The Best Wineries in the Pacific Northwest

Oregon and Washington are home to some of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest. We have micro producers making as little as ~100 bottles of wine to large, globally-recognized wine brands producing 8 million cases a year (!). And given our region’s strong culture of sustainability and farming, we have a lot of organic and biodynamic wineries too.

My favorite Pacific northwest wineries are the ones that are smaller and focused on giving you a sense of place. They honor the terroir their grapes come from and let you taste the differences the climate imparts on each bottle year to year. I also love a winery that has ambiance. You know what I’m talking about: those rolling vineyard views and plenty of outdoor seating to soak them up.

To help you explore the Pacific Northwest wine regions, I created this list of my absolute favorite wineries. If you love wine just as much as I do, you’re going to want to save this list of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest. Use it as your bucket list to check off as you explore all the amazing wines this area has to offer.

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Best Wineries in the Pacific Northwest

Oregon and Washington are the second and third largest producers of wine in the US behind California. Washington is second with more than 1,000 wineries and 400 vineyards, while Oregon is third with more than 800 wineries and 1,100 vineyards. Together these two Pacific Northwest states have a total of 35 recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)!

So as you can see, we like our wine in the upper left of the US! While there are 35 AVAs, locals refer to the Pacific northwest wine regions based on the town or county with the highest concentration of wineries. I’ve been to them all and wrote thorough winery guides for each. But just like all parents have a favorite child (wait, what?), I too have a list of what I consider the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest.

Here are my top picks! If you are interested in exploring the region more, click through each of my wine region guides to find more of my favorite wineries in the area. I’ll continue to update this as I find more of the best Pacific Northwest wineries and explore nearby wine regions, like Idaho and British Columbia.

Overwhelmed by your options? Let me plan you a custom trip.

Puget Sound, Washington Wine Region

distance from Seattle: 0 minutes – 3 hours | number of wineries: ~20 producing grapes (~300 tasting rooms) | AVAs: Puget Sound

The Puget Sound AVA is the only grape growing region in western Washington. It covers a wide area of land extending from Olympia all the way to the islands off Seattle in the San Juans. This AVA is unique because it’s situated in milder, more temperate climate than the rest of Washington’s growing regions in the eastern part of the state. Therefore, cooler climate grapes like pinot noir, riesling, and the less common white grapes madeleine angevine or siegerrebe are popular here.

Here are my absolute favorite Pacific Northwest wineries in the Puget Sound AVA.

Lopez Island Vineyards

website | address | best for: interesting whites

I tried Lopez Island Vineyards for the first time during a San Juan Island day trip. It’s a super small winery (~1,500 cases per year) on the quietest of the big three San Juan Islands producing seriously good white wines on the oldest vineyard on the islands. It’s one of the best things to do on Lopez Island, so plan a visit here if you’ll be nearby!

It’s siegerrebe is my absolute favorite. White wines can often be either bland or too sweet, but the 2018 version I tasted was super floral (a flavor profile you don’t often see in wines). The property is also super cute. The tasting room is in a wood and stone chalet that looks like it could have been in Game of Thrones. It overlooks their vineyards and has a cute garden on the side where you can taste.

Spoiled Dog Winery

website | address | best for: complex whites

This is one of the best Whidbey Island wineries. The tasting room is a barn with an outdoor patio perfect for soaking in views of their vineyard and the forest surrounding the property. While you can find a fair bit of red wines here, I love the white wines. They’re crisp and interesting without being overly sweet.

Structure Cellars

website | address | best for: structured reds

Structure doesn’t grow its own grapes and it’s inside a warehouse, but this is hands down one of the best Seattle urban wineries. Winemaker Brian was a “vodka guy” his whole life, but when his wife Brandee introduced him to wine, they started making it in their basement. He now makes around 2,500 cases a year of some of the best red wines I’ve tasted.

Woodinville, Washington Wine Region

distance from Seattle: 30 minutes | number of wineries: ~105 | AVAs: Puget Sound

Woodinville is the most popular wine tasting area near Seattle. It’s separated into 4 districts: Downtown, Hollywood, Warehouse, and West Valley. I have a very thorough guide to the best wineries in Woodinville, but here are my absolute favorites, many of which you can visit on a Seattle area wine tour.

JM Cellars

website | address | best for: beautiful forest oasis

I’d argue JM is one of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest for ambiance. It is nestled on a hill off the beaten path in Woodinville. You get to it by driving up a relatively steep driveway, but then the other side of the hill has a trail that weaves back down through the forest to a little pond. JM has made use of their stunning scenery by hiding little surprises throughout, such as a bocce ball court and hidden seating.

