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VineLines Dispatch updates moves in Woodinville Wine Country

By on August 3, 2020

WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Continuing our roundup of openings of new wineries and tasting rooms, here’s the latest report by resident photojournalist Richard Duval on activities in and around Woodinville Wine Country.  

In addition to the column, Duval continues to slowly and carefully venture into Northwest wine communities to provide signature images to help document our ever-expanding industry. Watch for him with Washington State University face mask firmly in place.

New to Woodinville

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Julie Baker Cedergreen now presents the food-friendly Cedergreen Cellars lineup in the Artisan Hill district of Woodinville, just off 142nd Avenue NE and near DiStefano Winery, (Richard Duval Images)

Cedergreen Cellars has moved from its Kirkland origin to a new home in the Woodinville Warehouse District’s Artisan Hill section. Kevin and Julie Cedergreen energetically embrace New World techniques to craft food-friendly wines that reflect Kevin’s winemaking experience in Washington and New Zealand. This summer, the Cedergreen 2017 Gamay Noir earned a gold medal at the Cascadia International Wine Competition.

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Mari Womack worked at Obelisco Estate, Bear Winery and Darby Winery prior to opening Damsel Cellars, which is next to Callan Cellars. (Richard Duval Images)

Staying in the Artisan Hill section, boutique winery Damsel Cellars has moved about 40 feet to an expanded space that gives owner/winemaker Mari Womack a bigger space to produce and pour. She’s long made her reputation specializing in Syrah and Rhône blends sourced from a variety of Washington vineyards.

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Outdoors enthusiast Stephanie Jones, winemaker/co-owner of Glacier View Cellars in Woodinville, pays homage to some of her favorite hikes via names on Trailhead Series bottlings. (Richard Duval Images)

Next door and newly installed is Glacier View Cellars, owned by business partners Stephanie Jones and Shawn Horton. Per the wine labels, the room décor reflects winemaker Jones’s passion for extensive and challenging hikes throughout the Cascades. (A relief map covers an entire wall.) She notes with pride that she crafts “vegetarian wines” – free of any animal by-products.

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Isaac Schmid points to his years at acclaimed restaurants such as Daniel’s Broiler and Palomino for sparking his interest in wine. (Richard Duval Images)

Across the road and new to the Warehouse District is Synne Cellars, owned by food industry veteran Issac Schmid, a 10-year winemaker who finally settled on a home for his label. Synne is taken from a Scandinavian word meaning “gift of the Sun.” Schmid brings his years as sommelier to bear on his approach to Washington wines.

A collective vault into Maltby

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The Vault in Maltby went from construction in 2019 to full occupancy by spring 2020. (Richard Duval Images)

A few miles north of Woodinville is The Vault – a collective of three buildings that now house five longtime wineries – JM Cellars, Guardian Cellars, Gorman Winery, sister wineries Covington Cellars/ Two Vintners – and a youngster in Laterus Winery. Built to their specifications in Maltby, all the wineries shifted production from Woodinville and opened tasting rooms in their new digs. 

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The JM Cellars tasting room at The Vault in Maltby provides ample space for customers. (Richard Duval Images)

Winemaker/owner John Bigelow will maintain JM Cellars’ bucolic Bramble Bump tasting room and garden on the hill overlooking Chateau Ste. Michelle, however its popularity outgrew its space. Hence the move to Maltby and a bigger tasting room that incorporates production space and the crush pad for additional seating in these social distance days. 

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Jerry Riener and guests at Guardian Cellars learn about the winemaking process while tasting on the production floor at The Vault. (Richard Duval Images)

It’s a similar story for the other wineries. Jerry Riener’s Guardian Cellars remains in Hollywood Hills, a few feet from the music-decked tasting room at Gorman Winery. Each winemaker found the larger space and newer digs more conducive to growth than their smaller spaces in the Warehouse District, hence the move to Maltby.

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Morgan Lee, a graduate of Purdue University and alum of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, keeps it casual for Covington Cellars and Two Vintners at The Vault in Maltby. (Richard Duval Images)

Morgan Lee continues to operate Covington Cellars and Two Vintners in the Artisan Hill neighborhood of Woodinville, but he will handle production and events in the new larger space at The Vault.

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Tyler Farnsworth of Laterus Winery grew up in Snohomish and began working at JM Cellars within a year of received a degree in horticulture from Washington State University in 2009. (Richard Duval Images)

Tyler Farnsworth continues as the JM Cellars assistant winemaker, which serves him well with his own boutique winery Laterus Winery – the new kid on the block. A loyal Washington State University alum, he honed his craft at the Prosser research station and a stint at DiStefano Winery in Woodinville.

That’s a wrap on Woodinville for now. The next VineLines Dispatch will update Seattle’s urban landscape and the booming Vancouver USA wine scene. Cheers!

  • Send your wine industry news items to rduval@vinelines.com and help keep our readers (and us) up to date on the latest happenings in the Great Northwest Wine community.

About Richard Duval

Contributing wine photojournalist Richard Duval captures vivid wine imagery for Great Northwest Wine, Wine Press Northwest and other regional and national wine media. His images are found in wine marketing guides throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho and used by a growing number of wineries in the Pacific Northwest. From his studio in Woodinville, Wash., Richard creates bottle shots and captures the occasional portrait of wine personalities. His “Art from the Vine” fine art exhibit has been displayed in restaurants, hotels, wineries and wine centers throughout the region. He markets wine work, which includes a line of personal greeting cards, online via WinePix — http://www.winepix.net.

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