A Winery, a Restaurant and a Brewery: Tasting Your Way through Washington

By Jerri Brooker

The Woodinville, Washington, area is home to three very popular and favorite places for visitors looking for high-class experiences. I invite you to join me on a tour.

Let me begin with Washington’s largest and most well known winery.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery

The tour begins in Woodinville’s Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery located about fifteen miles northeast of Seattle. This famous winery, Washington’s largest, has been around since 1934. Its main draw is its Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tours and an extensive tasting room draw connoisseurs from around the world. During the summer the winery hosts a performing arts series that has included Tony Bennett and Harry Connick, Jr. The winery has a Vintage Reserve Room where you may sample vineyard and library wines by appointment. Regular tours are open 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m. daily and last about 40 minutes.

We’ve been there for a luxury wine tasting and dinner in the summertime. Nothing better! There are vintage reserve club events, wine appreciation classes, other scheduled dinners and a mailing list for concerts available at the site, along with some trivia, some recipes, etc.

This is the mother of Washington wineries. It sits on 87 luscious, wooded acres that were home to Seattle lumber baron Frederick Stimson. Don’t miss it. Or the extensive wine and gift shop.

When you visit the website give it time to load, then go to the upper right to visit the other pages (titles will appear as you run your mouse across the photos) - enjoy your cyber stay if you can't make it in person!

Driving Directions:

Take Interstate 405, then Exit 23 eastbound (State Route 522 towards Monroe and Wenatchee) to the Woodinville exit. Turn right at the exit ramp then go three blocks to NE 175th. Turn right again, cross the railroad tracks, turn left at the stop sign onto Highway 202. Proceed about two miles to the Chateau gates on the right. The address is: 14111 N.E. 145th Street.

If you love gourmet food, the next stop is the place! As noted at the website, this restaurant has been voted one of the best 50 in the United States by Gourmet magazine.

The Herbfarm and Willows Lodge

While in Woodinville you must also visit the Herbfarm Restaurant at 14590 N.E. 145th Street. Also world renowned, it’s in a class by itself. Originally in Fall City, it was plagued with fire and established itself in a new home up north in 1996. It is now The Herbfarm and Willows Lodge where you may not only liven your senses with some of the best natural food in the northwest, but stay in beautiful suites, if you choose, while enjoying the food and the countryside.

Each nine-course, four-and-a-half-hour dinner includes five-or-six paired wines or non-alcoholic drinks if you prefer. This is not a quick in-and-out but a real dining experience. Herbs are grown in the garden and food is prepared with the finest detail. It’s so popular you must reserve months in advance, generally, by calling (206)784-2222 or emailing at Reservations@TheHerbfarm.com. It’s pricey but worth a special occasion.

Driving Directions:

Take Interstate 405 then exit at 20B. Go east on 124th Street. Turn left at 132nd Avenue NE and go 1.3 miles. Turn right at NE 143rd and go down the hill. At the stop sign, go straight ahead past Columbia Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle & Redhook Brewery. Turn left at the Willows Lodge/Herbfarm.

Finally, take a tour of a brewery and taste some of Washington State's finest.

Redhook Brewery

The website says, “Swing Dance at the Brewery at Portsmouth.” Now that doesn’t sound familiar. Oops, wrong brewery. That one’s in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. But the website is the right place. Redhook has breweries not only in Portsmouth but in Seattle and Woodinville, Washington. The Woodinville Brewery, brewing fine microbrews, has been open since 1994.

At 14300 N.E. 145th Street you’ll find live music, banquets and events, along with tours costing $1 per person which include three-to-four samples of beer. The Forecasters Pub is open 11 a.m. to late most evenings and the tours are open Monday-Friday 2-4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1, 3, and 5 p.m. You may get beer in bottles, kegs or ounces. Food is also available in the Forecaster’s Kitchen. Since I haven’t been there I can’t offer any clues, but if the beer is any indication, it must be good.

There’s also an online store. Though they can’t ship beer, it’s available in 49 states and Japan. Take the virtual tour while you’re at it to see how beers are brewed.

Driving Directions:

From 405 take the Wenatchee/Monroe exit #23 East to Highway 522 East. Take the Woodinville exit and stay to the right. Turn right on NE 175th. Go left at the 4-way stop onto Highway 202. Travel approximately 2 miles. The Redhook Brewery is on the left, across the road from Ste. Michelle Winery.

There you have it! These are all located in the Woodinville countryside in close proximity to each other and are worth a day-or-two trip to savor the lush fruits of Washington State.

About the Author:

Jerri's a freelance writer who is published in a Guideposts book (Sharing the Earth, Listening to the Animals), Get Up and Go News Magazine, numerous online sites (gimponthego.com, folksonline.com, fitnessheaven.com, healingwell.com and suite101.com) and in government and other publications (OSHA Job Safety and Health Newsletter, Ecology Today, newspapers, etc.). She was a columnist and feature writer for a weekly paper early in her writing career. She's been writing in one capacity or another for 25 years.

Article courtesy of Suite101.com.