Seattle’s wine country is a strange and wonderful arrangement. The grapes grow three hours east over the Cascades, in the sun of the Yakima Valley and Red Mountain, but the wineries brought their tasting rooms to the city’s doorstep: Woodinville, thirty minutes north-east, has more than a hundred of them within a few square miles, and two of the state’s most storied producers pour there. Add the island wineries a ferry ride across Puget Sound, and Seattle has wine tasting for every kind of day.
This guide is about the day trip. It gathers the tasting rooms and estates we would send a first-timer to in Woodinville, the two islands you can reach without a car, and the eastern wine country if you have a night to spare, plus where to eat between tastings and where to stay. Washington’s own guides are linked at the end.
Getting There From Seattle
Woodinville is about thirty minutes north-east of downtown by the 520 bridge or Interstate 5 and Highway 522 outside rush hour, twelve minutes from Kirkland and half an hour from Bellevue, and about thirty-five from Sea-Tac up Interstate 405. The tasting rooms split into two districts: the walkable Hollywood District around the Hollywood Schoolhouse, where the big names and the restaurants are, and the Warehouse District three miles north, where small producers pour in working wineries, many of them only on weekends. Sound Transit route 522 reaches Woodinville from downtown, and rideshares cover the last mile.
Bainbridge Island needs no car at all: the ferry from Colman Dock at Pier 52 takes about thirty-five minutes, walk-ons need no reservation, and the Winslow tasting rooms are ten minutes on foot from the dock. Vashon is a twenty-minute ferry from Fauntleroy in West Seattle, or the water taxi from Pier 50, with a tasting room near the north dock.
The Yakima Valley, Prosser and Red Mountain are an honest two and a half to three hours each way over Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 and Interstate 82, which makes them an overnight rather than a day trip, and a driver is essential. Whichever you choose, agree the driver before the first pour and book the reservation-only rooms; most Woodinville rooms take walk-ins on weekdays and fill on Saturdays.
Wine Tours From Seattle
If you would rather leave the driving to someone else, these day trips run from Seattle to Woodinville and the Cascade foothills with winery tastings. Booking is through Viator; the ratings and prices are theirs and can change.
A day in Woodinville, the wine town half an hour from Seattle, with tastings at several wineries.
Check availability on ViatorA day pairing Snoqualmie Falls with Woodinville-area wineries and tastings, from Seattle.
Check availability on ViatorA half day combining Snoqualmie Falls with local winery tastings, from Seattle.
Check availability on ViatorA short in-city tasting of Washington wines paired with Northwest cheese and chocolate.
Check availability on ViatorOur Recommended Wineries Near Seattle
These are the tastings we would point a first-timer to, grouped so you can build a single-area day: Woodinville first, with the Hollywood District names and the Warehouse District producers, then the two islands by ferry, then the eastern wine country for an overnight. Each links through to our full winery guide, and the map plots them all.
Wineries within day-trip range of Seattle · tap a pin for the winery guide. Map data © OpenStreetMap.
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Why Guests Love It: Château Grounds And Gardens, Summer Concerts On The Lawn, Walk-In Tastings
Chateau Ste. Michelle is the winery that put Washington on the map, founded in 1934 and pouring in Woodinville since the 1970s on a 105-acre estate with château-style grounds, formal gardens and a summer concert series on the lawn. It is the natural first stop of a Woodinville day: free tours, walk-in tastings, and the widest range in the district from Riesling to Columbia Valley Cabernet.
Read our full Chateau Ste. Michelle guide →DeLille Cellars
Why Guests Love It: Knowledgeable Hosts, Four Flags Cabernet, Cheese and Charcuterie
Founded in 1992 and one of the wineries that made Woodinville’s name for Bordeaux-style blends; since 2019 the whole operation lives in the converted Old Redhook Brewery in the Hollywood District, with a multi-floor tasting room, a library room and its own restaurant. Standard tastings are $30 for five pours, there is a Saturday winery tour with food pairing, cheese and charcuterie on the menu, and leashed dogs are allowed on the first-floor patio. Open daily to 7pm (8pm Friday and Saturday).
Read our full DeLille Cellars guide →Sparkman Cellars
Why Guests Love It: Fire-Pit Patio, Single-Block Cabernet, Warm Hospitality
Family winery founded in 2004 by Chris and Kelly Sparkman that moved into the former Redhook Brewery site next to DeLille in 2020, with an intimate tasting room, a wraparound 5,000 square foot patio with fire pits and a working production facility behind it. Open daily noon to 5pm; reservations are encouraged to guarantee a table but walk-ins are seated when space allows.
