closes.
- 6:30 p.m.: Cairdeas seats its 18 dinner guests.
The market at One Wines is on the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce calendar as a free afternoon of local makers. Moonpenny, Walkin' On Woodin and Lush Life are named, along with artisans selling handmade and upcycled textiles and handcrafted wooden coasters, and Bite Me will be serving hot dogs. If you've spent the morning in Manson, it's a downtown stop on the way home with no ticket required, and it lands a week before the holiday shopping push.
Check Hours Before You Drive North
This is shoulder season on the north shore, and tasting rooms shift their weeks to match. Vibe Cellars at 150 Wapato Way in Manson, for example, moved to fall and winter hours on October 1. It's now open Wednesday and Thursday 1 to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 1 to 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., and those hours run through spring 2027. The barrel-weekend hours in the table come from each winery's event listing. If you want to add other stops on the way, check their current hours first, because a Tuesday plan made from summer hours may not work in November.
After the Last Barrel, Thanksgiving Week Takes Over
Once the second barrel Saturday is over, the calendar moves into the holidays quickly. Sorrento's Ristorante at Tsillan Cellars has a Thanksgiving buffet on November 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. The next evening is the downtown tree lighting. Plaid Friday is also November 27, with a list of participating businesses that includes Chelan Toys & Sweets, Culinary Apple, Fielding Hills Winery and Riverwalk Books. On Friday, Chelan Toys & Sweets is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Culinary Apple 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Small Business Saturday follows on November 28. The Chamber's Shop Small page lists Chelan Toys & Sweets open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Culinary Apple 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Chamber's Lights at the Lake page also suggests a driving holiday light tour. It begins on South Lakeshore Drive heading into downtown Chelan, then goes up through the neighborhoods, into downtown Manson and on to the wineries and vineyards. After two November Saturdays spent driving the north-shore winery roads, the last stretch of that route will already be familiar.
A lot of us host friends and family on these November weekends, in our own homes or in a rental we look after. If you'd like to talk about how a Lake Chelan property can work for you in the off-season as well as summer, Valley and View can help you buy, sell or manage it, and we're glad to share what we know about the valley's quieter months.