What I also love about this winery is that, despite the luxury-style ambiance, the staff isn’t snooty at all. They’ll take you through a wine tasting assuming you know nothing, which I really love because it reduces the intimidation factor.

Adams Bench

website | address | best for: red wines with serious street cred

Adams Bench is a no-fuss winery owned by a sweet older couple. It’s located off the main drag of the Hollywood District, which makes it feel like one of the last hidden gems in the popular wine tasting area.

The tasting room is located on their property and has a quaint English garden vibe. Inside it’s small, but they’re producing some of the most high quality red wines I’ve had in the area. The price tags are a bit higher as a result. But this is a winery you must try if you’re a serious red wine lover.

aMaurice Cellars

website | address | best for: bold, estate-grown reds

aMaurice is hands down one of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest. There are actually two ways to taste: in the Woodinville tasting room or on their property in Walla Walla. Given how close it is, I often come to their Woodinville, Washington location.

I love how they use artists to change up their labels each year. You know how sometimes you just pull the cutest label off the grocery shelf, but then sorta hate the wine? That won’t happen with aMaurice. Honestly every wine I’ve ever had here is good.

Long Shadows

website | address | best for: pricier wines from some of the best winemakers in the world

A lot of people go to the 8-million-case-per-year producing Chateau Ste. Michelle when they visit Woodinville, but insiders know you can avoid the crowds and get seriously good wine from the same owners at Long Shadows. This winery is unique because the Chateau St. Michelle CEO created a business that actually highlights winemakers from around the world. His team works with these award-winning winemakers to see how they’d produce wine using Pacific northwest grapes.

The result is incredible. You’ll get to try a lot of different styles of wine side by side from winemakers you’d likely never get to taste from otherwise. I also love how geeky the Long Shadows staff are. Every time I go they take me on an adventure of the wine stats in a really un-snooty way.

DeLille Cellars

website | address | best for: top shelf reds

DeLille is another bigger Pacific Northwest winery, producing about 30,000 cases a year. But it’s making some of the best red wines I’ve tried. The winemaker took me behind the scenes once for a barrel tasting and, honestly, even the ones that “weren’t ready” were mind blowing.

Try the D2 Estate Red if you’re able to! It’s big and beautiful, just the way I like my reds.

Yakima Valley, Washington Wine Region

distance from Seattle 2.5 hours | number of wineries: ~120 | AVAs: Ancient Lakes, Naches Heights, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Snipes Mountain, Yakima Valley, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills

A ton of grapes the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest use come from one of the Yakima area AVAs. In fact, this 70-mile wine region has more than 17,000 acres of vineyards producing more than half of Washington State’s wine grapes!

The warm climate provides the optimal growing conditions for producing grapes used in intense wines, such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and similar. So if you’re a big fan of these kinds of wines, you’ll love visiting Yakima Valley wineries.

Frichette Winery

website | address | best for: full-bodied reds

Shae Frichette is the only Black-owned winery in Washington state, and she’s making my favorite wine out of the Yakima Valley. She focuses on Bordeaux-style wines, which means she blends wine made predominantly of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and merlot grape varietals common in the Bordeaux region of France.

All of her grapes are sourced from the Red Mountain AVA, which she turns into about 2,000 cases of yummy wine per year.

Lake Chelan, Washington Wine Region

distance from Seattle 4 hours | number of wineries: ~30 | AVAs: Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan is my favorite regions for Washington wines. It’s nestled around one of the deepest lakes in the US, which makes for picturesque views at most of the area wineries. It’s a great place to and has awesome restaurants.

But what I love most about Chelan is how much of an agriculture town it is. The region is famous for its apples and fruit farms, so it was natural for farmers to turn those farms into vineyards.

The result is a bunch of small, family-owned wineries creating beautiful wines in small batches with no pretentiousness. I have a whole guide to the best Lake Chelan wineries, but below are my absolute favorites.

Hard Row to Hoe

website | address | best for: quirky backstory and tasting room vibe

Hard Row to Hoe produces about 3,000 cases a year and sits up on a hill with picnic tables, ladder golf, and chairs overlooking vineyards. Inside, though, you’ll find a moodier, more dimly lit ambiance not too unlike a brothel.

Why you may ask? Well, the name of their winery comes from a story of how entrepreneurial women created a brothel on a lake that miners would row to for the evening. Your wine tasting attendant will take you through the tail as you sip excellent wines.

