As the weather warms up, many acclaimed local wineries open their decks and terraces and begin pouring sips of their latest releases, making spring an ideal time to go wine tasting.
SEATTLE
You’ll find more than two-dozen tasting rooms throughout the Emerald City, from small boutique makers bottling highly sought-after vino in their home garages to well-established larger vintners from across the state. Several renowned tasting rooms are clustered together at the SODO Urbanworks complex, including Sleight of Hand (3861 First Ave S), which has a fun, unpretentious space decked out with Jimi Hendrix and Pearl Jam posters and other music memorabilia—it often features a DJ or live performances. At Nine Hats Wines (3861 First Ave S) there’s a front patio where you can pair your favorite wines with gourmet pizza from neighboring Nine Pies (3861 First Ave S). In a warmly inviting tasting room in a historic Pioneer Square building with high brick walls and a tree-shaded sidewalk terrace, Locus Wines (307 Occidental Ave S) offers an enticing selection of tapas, from Turkish meze plates to lamb-and-turkey meatballs.
Georgetown is another hub of Seattle winemaking. Pull up a seat by the patio firepit at Tinte Cellars (5951 Airport Way S), or relax at one of the tables made from old wine barrels at Cascade Cliffs (6006 12th Ave S). Nearby House of Smith Jet City (1136 S Albro Pl) has a handsome timber-paneled tasting room overlooking Boeing Field—watch planes come and go while sampling sublime Syrahs and Rieslings. A few minutes away in South Park, Princess & Bear Wines (309 S Cloverdale St) pours exceptional, reasonably priced, small-batch wines that the owners import from France’s famed Languedoc-Roussillon region. The plant-filled modern industrial tasting room and patio are a delight.
Courtesy Nine Hats Wines
Courtesy DeLille Cellars
WOODINVILLE
It’s an easy 25-minute drive northeast of downtown Seattle to reach Woodinville, a winemaking mecca boasting more than 130 tasting rooms and wineries. An excellent place to start is the glorious estate of Chateau Ste. Michelle (14111 NE 145th St), with 87 acres of neatly manicured grounds that are perfect for alfresco dining—you can book a picnic in the fragrant rose garden, complete with wine and a curated selection of gourmet snacks.
In a sleek, contemporary space with garden-side heated tasting areas, Novelty Hill-Januik (14710 Redmond–Woodinville Rd NE) pours first-rate wines, and Friday through Sunday you can feast on thin-crust pizzas with fresh seasonal toppings. DeLille Cellars (14300 NE 145th St) serves award-winning Bordeaux and Rhône-style wines at its superb restaurant and airy tasting rooms in a beautifully converted former brewery. Nearby, amid the dozens of wineries in the lively Hollywood District, Maryhill Tasting Room & Bistro (14810 NE 145th St) occupies a charmingly restored former schoolhouse, and Patterson Cellars (14505 148th Ave NE) offers tastings on the cheerful patio it shares with popular Vivi Pizza.
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