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Woodinville Wine Country to launch wine auction during harvest

By Eric Degerman on September 16, 2015

The DeLille Chateau will serve as the venue for the inaugural WineCraft:Harvest Wine Auction staged Sunday, Oct. 25 by Woodinville Wine Country.

The DeLille Cellars Chateau will serve as the venue for the inaugural WineCraft: Harvest Wine Auction staged Sunday, Oct. 25, by Woodinville Wine Country. (Photo courtesy of Bacchus Capital Management)

WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Woodinville Wine Country has scheduled its new wine auction for an NFL Sunday, but event organizers seemed to keep “The 12s” — fans of the Seattle Seahawks — in mind.

It would explain why the inaugural WineCraft: Harvest Wine Auction at The DeLille Chateau will be 1-4 p.m., Oct. 25. That’s Week 7 in the NFL, but the Seahawks play on Thursday night, Oct. 22, in the Bay Area against the rival 49ers.

The theater-style, Sunday matinee auction will feature new releases, reserves and limited bottlings from more than 15 wineries with a presence in Woodinville and spotlight Baer, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Artist Series, Col Solare, DeLille Cellars, Fidelitas, Gorman, JM Cellars, Lauren Ashton, Patterson Cellars and more.

Two of the Puget Sound’s top restaurants — El Gaucho and The Barking Frog — will provide hors d’oeuvres, and classical guitarist Enrique Henao will perform. A ticket costs $60.

WineCraft: Harvest Wine Auction spotlights Woodinville

The DeLille Chateau, established in 1992, will play host to the inaugural WineCraft:Harvest Wine Auction on Oct. 25. (Photo courtesy of Bacchus Capital Management)

The DeLille Cellars Chateau, established in 1992, will play host to the inaugural WineCraft: Harvest Wine Auction on Oct. 25. (Photo courtesy of Bacchus Capital Management)

WineCraft: Harvest Wine Auction comes two months after the historic Auction of Washington Wines at nearby Chateau Ste. Michelle. And the focus will be on Woodinville, rather than wineries from across the state.

“We are excited to showcase the best of Woodinville and offer an exciting event for wine collectors and aficionados from throughout the Pacific Northwest,” Sandra Lee, executive director for Woodinville Wine Country, said in a news release.

The emergence of Woodinville, a 30-minute drive from downtown Seattle, ranks as one of the most important developments in the Washington wine industry. Chateau Ste. Michelle was the first to arrive in 1976, but there were only 20 wineries in Woodinville as recently as 2004.

The number of wineries and tasting rooms near the Sammamish River has more than doubled in the past five years. Woodinville Wine Country reported 53 wineries in 2010. Last year’s total reached 108.

Woodinville Wine Country now counts 83 members, and more than two dozen of those members operate production facilities east of the Cascades.

The first Eastern Washington winery to establish a tasting room in Woodinville was Alexandria Nicole Cellars in 2006.

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About Eric Degerman

Eric Degerman is the President and CEO of Great Northwest Wine. He is a journalist with more than 30 years of daily newspaper experience and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Andy Perdue and served as its managing editor for a decade. He is a frequent wine judge at international wine competitions throughout North America and orchestrates 10 Northwest competitions each year.