Read our full Sparkman Cellars guide →Long Shadows Vintners (Woodinville Tasting Room)
Why Guests Love It: Epicurean Experience, Big Reds, Attentive Sommeliers
Founded in 2003 by Washington wine pioneer Allen Shoup as a collection of wines each made by an internationally known winemaker, poured in a two-story tasting room beside DeLille in the Hollywood District. Portfolio flights run $30 to $35 (refundable with a minimum purchase), house flatbreads and charcuterie are available, and the $75 Epicurean Experience pairs bites with the wines Friday to Sunday. Reservations strongly encouraged; drop-ins only if the schedule allows.
Read our full Long Shadows Vintners (Woodinville Tasting Room) guide →Novelty Hill-Januik Winery
Why Guests Love It: Modern Architecture, Weekend Pizza Menu, Red Mountain Cabernet
Two wineries under one roof led by Mike Januik, the former Chateau Ste. Michelle head winemaker; the partnership began in 2000 and the Woodinville winery opened in 2007 in a modern building with a large patio. Open daily 11am to 4pm including Mondays, walk-ins for parties of seven or fewer, with cheese boards daily and a weekend small-plates menu (pizzas, mussels, fried chicken sandwich) from Chef Tanner Smith.
Read our full Novelty Hill-Januik Winery guide →Patterson Cellars (Hollywood Hill Tasting Room)
Why Guests Love It: Heated Valley-View Patio, Wine and Chocolate Pairing, Friendly Staff
Winemaker-owner John Patterson started the label in 2000 and opened this Hollywood District room in 2012; it keeps the longest hours in the district (11am to 8pm, 9pm Friday and Saturday) with an enclosed, heated patio looking over the valley. Seated wine-and-pizza, charcuterie or chocolate pairings run $34 to $42, live music Friday and Saturday evenings, happy hour Mondays; reservations recommended but walk-ins taken.
Read our full Patterson Cellars (Hollywood Hill Tasting Room) guide →EFESTE
Why Guests Love It: Riesling, Pizza and Antipasto, Owner Tank Tours
Warehouse District winery opened in 2005 by Daniel Ferrelli with his daughter Angela and son-in-law Kevin Taylor, and the one Visit Seattle tells you to start the day at for Washington Riesling. It is a working winery you taste inside (reviewers get impromptu tank tours from the owner), with a real food menu including pizza and antipasto. $25 for six wines, waived with two bottles; walk-ins welcome, parties of eight or more must book.
Read our full EFESTE guide →Pomum Cellars
Why Guests Love It: Spanish Varietals, Winemaker Presence, Relaxed Weekend Tastings
Warehouse District winery run by Javier Alfonso, who grew up in Spain’s Ribera del Duero, and his wife Shylah; first commercial vintage 2004, and since 2009 the sister label Idilico makes Albarino, Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano, the most Spanish lineup near Seattle. Their Konnowac Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills has old-vine Bordeaux varieties planted as early as 1987. Weekend hours only (Saturday and Sunday noon to 5pm, last pours 4:30pm; Google also lists Friday 3 to 7pm), $20 tasting waived with purchase.
Read our full Pomum Cellars guide →Barrage Cellars
Why Guests Love It: Owner-Poured Tastings, Kid-Friendly, Secret Weapon Syrah
Small family winery in the Warehouse District, founded in 2006, where the owners and winemaker (Bonni and Kevin in reviews) are usually the ones pouring 100 percent varietal wines; reviewers single out the Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Indoor and outdoor seating plus a shuffleboard table, and the owners bring out paper and markers for kids. Open Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5pm, no reservation needed.
Read our full Barrage Cellars guide →Bainbridge Vineyards
Why Guests Love It: Island-Grown Grapes, Draft-Horse Farm, Heated Garden Seating
The island’s original vineyard, planted in 1977 by Gerard and JoAnn Bentryn (first vintage 1982), now a women-led cooperative under grower-winemaker Betsey Wittick with certified organic vines worked with draft horses. Everything is grown on the island: cool-climate Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe, Muller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir you will not find in Woodinville. Outdoor wine garden with heated covered seating, snacks for sale and outside food welcome, leashed dogs outside, horses to visit. Thursday 4 to 8pm, Friday to Sunday 1 to 6pm in summer; walk-ins first come, first served.
