Winemaker Chris Gorman of Gorman Winery tasting his award-winning Chardonnay
Woodinville: Washington’s Tasting Room Woodinville has become a destination in its own right. Thirty minutes from Seattle, Woodinville has it all: cycling the Sammamish River Trail, enjoying a fantastic dinner at Russell’s Restaurant & Loft or The Herbfarm, or relaxing at one of the renowned summer concerts in the Chateau Ste. Michelle concert series.
It all started nearly forty years ago in 1976, when Chateau Ste. Michelle established Woodinville’s first connection to Washington wine. “It was genius, really. To do that forty years ago, a working winery that wasn’t located near its vineyards — it was new and it was remarkable,” says Ted Baseler, CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle. “If you look at the Willamette Valley, it’s a short drive from Portland. The Napa Valley is forty-five minutes from San Francisco. Woodinville fits a very similar model.” The idea had its early detractors. “I think they thought that we’d
Woodinville wineries have produced seventy-five different wines that have scored ninety points or better by various wine publications.
see maybe fifty thousand visitors the first year and then it would dwindle, yet we see two to three hundred thousand guests each year,” continues Baseler. “Woodinville, like those other two American wine locations, really can serve as the doorway to Washington wine.” Chateau Ste Michelle began with the idea that Woodinville sets the stage to drive interest and appreciation for the wines and wine growing region of Washington. “I really believe that in time, they’ll get out there to experience the vineyards and see where the wine is coming from. I think of it this way: from Woodinville to Walla Walla.” Woodinville has seen tremendous growth in recent years. The state’s industry now boasts over eight hundred wineries, and Woodinville has grown from just a half dozen or so wineries in the 1990’s to more than one hundred wineries and tasting rooms today.
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