The Best Wineries to Visit in Woodinville
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Bordeaux-style wines meet picnic priorities at Matthews Winery.
Image: Brandon Hill
Western Washington's epicenter of wine dates back to the 1970s. Today, change is sweeping the area, from new tasting districts to the uncertain future of Chateau Ste. Michelle. In other words, Woodinville has lots of exciting new developments, but also some reasons to return, time and again, to taste.
Hollywood District / Warehouse District / Downtown and Woodin Creek Village / Eastern Washington Outposts
Hollywood District
Betz Family Winery
Now firmly in its third decade, Betz Family devotes itself to high-end Bordeaux and Rhône-style wines. The cabernet sauvignon is exquisite. Four syrahs showcase differences in the state’s best vineyards and appellations, while the grenache-heavy Besoleil drinks like a cup of fresh fruit. The tasing room is currently only open to members of the winery’s list.
Chateau Lill
Greg Lill has reclaimed the estate-style building that once housed his original winery, DeLille Cellars. Today it’s a scenic hub for weddings and events, but also conducts tastings of wines sourced from other well-known local wineries, but poured under Chateau Lill’s label. In warmer months, tastings happen in the garden, or you can stroll the property, glass in hand.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Yes, some or all of this wine region’s foundational chateau is potentially up for sale, but the winery is committed to its 2023 concert calendar season. And, uncertainty aside, it remains a wonderful place to visit in Woodinville. Throughout its run, Ste. Michelle has been the state’s leader in producing good wines at any price. A spot-on $12 bottle? A stunning single-vineyard sauvignon blanc? The winery has both. Its $10 Dry Riesling is easily the best value in the state if not the country.
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DeLille Cellars
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DeLille Cellars offers rooftop tastings.
IMAGE: COURTESY DELILLE CELLARS
Gorman Winery
Guardian Cellars
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Image: Courtesy Guardian Cellars
Jaine Cottage
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The Jaine Cottage is all about white, rosé, and sparkling wine.
Image: Brooke Fitts
Mark Ryan Winery
Winemaker Mark McNeilly made a name for himself in the early 2000s fashioning uniformly excellent red blends, with ripe fruit and hefty tannic structures, from esteemed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain. He’s still at it; few do it better. This year, the tasting room will relocate to a new building on the campus of the former Redhook Brewery.
Matthews Winery
Matthews is one of the longest tenured wineries in Woodinville. Yes, with its “inspired by Bordeaux” tagline, you know cabernet sauvignon is important here, but the sauvignon blanc is also a standout. The winery recently brought in a new winemaking team from Quilceda Creek.
Novelty Hill–Januik
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IMAGE: COURTESY NOVELTY HILL
Sparkman Cellars
Warehouse District
Avennia Wine
In just 10 years, Avennia has established itself as one of the state’s top wineries, dedicated to using old vine grapes and picking early, giving the releases a distinctly old-world, savory edge, but with plenty of fruit. Recently the winery has added some Red Mountain offerings to its repertoire.
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Callan Cellars
Cedergreen Cellars
Damsel Cellars
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Mari Womack in her recently updated Woodinville tasting room.
JM Cellars
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Kevin White Winery
Owner and winemaker Kevin White’s day job allows him to offer the best quality-to-price wines in the state. But the word is out on his pure, fruit-driven wines. Some, such as the feels-like-stealing ‘Blue Label’ wine, can sell out in less than a week. A new tasting room offers a gently upgraded experience.
Lobo Hills
Passing Time Winery
Pomum Cellars/Idlico
Quiddity Wines
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Giant chess (and regular-size pours) at Quiddity Wines.
Image: Brooke Fitts
Sightglass Cellars
Sean Boyd, previously the longtime winemaker at Woodinville Wine Cellars, excels with stainless steel–aged sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, as well as cultishly good red wines.
Two Vintners
W.T. Vintners
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W.T. Vintners winemaker Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen and, in his tasting room, the vending machine of our dreams.
Downtown and Woodin Creek Village
Baer Winery
Brian Carter Cellars
This winery, now open in the new-ish Woodin Creek Village, dedicates itself to the art of blending. The flagship cabernet sauvignon–based Solesce is one for the cellar. That may not sound radical, but the winemaker here likes to experiment, exploring styles from Spain, Italy, Bordeaux, the Rhône, and beyond.
More Great Woodinville Tasting Rooms
Can’t make it to Walla Walla? Plenty of wineries from Eastern Washington have set up satellite locations around here.
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Walla Walla–based Long Shadows added this outpost on our side of the mountains.
Image: Courtesy Long Shadows
- Long Shadows Great wine in a handsome tasting room.
- Fidelitas Wines One of the new occupants of the former Redhook Brewery campus.
- Bookwalter Winery The Tri-Cities–area winery is known for its high-end reds and whites.
- L’Ecole No 41 The stalwart added its first non–Walla Walla tasting room in downtown Woodinville.
- Valdemar Estates Part of Walla Walla’s impressive new guard also has a downtown location.
- Pepper Bridge Another great high-end Walla Walla winery set up shop behind the Hollywood Schoolhouse.
Methods: To compile this list, Sean P. Sullivan selected wineries based on the overall quality of their wines, focusing largely on those that are local to that area, versus satellite tasting rooms.