Woodinville Warehouse Wine District Top 3 Vinters
The Woodinville Warehouse Wine District boasts some of the most unique wines in the world. According to King David, “Wine maketh glad the heart of man.” Wine has been around for thousands of years. It’s been used as a healing medicine for the stomach, and to bless ancient dignitaries and kings. But wait a second, aren’t we all kings and queens? Of course we are! That’s why we should all drink and be merry! And for all those visiting the warehouse district of Woodinville, we’ve compiled a list of the top three Woodinville warehouse district wine vinters that you must check out when visiting Seattle.
Keep in mind, official “tasting rooms” in the Warehouse District are slightly different from the warehouse shops set up by wineries from the eastern part of Washington. In other words, it doesn’t have to be an official “tasting room” for you to try and buy, some amazing wines. You almost need a college degree to understand all the differences of the Seattle wineries. It can be confusing!
Eastern Vineyards Bring Their Wines Closer to Seattle
The French made wine popular around the world, but the United States learned how to produce superb wines too. California’s Napa Valley started the trend years ago, but fast forward to 2019 and Washington State’s wine country is exploding. Washington State ranks second in total wine production in the USA, just behind California. With that explosion it’s difficult to know the difference between outstanding Seattle wine, and mediocre.
But where can you try all the most-awesome wines from the State of Washington? Woodinville, that’s where. More specifically, Woodinville; to further explain, Woodinville is broken down into four areas known as “districts”. Each one is unique and worth visiting. Today, we’ll be discussing The Warehouse District. Did you know that there’s over 100 wineries within the warehouse district? That’s why we decided to highlight…
The top three Woodinville warehouse district vinters.
Before we get started, it’s important to understand the four distinct districts of Woodinville’s Wineries.
- The Hollywood District: The Hollywood district is probably most famous for Chateau Ste. Michelle, Seattle’s first winery. This is probably one of the most-popular sections for Woodinville wine enthusiasts, but it’s soon being outranked by the more gritty, Seattle grunge area known as “The Warehouse District. (Hold your horses, we’ll get to that.)
- The West Valley District: The West Valley is a smaller, more low-key vibe for those seeking to spend more time with wine makers and the beautiful liquid they craft. It’s nestled along the west side of the Sammamish River and there’s plenty of restaurants to fuel your body while you journey through this quaint little area.
- The Downtown District: Downtown Woodinville is beautiful, and small. You’ll find various wineries and tasting rooms there as well as a plethora of local eateries. This means that you can park your vehicle and hit all the highlights that you want to see on foot. Don’t forget to check out Molbak’s Garden + Home. It rocks!
- The Warehouse District: Alas, The Warehouse District of Woodinville. In 2010, there were only eight wineries. Now there’s over 100. This means that there’s no possible way to taste all of those goods wines. That’s why we did it for you and break down the highlights. You’re welcome.
How We Decided to What Wineries to Include in Our Woodinville Warehouse List
There’s no easy way to decide what wineries to include in our top three Woodinville warehouse wine district tasting rooms list. Seriously. Full disclosure, wineries don’t support us. We do not have a partnership with any local Seattle wineries in any way; therefore, our evaluations are completely unbiased. The information presented here is secondary marketing research.
We chose to highlight some of the more obscure, but not completely obscure, wineries that have set up shop in the Warehouse Wine District. Many of our readers probably know that the main wine regions of Washington are located on the east side of the Cascade Mountain Range; thus, the only way for these wineries to showcase their product was to set up shop somewhere close to the closest metropolis, which is Seattle.
The larger wineries already have a stronghold in the sector, so it’s our hope that you will explore your taste buds in a way that supports the local economy, yet yields to the hard work of some of the smaller businesses and vineyards. Since we’re not here to give you a history lesson about wine, without further ado,here’s the skinny on the top three (3) Woodinville warehouse wine district tasting rooms.
Long Shadows Distinguished Wineries and Vineyards
Allen Shoup is the founder of Long Shadows Winery and has a long, tenured history in the greater Seattle area. There’s a ton of information about Allen on the web. He has influenced the entire wine industry in Seattle. No offense Allen, but we’re here to discuss your wines, not you. Allen’s wines are magnificent. Allen places a huge significance on the vineyard. Of course, every wine maker should care about his/her vineyard, but Mr. Shoup understands it, from the ground up.
His lands are blessed with rolling hills and “benches” next to the Columbia River. He has the ability to terrace each varietal of grape, matching each corresponding grape to its relative “bench” altitude. He plants his whites near the top, and sources his Pedestal Merlot fruits from nearby Conner Lee lands. According to his website, there are 27 benches in total. Allen has partnerships with other growers in the Columbia River Valley, which make up parts of the AVA regions in the United States.
It’s because of his care, and supreme mastery of growing which landed him on our Woodinville, warehouse wine district top three tasting rooms. When you’re in the Warehouse District. You’ve got to check out Long Shadows.
Mark Ryan Winery
The thing that makes Mark cool is that he’s self-taught. Some other Woodinville vinters were former marketers and businessmen/women that learned how to partner with the right people and get on the “wine map” in Seattle. Mr. Ryan is different. Some of his first grapes crushed, were in a garage. Mark is authentic and it makes people fall in love with his personality and his wine.
Mark’s hit is probably the Dead Horse. It’s a red blend. If you’re a puro then look the other way. On the other hand, if you love reds crafted by a master wine blender then your taste buds are going to thank you.
Alise Roberts and her sister do an outstanding job of sharing some tasting notes in one of their latest videos about Woodinville, and the Mark Ryan Winery. Alise walks you through the winery in the Warehouse District and shares with her audience (that’s you), some lovely insight into why Mark Ryan’s Winery is one of the best vinters in Washington. It’s worth a view!
Guardian Cellars
Guardian Cellars could be considered more “mainstream” in it’s approach to marketing, bottling and flavor profiles. But their story is unique (as most wine companies). They have maintained their sense of passion throughout, which allows them the opportunities to share their wine and story with the world. Spoiler alert: a cop and a crime reporter fall in love at a crime scene.
One of their most-delicious wines is the “Gun Metal“. It’s a bold red blend, with 4% petite verdot, and the rest cab sav and merlot. There’s only 600 cases so it will most-likely sell out quickly because it’s release date was in April, 2019.
They also have a cool wine club that caters to those looking for more exclusive wines that come out of the AVA regions in Washington State.
Now you have the top three wineries in the Woodinville warehouse wine district. But the question is, what are you going to do with your newfound knowledge? Go try some wine of course. Cheers!