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You are here: Home / Seasonal / Getaways / Guide to Washington State Wine Growing Regions
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Guide to Washington State Wine Growing Regions

POSTED BY
Carole Cancler

While Washington State’s first wine grapes were planted in 1825, the first commercial plantings did not begin until the 1960’s and major production not until the 1970s. Forty years later, Washington is the second largest premium wine producer in the United States behind California.

Wine growing regions around Washington State

Washington State has 14 wine growing areas or American Viticultural Areas (AVA), as defined by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Washington State AVAs are:

Puget Sound AVA is the only AVA in western Washington (west of the Cascade Mountains). Only 1% of the state’s wine grapes are grown here, as the marine climate is not well-suited to growing grapes. However, many of the wineries in western Washington source their grapes in the Columbia Valley. Likewise, many of the vintners in eastern Washington have tasting rooms in the Puget Sound region.

Columbia Valley AVA is the state’s largest AVA and encompasses 10 smaller AVAs, listed below. The AVAs in eastern Washington State grow 99% of Washington’s wine grapes—and more than any other state except California. The macro appellation of the Columbia Valley encompasses the following smaller AVAs listed below.

  • Ancient Lakes
  • Horse Heaven Hills
  • Lake Chelan
  • Naches Heights
  • Rattlesnake Hills
  • Red Mountain
  • Snipes Mountain
  • Wahluke Slope
  • Walla Walla Valley
  • Yakima Valley

Columbia Gorge AVA begins at the western edge of the Columbia Valley AVA and straddles both sides of the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.

Lewis-Clark Valley AVA begins at the eastern edge of the Columbia Valley AVA and straddles across the border into Idaho.

For further exploration of Washington State wine growing regions, see this Interactive map of Washington State AVAs.

Several other unofficial AVAs are developing, including Southwest Washington (from Olympic to Vancouver), North Central Washington (north of Lake Chelan to the Canadian border), and around the city of Spokane in the far eastern part of Washington State.

Touring the wine regions of Central and Eastern Washington

Virtually all Washington State wines are produced from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley region in central and eastern Washington where the climate and soil provide ideal growing conditions. You can taste wines at hundreds of wineries dotted along the rolling hills of the wine growing country.

Listed below are some of our favorites wine tasting areas, in order by distance from Seattle. Or, scroll down for our Wine Tasting Events calendar.

Popular wine touring locations in Central and Eastern Washington

Leavenworth (120 mi. E of Seattle) features more than 20 wineries at tasting rooms around Front Street, featuring wines from Leavenworth as well as around Washington State.

Wenatchee and Chelan (145-180 mi. E of Seattle) offers tasting and events at over 30 wineries, including the nearby towns of Malaga and Rock Island.

Yakima Valley (150-235 mi. SE of Seattle) has over 120 wineries and several AVAs, including Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills, Red mountain, strewn along a drive from the town of Naches to Benton City (map).

Walla Walla Valley (245-275 mi. SE of Seattle) has over 140 wineries along U.S. highway 12 in and around the downtown area.

Get free shipping on Alaska Airlines Taste and Tote program if you are a Mileage Plan member. The program allows one case of wine to travel free when travelling on Alaska Airlines out of the Walla Walla, Tri-Cities/Pasco, or Yakima Airports.

More resources for exploring Washington State Wine

Wines Northwest is a comprehensive guide to Pacific Northwest Wines, including Washington State, as well as Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.

DiscoverWashingtonWine.com provides comprehensive information about Washington State wine regions.

Wine Country Washington provides information about the wine growing region of Eastern Washington from Yakima to Walla, including tours, maps, events, lodging, and restaurants.

Washington State Wine Commission supports Washington state wineries and growers through marketing, education, research, industry news, and events. They promote Washington Wine Month every summer.

You might also like:

Wine tasting in Seattle and around Washington State

Wine tasting events

The following wine tasting events occur throughout Washington State. We focus on wine tasting events that are free or have a ticket price of $15 or less. For other events, visit the resources list above for exploring Washington State wine.

(If no events are listed below, there are no upcoming wine tasting events in our calendar. We usually update the list on a rolling basis throughout the year, and review the regularly occurring events once or twice a year.)

