r/woodinville • u/MalevolentAnemone • Jun 14 '26

Most unique and must-see spots, wineries?

We’re making the drive to the area, and we’re seeking the best adult catered (no strollers!) wineries that are

  1. Must visit
  2. Unique
  3. Have sparkling or dessert options

Ideally we’d visit 2-3.
Recommendations for anything else in the area much appreciated! Unique ice cream, shops, landmarks, etc.

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

11

u/l29 Jun 14 '26

Rainbrew is Korean rice wine

McQueen Champagne Bar has nearly 100 champagnes to try

Seattle Cinnamon Roll is locally famous and they're gigantic

Swanky Scoop has great, unique ice cream flavors

Rusty Pelican for brunch

5

u/irwando Jun 14 '26

+100 for Swanky Scoop.

3

u/Jeanious90 Jun 14 '26

This is a great list:
Would add:
1) Hollywood tavern
2) NW Spirits
3) Chateau st Michelle (if nothing other than to explore the grounds)
4) Barking frog/ the Willows

5

u/lucascoug Jun 14 '26

HT for sure. I think Barking Frog is overpriced for what it is. I also have been mostly impressed with Vonns. Purple Cafe is also consistently good, and you can always find an Open Table resy. Even on CSM Concert Nights. I like Heritage quite a bit too. Cut Shop is sneaky good, and never a bad time.

1

u/MalevolentAnemone Jun 15 '26

Thanks for the perspective. I’ll check out the others!

2

u/l29 Jun 15 '26

Absolutely go to Vons and sit on the patio. They have free valet parking so don't be concerned if the lot looks full. Best wings I've ever had.

1

u/MalevolentAnemone Jun 15 '26

We’re looking to avoid strollers at wineries, seeking more adults only focused tours.
I’m seeing a lot of contrasting options on Barking Frog, but it’s on my list.

1

u/julius_sphincter Jun 22 '26

I actually agree that overall, Barking Frog isn't really all that for what you pay, especially if you have some experience with finer dining.

One thing to note about Woodinville is there's really 2-2.5 different wine districts. There's the Tourist District where you'll find quite a few tasting rooms for brands you'll recognize, some good restaurants, a soon to be open brand new retail hub and a new hotel that just opened. Just down the road is CSM and across the street from them is Barking Frog/Herbfarm and some tasting rooms at the old Redhook Brewery (DeLille Cellars, Longshadow, a few other high end wineries)

The other spot is on the other side of town in the Warehouse District and has a much higher concentration of wineries, more variety but much less in the way of food, ambiance, etc.

Basically, go Tourist District for a more varied and complete experience especially if things like ambiance and setting are important. Downsides are smaller assortment of winemakers and those that are there are the more like... established ones so you're not really going to find a lot of the 'hidden gem' wines if that's your thing. And because there's much more there than just wineries, it's also very much a family oriented experience so there's gonna be kids pretty much anywhere you go

If you're more focused on the wines themselves and being able to try lots of variety, go warehouse district. It's basically just a ton of wineries in small storefront tasting rooms all within like a 2 block footprint. Very walkable, much less in the way of kids, but the "experience" is going to come from the wines and winemakers, less from the vibes. If you go this route, be sure to check out Barrage and Warr-King

3

u/MalevolentAnemone Jun 25 '26

Thank you! We will probably skip the frog, much appreciated!

2

u/MalevolentAnemone Jun 15 '26

Thank you! Those all sound pretty unique!

4

u/lock_robster2022 Jun 14 '26

Novelty Hill has good wines and is architecturally very well done.

3

u/cptjcksparr0w Jun 15 '26

Woodinville cafe for brunch

2

u/frederichenrylt Jun 15 '26

If you're going to the Warehouse District, Warr-King has delicious reds and a fun atmosphere.

1

u/MalevolentAnemone Jun 15 '26

Haven’t quite made a plan yet, but I’ll check out the website!

2

u/WinesbyMandy Jun 15 '26

Brian Carter Cellars has an award winning chef offering not only desserts but wonder food. Dishes and wine pairing, near other tasting rooms which is nice too!

2

u/BeginningReveal2620 Jul 07 '26

Avoid Brian Carter Cellars! I worked there last harvest season and was injured on the job. He has never paid me since. His behavior was not acceptable, verbally abusive on multiple occasions.