5 Best Sights in Woodinville, Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys

One of Washington's most vaunted producers of Bordeaux-style wines also occupies one of the most impressive tasting rooms in Woodinville, a handsome and spacious facility set inside the town's former Redhook Brewery building. There's a lovely outdoor patio and a lounge with a full dining menu, and the tasting room is also next door to the Willows Lodge and its renowned Herbfarm restaurant. If you're stopping by just to sample vino in the tasting room, you can order lighter snacks—cheese and charcuterie plates, truffle popcorn—to nosh while you sip.

Of Woodinville's four main clusters of wineries, the Hollywood District, named for the historical former schoolhouse that anchors it, is by far the most picturesque and pedestrian-friendly. A good strategy is to park at one of the clusters of tasting rooms just off the traffic circle in the center of this neighborhood, and then hop out and stroll around. More than 40 tasting rooms are within a short walk of one another, along with a handful of restaurants. Some of the state's heavy hitters are here, including Alexandria Nicole, Betz, Cougar Crest, J. Bookwalter, Novelty Hill–Januik, and Pepper Bridge. 

It's not all wine in these parts: this outstanding whiskey maker produces fine spirits from a bourbon recipe that dates back generations. You can tour the beautiful, modern distillery with its towering grain silo and tall windows, sampling the straight bourbon and rye whiskeys that have earned numerous awards. Across the parking lot in the endearingly offbeat Hollywood Tavern, you can sip whiskey cocktails, feast on well-crafted gastropub fare, and—occasionally—listen to live music on the shaded patio.

The state's oldest and largest—it owns several other prominent Washington producers—winemaker is set on a gracious, 118-acre former lumber baron's estate laced with manicured lawns and gardens and anchored by a grandiose, chateau-inspired winery. Guests can book a variety of tastings and tours and sup on light bistro fare such as cured-meat boards and shrimp and grits. In summer, nationally known pop and jazz stars perform in the winery's amphitheater.

Located just northeast of downtown Woodinville and comprising the largest concentration of the town's wineries and tasting rooms, the Warehouse District lacks curb appeal—it's mostly a warren crisscrossed by rows of single-story industrial buildings with garage-door facades and, occasionally, outdoor seating areas. Still, this is where many of the smaller and most innovative vintners in Washington are creating outstanding wines, many with very limited releases. Some standouts are Adrice Wines, Damsel Cellars, Efeste, Obelisco, Patterson Cellars, Quiddity Wines, and Tinte.