Wine in the Wild Washington's Lake Chelan has long drawn visitors with its beauty, but now there's another reason to visit: its wine.

WHY ARE THERE LEGENDARY BOOKS ABOUT RIVERS but not lakes? I'll take the latter every time.

- Boris Fishman

A river runs not only through it, but through you-often, it's hard to stand, swim, or float. A lake, by contrast, is a gentle sea writ small. And if it's out west, chances are my feet feel smooth pebbles rather than northeastern muck, and the water is so limpid that I can see them as clearly as if I wasn't standing in water at all. When I am west of the Continental Divide, I orient myself by the distance from the nearest Lake of Distinction, my personal seal of approval. Should I end up in trouble (intrusive relatives, loneliness, too much steak), it's only this far to salvation.

This lake lizard marvels at Montana, is inspired by Idaho, ogles all that Oregon blue, but keeps going to the ultimate wonder: Washington. Lake Crescent, Ross Lake, Lake Whatcom-much like sunshine in California and highway exits in New Jersey, Washington has cornered the lake market. However, for years I had been hearing from fellow lake lovers that my Washington lake portfolio was missing a crucial investment. The lake in question was locally beloved but nationally unknown and had something so few Lakes of Distinction do: a mix of total solitude and bigger-place sophistication. So I booked a flight to Seattle and drove three hours east to Lake Chelan.

Lake Chelan is the Chile of lakes: more than 50 miles long and only one mile wide. There are just three permanent settlements, but over the past two decades, the region has transformed from the nation's apple orchard into one of its most intriguing winemaking areas. In 2009, 24,040 acres along the shores of the southernmost portion of the lake were officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area.