Read our full Bainbridge Vineyards guide →Eleven Winery (Winslow Tasting Room)
Why Guests Love It: Walk from the Ferry, Bubbly Rose, Laid-Back Patio
Founded in 2003 by former bike racer Matt Albee and named for the 11-tooth cog, with grapes from eastern Washington made into wine on the island. The Winslow Way room is a 10 minute walk from the ferry, open daily noon to 8pm, walk-in only (too small for reservations), with a patio under a historic Japanese maple, snacks, kids welcome and leashed dogs on the patio. The winery itself on Day Road, 5 miles out, gives half-price tastings if you arrive by bike.
Read our full Eleven Winery (Winslow Tasting Room) guide →Palouse Winery
Why Guests Love It: Near the Ferry Dock, Dog-Friendly Patio, Live Music Weekends
Vashon’s family-run winery, started in 2003 by George and Linda Kirkish and on the island since 2005, making about 1,400 cases a year from Portteus Vineyard fruit in the Rattlesnake Hills, including Viognier, Petit Verdot and Zinfandel. Tastings happen in a converted garage with a driveway patio that looks toward the mountains and a sliver of water; dog-friendly, chalk for kids, live music some weekends. Friday to Sunday noon to 5pm, and it sits at the north end of the island near the Fauntleroy ferry dock.
Read our full Palouse Winery guide →Fidelitas Wines (Red Mountain)
Why Guests Love It: Sweeping Red Mountain Views, Merlot and Cabernet, Modern Tasting Room
Charlie Hoppes launched Fidelitas in 2000 with 375 cases of a Cabernet-Merlot blend and in 2007 bought five acres on Red Mountain, planting three to Cabernet Sauvignon and building a modern tasting room on the rest; the wines have been Red Mountain-designated since the 2005 vintage. The tasting room bills itself as one of the best views in wine country, with a seasonal food menu, $25 tasting waived with any purchase, leashed dogs on the patio and supervised kids welcome. Wednesday to Monday noon to 5pm; reservations strongly encouraged on weekends. There is also a Woodinville outpost at Hollywood Station.
Read our full Fidelitas Wines (Red Mountain) guide →Alexandria Nicole Cellars (Prosser Tasting Room)
Why Guests Love It: Reserve Pairing Experience, Estate Cabernet Franc, Viognier
Founded in 2001 by Jarrod and Ali Boyle around their estate Destiny Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, now 267 planted acres with 22 varieties and about 30,000 cases. The Prosser tasting room takes walk-ins whenever possible (groups over six should call), with Classic or Reserve bar tastings or a seated Wine Pairing Reserve Experience with small bites; last tasting an hour before close. Open daily 11am to 5pm in season (Sunday from noon), reduced to Wednesday to Sunday in fall and winter. The Destiny Ridge vineyard tasting room on Sonova Rd adds yard games and a picnic area among the vines.
Read our full Alexandria Nicole Cellars (Prosser Tasting Room) guide →Two Mountain Winery
Why Guests Love It: Owner-Poured Tastings, Bring-Your-Own Picnic, Dogs and Kids Welcome
A fourth-generation farm in the Rattlesnake Hills (Schmidt Orchards, planted 1951) whose Copeland Vineyard went in during 2000; brothers Matt and Patrick Rawn run it and it is the first Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing certified vineyard in Washington. It is the closest stop in the far cluster (about 2.5 hours from Seattle) and one of the few Yakima Valley rooms open every day from 10am, with owners often behind the bar. Tasting is $10 (waived with two bottles), you can bring your own picnic or buy local cheese and sausage, and kids and dogs are welcome.
Read our full Two Mountain Winery guide →Plan Your Wine Day
Tell us how long you have and what you are after, and we will put together a day from the wineries in this guide, in real driving order, with a route you can open in Google Maps and reminders to book.
Where to Eat
Woodinville’s Hollywood District has two restaurants worth planning a day around, Winslow on Bainbridge has a proper main street, and Prosser has a wine bar built for the road trip. These are the standouts, all well loved by the travellers who review them.
The Hollywood Tavern (Woodinville)
Comfort food and cocktails in a historic tavern building at the heart of the Hollywood District, a short walk from DeLille, Sparkman and Long Shadows.
Barking Frog (Woodinville)
Willows Lodge’s restaurant, a proper sit-down lunch with a deep Washington wine list, steps from the Hollywood District tasting rooms.
Bruciato (Bainbridge Island)
Wood-fired pizza on Winslow Way, between the ferry and Eleven Winery’s tasting room.
