If you walk near the Hollywood Schoolhouse or through the Warehouse District on any given Saturday, you’ll see for yourself that Woodinville’s wine industry is booming. New wineries are regularly opening their doors, offering more choices than ever to wine lovers. It’s also worthwhile to take a tour of some of the wineries that have been here for 10, 15 or even 25 years to gain a true appreciation of our wine industry’s vast and deep roots.

First stop is at DeLille Cellars, a truly iconic Washington winery. DeLille celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and is continuing to meet and exceed standards clearly established when it first opened. Now considered a pioneer, DeLille Cellars was the first winery in Washington to focus on creating Bordeaux style wine blend and has earned more than 180 wines scored 90+ (across 25 vintages) from leading publications. In fact, DeLille Cellars was one of the first five wineries in Washington State to receive Robert Parker’s 5-Star/Outstanding rating.

From there, head out to the parking lot behind DeLille and stop into William Church Winery. When it opened its doors in 2005, William Church was one of the original eight warehouse wineries. It now has tasting rooms in both the Hollywood and Warehouse districts where you can taste its award-winning wines. Be sure to try their Viognier, a fan favorite!

A quick walk down the block will lead you to Obelisco Estates, a winery that founded its Washington vineyard in Red Mountain nearly 15-years ago. Like William Church, their first tasting room was in the Warehouse District and they now have a second tasting room in Apple Farm Village near the Hollywood Schoolhouse. Obelisco wines are known for their big reds which are approachable and pair well with food. They credit their bold wines to their distinct vineyard practice of “intensely planted vines,” which allow for very intense fruit concentrations and expressive varietal character in the wine.

Finally, no Woodinville Wine Country history tour would be complete without a trip to the Warehouse District. And few Warehouse Wineries have as much history in Woodinville as Baer Winery. Founded in 2000 by the late Lance Baer (who, at that time was assistant winemaker for DeLille Cellars), Baer Winery grew from 200 cases in 2003 to more than 3,500 cases now. Baer Winery is known for its reds, specializing in artful blending. Their low-key tasting room belies the world-class wines that are consistently produced at their Warehouse facility.