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Getaway: Walla Walla Holiday Barrel Tasting (145 mi. SE of Seattle)

FREE | Multiple locations

Champagne tasting in Bellevue

12:00 pm to 3:00 pm | $30.00 | Seattle Wine Co, 1950 130th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Champagne tasting at Esquin/Mad Wine in Seattle

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Wine tasting in Greenwood

Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Champagne Tasting at Champion Wine Cellar in Seattle

5:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Free Wine tasting in Seattle's SODO

FREE | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Free wine tasting in West Seattle

5:30 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | West Seattle Wine Cellars, 6026 California Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98136

Friday, December 13, 2019

Champagne tasting at Portalis Wine Shop in Seattle

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Portalis Wine Shop, 6754 15th Ave NW, Seattle WA 98117

Wine tasting at Pike Place Market

3:00 pm to 6:00 pm | $5.00 | Pike & Western Wine Shop, Pike Place Market, 1934 Pike Place, Seattle, WA 98101

Champagne Tasting at Champion Wine Cellar in Seattle

5:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Free Wine tasting in Seattle's SODO

FREE | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Wine tasting in Greenwood

Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Free wine tastings Queen Anne and Ravenna

11:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Multiple locations

Free wine tasting at DeLaurenti in Seattle

2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine, 1435 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98101

Free wine tasting on Capitol Hill

3:00 pm to 6:00 pm | FREE | European VIne Selections, 522 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Wine tasting in Greenwood

Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Free Wine tasting in Seattle's SODO

FREE | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Free wine tasting in West Seattle

5:30 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | West Seattle Wine Cellars, 6026 California Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98136

Friday, December 20, 2019

Champagne Tasting at Rain City Wines in Bothell

4:00 pm | Rain City Wines, 10129 Main Street, Bothell WA 98011

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Free Wine tasting in Seattle's SODO

FREE | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Wine tasting in Greenwood

Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Free wine tastings Queen Anne and Ravenna

11:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Multiple locations

Free wine tasting at DeLaurenti in Seattle

2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine, 1435 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98101

Free wine tasting on Capitol Hill

3:00 pm to 6:00 pm | FREE | European VIne Selections, 522 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Free Wine tasting in Seattle's SODO

FREE | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Champagne tasting at The Grape Choice in Kirkland

12:00 pm to 9:00 pm | $3.00 | The Grape Choice, 9 Lakeshore Plaza, Kirkland, WA 98033

Free wine tasting in West Seattle

5:30 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | West Seattle Wine Cellars, 6026 California Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98136

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Free Wine tasting in Seattle's SODO

FREE | Esquin Wine & Spirits (Madwine.com), 2700 4th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Wine tasting in Greenwood

Champion Wine Cellars, 8503 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Sparkling Wine Tasting in Renton

The Wine Alley, 14276 SE 176th Street, Renton, WA 98058

Free wine tastings Queen Anne and Ravenna

11:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Multiple locations

Free wine tasting at DeLaurenti in Seattle

2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine, 1435 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98101

Free wine tasting on Capitol Hill

3:00 pm to 6:00 pm | FREE | European VIne Selections, 522 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

NYE Bubbly tasting in Renton

The Wine Alley, 14276 SE 176th Street, Renton, WA 98058

Friday, January 17, 2020

Getaway: Lake Chelan Winterfest (250 mi. NE)

$5.00 | Chelan, WA

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Getaway: Lake Chelan Winterfest (250 mi. NE)

$5.00 | Chelan, WA

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Getaway: Lake Chelan Winterfest (250 mi. NE)

$5.00 | Chelan, WA

Friday, January 24, 2020

Getaway: Lake Chelan Winterfest (250 mi. NE)

$5.00 | Chelan, WA

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Getaway: Lake Chelan Winterfest (250 mi. NE)

$5.00 | Chelan, WA

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Getaway: Lake Chelan Winterfest (250 mi. NE)

$5.00 | Chelan, WA

Grapevines in the Red Mountain vineyard, Benton County, Washington State - DepositPhotos.com

A row of cabernet sauvignon grapes stretches down a long row in a vineyard on Red Mountain in Washington State DepositPhotos.com

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Posted by Carole Cancler on September 1, 2019 | Updated October 12, 2019 Filed Under: Getaways

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