September hosts a plethora of events across the Evergreen State.

It’s time say good-bye to summer and say hello to fall. This month, a number of wine happenings will take place everywhere from downtown Seattle to Eastern Washington. The only tough part is choosing which one to attend!

WineFest at the Chelan County Fair |Thursday, September 8 – Sunday, September 11 | Cashmere | The award winning wines of Wenatchee Wine County will be featured at WineFest at the Chelan County Fair. A daily wine garden will be open, with a “tasting” event to be held on Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10 in the evening.

Grapefest | Saturday, September 10 | Kennewick | “Crush” wine-loving competitors in the historic downtown Kennewick in this year’s Grapefest. As the event’s centennial, activities will feature a Grape Crush Rush, the Grape Stomp and the End of Summer BBQ Cook-off. In addition to competitive food and wine “sports,” Grapefest offers arts and crafts, food vendors, and live entertainment starting at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Second Annual Skewered Apple Barbeque Championship | Saturday, September 10 – Sunday, September 11, 2011 | Yakima | Hosted by the Yakima Valley Museum and Tree Top, this open national competition invites aspiring grill masters to compete for up to $35,000 in prize money. Viewers will enjoy cooking demonstrations, live music, beer and wine garden. Tickets can be purchased for $15 for two days and $10 for one day.

Wenatchee Taste of the Harvest Festival | Saturday, September 17 |Wenatchee | Bring friends and family to celebrate Wenatchee’s rich agricultural heritage from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.  Pick from a fresh farmer’s market, an improve chef cook-off, a fun run, food vendors, kids’ acitivies, live music and a flourishing wine garden. Tickets to the wine garden are $25 per person and include 15 tastes of wine and a souvenir glass.

Harvest Festival | Saturday, September 17 | Richland | The annual Harvest Festival will celebrate its 15^th birthday at Flat Top Park in West Richland with live music, food vendors, markets, craft vendors, a BBQ, face painting and carnival games. Admission is free for the whole family!

Leavenworth Crush Festival | Saturday, September 17^th | Leavenworth | More than 30 wineries from across Washington will be at the Leavenworth Crush Festival pouring their best wines to the tune of cool jazz, great local foods and the stomping of grapes. Offering fall in a Bavarian Village, tickets are $30 online or $35 at the door.

Blend 2011: The World’s Best Wine, Food & Places | Sunday, September 18^th | Seattle | For the second year, Blend is the only event that showcases Washington’s hottest blends from over 40 top producers in Washington State. Guests will enjoy sampling the world’s best wine blends, paired with delectable cuisine from Columbia Hospitality’s fabulous hotels and resorts such as Salish Lodge & Spa and Cave B Inn at Sagecliffe all on the spectacular Seattle waterfront at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. New activities include barrel blending stations featuring Washington winemakers pouring samples that comprise one of their signature blends, international tasting tables featuring blends from other countries courtesy of Wine World and the “Bubble Lounge” featuring sparkling wines & oysters. Tickets are $59 per person.

Annual Kiwanis Wine Country Trek Saturday | September 24 – Sunday, September 25 | Yakima to Prosser | This scenic two-day, 120-mile bike ride takes cyclists round-trip from Yakima to Prosser, through vineyards, hop fields and orchards.  Start time from Yakima on Saturday is 8:00 a.m. returning Sunday at 6 p.m. Registration is $110 per cyclist with all proceeds going to Kiwanis community and youth service projects. This event coincides with the Hot Air Balloon Festival and the Harvest Festival in Prosser and registration includes a gourmet dinner, the balloon glow, overnight camping (indoor and outdoor) in Prosser, Sunday morning breakfast, baggage transportation and break stops.

Catch the Crush Wine Festival | Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25 | Yakima & Tri-Cities | The wineries of Red Mountain, Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley unite to celebrate the harvest and the 25^th annual seasonal grape crush. Each winery participates in winery tours, free-run juice, wine tasting and delicious hors d’oeuvres. Special wine purchase discounts are also available. Crush pads will be set up and winemakers will host live team grape stomps at 4 p.m. on Saturday.  Live music and entertainment will also help ring in the fall season. Admission is free. Click here for more information or to sign up for the grape stomp.