Woodinville wine country
Encyclopedia
Woodinville, Washington
Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,938 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King and Snohomish counties...
, near Seattle. Several of the state's notable wineries, such as Chateau Ste. Michelle
Chateau Ste. Michelle
The Chateau Ste. Michelle is a winery in Woodinville, Washington. The winery is noted for its best-selling Riesling bottlings. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest single producer of Riesling wine in the United States. The winery also produces wines of other varietals and some experimental wines...
, Columbia Winery
Columbia Winery
Columbia Winery is a Washington State winery located in Woodinville, Washington. The tasting room, main administrative offices and event facilities are located at 14030 NE 145th Street P.O. Box 1248 Woodinville, WA 98072. The winery production facility is located at 2310 Holmason Rd Sunnyside, WA...
, Novelty Hill Januik
Novelty Hill Winery
Novelty Hill Winery is a Washington winery located in the Woodinville, Washington tourist district. Started in 1999 by Chateau Ste. Michelle veteran winemaker Mike Januik, Novelty Hill produces a number of varietals using grapes grown in eastern Washington....
, and Silver Lake are located here. While part of the Puget Sound AVA
Puget Sound AVA
The Puget Sound AVA is an American Viticultural Area in western Washington state. It is the only AVA in the state of Washington that is located west of the Cascade Mountains.- Geography and climate :...
area, the majority of wineries in Woodinville wine country import their grapes from Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the portion of the U.S. state of Washington east of the Cascade Range. The region contains the city of Spokane , the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the...
AVAs like Columbia Valley
Columbia Valley AVA
The Columbia Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in the Columbia River Plateau, through much of central and southern Washington state, with a small section crossing into the neighboring state of Oregon. The AVA includes the drainage basin of the Columbia River and its tributaries...
and Yakima Valley
Yakima Valley AVA
The Yakima Valley AVA was the first American Viticultural Area established within Washington State, gaining the recognition in 1983. Part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, Yakima Valley AVA is home to more than of vineyards, giving the area the largest concentration of wineries and vineyards in...
. In addition to making wine, several of the wineries in Woodinville wine country are open for tours and tastings, with Chateau Ste. Michelle also having a regular summer concert series at its amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
. Woodinville Village, currently under development, will showcase some of the smaller wineries in the area that are not normally open to the public.
State Route 202 runs through the heart of Woodinville wine country.
History
The Woodinville area developed as a farming and logging community along the Sammamish RiverSammamish River
The Sammamish River flows through north King County, Washington for about , draining Lake Sammamish into Lake Washington...
Valley in the 1880s. Its close location to the major metropolitan area of Seattle as well as it natural wooded landscape and surroundings made it an inviting area for wineries to develop, with its first winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, opening up in 1976. In 1988, Columbia Winery opened up across the street.
Chateau Ste. Michelle's decision to build in Woodinville was a catalyst for the development of this wine country. Originally founded in 1934, a group of investors bought the winery in 1974 and wanted to moved the bulk of the sales and marketing operation to the western side of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
where the majority of the state's population resides. The winery then split up its wine making facilities, bringing the white wine production to Woodinville. This decision was also facilitated by the difficult commute through the mountain passes to Eastern Washington during the winter months, after the grapes have been harvested and the wine needs to be monitored and observed for the development of wine fault
Wine fault
A wine fault or defect is an unpleasant characteristic of a wine often resulting from poor winemaking practices or storage conditions, and leading to wine spoilage. Many of the compounds that cause wine faults are already naturally present in wine but at insufficient concentrations to adversely...
s. Today the winery and tasting room host over 200,000 visitors a year.
Notable residents
Woodinville wine country is home to two Masters of wineMaster of Wine
Master of Wine is a qualification issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom...
, Joel Butler and Robert Betz. Within the United States, there are currently only 25 holders of this title. Until his death in 2009, Master of Wine David Lake also contributed to Woodinville wines.
Events
Although many of the individual wineries host a number of events throughout the year, there are two annual events which involve most of the wineries.The Passport to Woodinville event is usually held in April and provides the public with an opportunity to sample many of the area wineries for a single fee. Participants receive a passport filled with labels and information, a glass and a unique opportunity to tour many local wineries which are not regularly open to the public. The 2008 event involved a record 31 wineries.
The Saint Nicholas Day Open House is a similar event typically held during the first weekend in December.