How the Tasting Areas Fit Together
The official Woodinville Wine Country organization groups the wineries into four districts, each with its own character. Instead of memorizing names, picture the valley as a few clusters you can link with short drives or walks. Pull up the interactive map on the official Woodinville Wine Country website before you leave Seattle, and the day will start to take shape.
The Hollywood area and the state's oldest winery
Start where Northeast 145th Street meets Woodinville-Redmond Road, the busiest jumping-off point in the valley. Here you will find Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington's first winery, with broad grounds and Old World style buildings. It has offered free tours of its winemaking operation that wrap up with a tasting, so check its current schedule before you go.
Cross the road to Columbia Winery, where a large tasting room pours some reds and whites you can buy only at this location. Walk a short way north to Novelty Hill-Januik Winery, a modern space with a sunny outdoor seating area and a lineup of highly rated wines. JM Cellars, another well-scored name, shares the same stretch of Woodinville-Redmond Road.
A walkable cluster near the Hollywood Schoolhouse
Less than a mile east, roughly a 15-minute walk, more than 20 tasting rooms sit close together. This is the spot to leave the car behind and wander. Settle onto the cozy patio at DeLille Cellars, where the tasting menu changes over time and the Doyenne cabernet-syrah blend is a popular pour.
Sink into a leather club chair in the lounge at Long Shadows Vintners, which focuses on premium reds. At Lauren Ashton Cellars, a guide walks you through each wine and what makes it distinct, a good fit if you are newer to tasting. The cluster also hosts outposts of Eastern Washington producers, including Fidelitas from Red Mountain and Amavi and Dusted Valley from Walla Walla.
The Warehouse District
Head north for a completely different mood. More than 50 small wineries work out of converted industrial buildings here, with around 40 of them packed within a single mile. The setting is casual, and you will often find yourself chatting with the people who actually make the wine.
Make EFESTE a priority, since it is the best-known stop and its wines have earned praise from Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator; begin with its Riesling. Nearby, Guardian Cellars is run by a former police officer, and Darby Winery carries the name of winemaker Darby English. Cross North Woodinville Way to taste grenache blanc at Two Vintners and Old World grape varieties at Pomum.
Planning Your Tasting Day
A loose route works beautifully: begin in the Warehouse District, drift to the walkable cluster around midday, then finish along Woodinville-Redmond Road near Chateau Ste. Michelle. Flip the order if you would rather tour the Chateau first. Either way, pace yourself, eat along the way and settle who is driving.
Start at the visitor center
Make the Woodinville Visitor Center your first stop, especially on a first trip. Its staff can suggest wineries that match your tastes and point you toward spots that locals favor. Check the official site for its location and current hours.
Consider a tasting pass
Woodinville Wine Country sells tasting passes, including its well-known Passport to Taste and several specialty versions. If you plan to visit many tasting rooms, one can be a good value. Details, participating wineries and pricing change, so review the current options on the official site.
Getting there without driving yourself
Book a guided wine tour from Seattle, offered by several companies, and the question of who stays sober disappears. You can also ride public transit: King County Metro and Sound Transit Express buses serve Woodinville, with a hub at a park-and-ride lot downtown. Confirm routes and schedules with the transit agencies before you set out.
Summer Concerts on the Lawn
Spread out on the lawn at Chateau Ste. Michelle for its summer concert series, held on select evenings from June through September. Past lineups have featured major names such as Sarah McLachlan and John Legend. Shows tend to be popular, so check the winery's schedule early if you hope to pair a tasting day with live music.
The city adds its own celebrations. Celebrate Woodinville runs a summer concerts and festival program, followed by a Winterfest later in the year. Some wineries also schedule live music on certain weekends, which you can track through the official events listings.
A Little Local History Between Pours
The Sammamish River valley is the historic territory of the Sammamish people, and other Coast Salish groups also lived on and used this land. In 1871, Ira and Susan Woodin moved here from Seattle and built a cabin that later served as the community's first school and post office. The settlement grew from logging into farming, then became a Seattle suburb after World War II.
Music runs deep here too: in 1969, the Seattle Pop Festival at Gold Creek Park featured Led Zeppelin and The Guess Who. From 1992 to 2007, the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train carried diners from Renton to Columbia Winery, a reminder of how long the wineries have drawn visitors. Woodinville itself did not become a city until 1993.
