This past weekend, I had the privilege of visiting Woodinville, WA, a city near Seattle that has approximately 70 wineries and 170 tasting rooms! We had so much fun. I’m excited to share my findings with you.
Our Itinerary
In three days, we visited five amazing wineries:
One fantastic whiskey ccmpany:
- Woodinville Whiskey Co. – for people who love whiskey, this is the place to be
And three incredible restaurants:
- Pintxo by Valdemar – pintxo (pronounced pincho) is tapas from the Basque region of Spain
- Purple Cafe & Wine Bar – the best vegan dish I’ve had in a long time!
- Rusty Pelican – a breakfast like you’ve never had before
The Wines
We had so many great wines, including some that weren’t on the tasting menus (the joys of being in the industry). We enjoyed so many of the wines but had to limit ourselves to what we bought:
- Two Rosés – a Zerbe Sangiovese Rosé and a DeLille Rosé that was 46% Grenache, 48% Mourvèdre and 6% Cinsaut. The complexity and depth of the DeLille one was beyond amazing. I don’t think I’ve had a Rosé that great in a long time.
- Zerba Zinfandel – YUM!
- Category 5 Albariño – One of my favorite whites.
- Category 5 Aglianico – Wine Folly tells us that “Aglianico ‘alli-yawn-nico’ is a full-bodied red wine which is found almost exclusively in Southern Italy in the regions of Campania and Basilicata. Young Aglianico wines are known for strikingly savory flavors of leather, white pepper, black fruits and cured meat that when aged, develop soft dusty aromas of dried figs and sun-tanned leather. For those of us who are a fan of rustic, earth-driven wines, Aglianico is a star.”
- Category 5 Zweigelt – I wrote an article about Zweigelt last week.
- Category 5 Barbera – Ready for some good Italian food?
- Chateau St. Michelle Eroica – This dry Riesling is the best I’ve had.
- Chateau St. Michelle Tenet – This Rhone blend was wonderful.
- JM Thirty Six Degree – Another great Rhone blend.
- JM Grenache- Wonderful.
- DeLille Doyenne – This wine, which is a blend of Syrah and Cabernet, was created by the winemaker for his wedding. One spouse loves Syrah and the other loves Cab. The wine is great.
- DeLille Chaleur Blanc – Their take on a White Bordeaux, with 69% Sauvignon Blanc and 31% Sémillon. Normally White Bordeauxs are 18% Sémillon. Having more of this grape makes a big difference.
- De Lille Le Colosse – This is a beautiful Merlot.
Why This Trip Was So Much Fun
It’s always fun to go to wineries, because the people are so friendly, and everybody is in a good mood. I have to say that in Woodinville, the people were even friendlier. I get the sense that wine is so special in this city that people just jump for joy over it. It was such a pleasure to be surrounded by people who love the drink I love.
Everybody was so knowledgeable and so excited to share interesting information about their wineries, their wines and other things they knew. While I liked everybody, I especially liked Ben at DeLille, Hillary, Amber, Jason and Stan at Category 5, and Lisa at Zerba. Thank you so much for showing my how wonderful Woodinville is.
If you have a chance to visit Woodinville, I think you will love it.