Doc's Marina Grill (Bainbridge Island)
Seafood and pub plates on the water at Eagle Harbor, a five minute walk from the ferry.
Wine o'Clock (Prosser)
Bunnell Family Cellar’s wood-fired kitchen in Prosser’s Vintners Village, next door to WIT Cellars and Airfield Estates.
Where to Stay
Seattle itself is the natural base for Woodinville and the islands, but Woodinville has one of the best hotels in the state if you want to walk to the tasting rooms, Bainbridge suits a car-free night, and Richland is the base for Red Mountain.
Willows Lodge (Woodinville)
Lodge with a spa and five acres of gardens on the edge of the Hollywood District; Barking Frog and The Herbfarm are on site and DeLille is a 10 minute walk.
Check availability on Booking.comThe Eagle Harbor Inn (Bainbridge Island)
Small inn in Winslow a few minutes’ walk from the ferry and the Winslow Way tasting rooms. Overall Booking.com score could not be captured from search snippets (couples rate the location 9.5); confirm before publishing.
Check availability on Booking.comThe Lodge at Columbia Point (Prosser)
Riverside hotel in Richland with a pool, restaurant and free bikes, the sensible overnight base for Red Mountain (about 25 minutes) and Prosser.
Check availability on Booking.comWhat to Pack
Seattle’s weather is mild and damp for most of the year, so pack a rain layer outside July and August and comfortable shoes for the walk between Hollywood District rooms and the ferry docks. East of the mountains the Yakima Valley is dry and hot in summer and cold in winter; pack sun protection for Prosser and Red Mountain and a warm layer for the pass.
Bring water for between tastings, a cooler for the bottles you buy, your IDs and confirmations, and cash for the ferry if you are walking on. Most Woodinville tasting fees are waived with a purchase.
Why Seattle Is a Wine Lover's City
Washington is the second-largest wine-producing state in the country, and Seattle is where its wineries chose to meet their public. Chateau Ste. Michelle put the state on the map from Woodinville in the 1970s, DeLille proved Bordeaux blends belonged here, and today more than a hundred producers pour within a few miles of each other, thirty minutes from downtown. Few cities anywhere can offer that density.
Pick one district per day, book the rooms you care about most, and let the rest of the day unfold over a long lunch. That is the whole art of wine tasting from Seattle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you go wine tasting near Seattle?
The main destination is Woodinville, about thirty minutes north-east of downtown, with more than a hundred tasting rooms in the Hollywood and Warehouse districts. Bainbridge and Vashon islands have wineries reachable by ferry, and the Yakima Valley and Red Mountain are two and a half to three hours east.
Is Woodinville worth visiting for wine?
Yes. Woodinville is where most of Washington’s top wineries keep their tasting rooms, so you can taste Red Mountain Cabernet, Walla Walla Syrah and Columbia Valley Riesling in one afternoon without crossing the mountains. The Hollywood District is walkable and the Warehouse District rewards the curious.
Can you visit wineries near Seattle without a car?
Yes. Bainbridge Island’s Winslow tasting rooms are a thirty-five minute walk-on ferry from Colman Dock and ten minutes on foot from the dock, and Woodinville is reachable by Sound Transit route 522 with rideshares between rooms. The Yakima Valley needs a driver.
When is the best time to visit Woodinville wineries?
May to October brings the patios and the summer concerts, and harvest in September and October is the liveliest time. Winter weekends are quieter and most rooms stay open, though many Warehouse District producers pour only at weekends year round.
Do Woodinville wineries take walk-ins?
Most Hollywood District rooms take walk-ins on weekdays and fill on Saturdays, so book the ones you care about most. Several top producers, including DeLille and Long Shadows, prefer reservations, and a few small rooms are members only.
Sources and further reading
- Washington State Wine Commission, State wine body; Taste Washington (March) and Woodinville Wine Pass pages; verified HTTP 200.
- Woodinville Wine Country, Official association; four-district guide, transport page, visitor center at 13590 NE Village Square Dr Suite 1030 (Mon to Sat 11am to 3pm); verified HTTP 200.
- Visit Seattle, Official DMO day-trip page; source of the Efeste, Guardian, Two Vintners and Pomum itinerary; verified HTTP 200.
- WSDOT Ferries, Seattle to Bainbridge schedule; Fauntleroy to Vashon at route=f-v-s; verified HTTP 200.
- Yakima Valley Tourism, Regional DMO; Spring Barrel (late April) and Catch the Crush (October) event pages; verified HTTP 200.