Woodinville wine country

Woodinville wine country is an area of Western Washington situated around the city of Woodinville, near Seattle. Several of the state's notable wineries, such as Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, Novelty Hill Januik, and Silver Lake are located here. While part of the Puget Sound AVA area, the majority of wineries in Woodinville wine country import their grapes from Eastern Washington AVAs like Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley. 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. Woodinville Village, currently under development, will showcase some of the smaller wineries in the area that are not normally open to the public. C. Genna " [http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/08/01/focus9.html Woodinville harnesses marketing machine] " Puget Sound Business Journal July 29, 2005 ]

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 River 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, [ [http://www.columbiawinery.com/winery/default.asp Columbia winery history] ] Columbia Winery opened up across the street. K. Fay " [http://www.novusvinum.com/features/woodinvillewinecountry.html Sideways From Seattle: Exploring the Woodinville Wine Country] " Novus Vinum ]

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 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 faults. Today the winery and tasting room host over 200,000 visitors a year. [ R. Irvine & W. Clore "The Wine Project" pg 360-361 Sketch Publications 1997 ISBN 0-9650834-9-7 ]

Notable residents

Woodinville wine country is home to two Masters of wine, David Lake and Robert Betz. Within the United States, there are currently only 18 holders of this title.

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.

References

ee also

*Washington wine
*Wine tourism
*Redhook Ale Brewery

External links

* [http://www.woodinvillewinecountry.com/wwc.php Woodinville Wine Country]

* [http://seattle.about.com/od/fooddining/p/passportwwc.htm Passport to Woodinville Wine Country]