Nefarious Cellars

website | address | best for: top-notch reds

Nefarious makes ~2,000 cases annually of wines with a cult following. You’ll find them mentioned in all the wine magazines as the must-go place in Lake Chelan. They usually cite their incredible wines as the reason. But the views aren’t too shabby either. You can enjoy your wine on an Adirondack chair overlooking vineyards sloping down toward the lake.

Walla Walla, Washington Wine Region

distance from Seattle | number of wineries: ~120 | AVAs: Horse Heaven Hills, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Lewis-Clark Valley

Walla Walla Valley is in the southeastern most part of Washington state. It spans both Washington and Oregon and is organized into 5 districts: Downtown, Southside, Westside, Airport, and Eastside districts. You can get a sense of space and view some of my favorites on my map of Walla Walla wineries.

Gramercy Cellars

website | address | best for: Bordeaux-style reds

Gramercy makes award-winning wines with minimal intervention. It was started by Master Sommelier, Greg Harrington, who moved to Seattle from NYC after tasting some Washington state wines. His winemaker and co-owner, Brandon, uses mostly organic grapes, minimalist winemaking techniques (little new oak, no additives, etc.), and prolonged time in barrels to make around 8,000 cases a year of beautiful wines that age well.

The tasting room is a bit off the beaten path in a warehouse-y type part of town. But inside it’s got a vintage vibe with antique rugs, leather couches, and cool white subway tiles.

Woodward Canyon

website | address | best for: award-winning wines

Check any top Washington wineries list and chances are you’ll find Woodward Canyon on it. It’s owned by husband and wife duo, Rick and Darcey, who built a vineyard on a canyon that’s been in the family for multiple generations. It’s actually the second oldest winery in Walla Walla and the couple was instrumental in getting Walla Walla designated as an offical AVA in the 80s.

The winery focuses on premium, age-worthy cabernet sauvignons, Bordeaux-style blends, merlots, and chardonnays. This is one of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest to visit for ambiance. The tasting room is in a small white cottage with an English-style garden in back. You’ll also find a sweet cafe overlooking the garden perfect for lunch during a day of wine tasting.

Columbia Gorge, Washington and Oregon Wine Region

distance from Seattle 3.5 hours | number of wineries: ~25 | AVAs: Columbia Gorge

I love visiting Columbia River Gorge, and one of the big reasons for that is because of the wine scene. The Gorge Wine AVA feels like such a hidden gem. Hardly anyone talks about it, yet it stretches 40 miles along the Columbia River cutting between the Washington and Oregon border.

You’ll find vineyards at both sea level and mountain altitudes. This mixed with the varied climate means you’ll find more than 50 different grape varietals ranging from heavier reds to lighter whites.

Idiot’s Grace

website | address | best for: biodynamic wines

Idiot’s Grace is a true farm. You’ll see cherry orchards upon entering the vineyard, and you’ll continue looking at them while you sip organic wines from the modern tasting room with wall-to-wall windows. You’ll also probably see the farm dog and cat taunting each other at your feet.

I love the laid back atmosphere here and incredible cab franc. They’ll also often have a spread of little nibbles sitting out for you to try. If it’s in season, you can even do u-pick on their farm.

Le Doubblé Troubblé Wine Company

website | address | best for: seriously good pinot noirs

This tiny tasting room in White Salmon is owned by too ski-loving buddies. They decided to pack up from Portland so they could be closer to the Mt. Hood skiing areas, funding their adventure by making wines. You’ll likely see them pouring you tastes of their incredible pinot noir lineup.

Willamette Valley, Oregon Wine Region

distance from Seattle | number of wineries: ~600 | AVAs: Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton, Ribbon Ridge, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, Van Duzer Corridor, Tulatin Hills, Laurelwood District

The Willamette Valley is my favorite wine country in the Pacific Northwest. It’s home to 2/3 of Oregon’s wineries and offers so many more things to do in Oregon wine country besides drink wine.

It spans from about an 35 minutes south of Portland all the way down to the Eugene, OR wineries. You’ll find both wineries and tasting rooms dotting the area, some standalone and others inside retail locations like 5th Street Public Market in Eugene.

The area is split into 6 sub AVAs and is known for producing predominantly pinot noir. But you’ll also find a ton of chardonnay and pinot gris, among other varietals. It was actually in Willamette Valley where I learned I actually like chardonnay, since they tend to make crisp, non-oaked varietals very different than the traditionally buttery and oaky version popular in California.

I have a whole list and map of the best Willamette Valley wineries, but here are the best ones you absolutely can’t miss.

Carlton Winemakers Studio

website | address | best for: multiple micro producers under one roof

I love this winery in Willamette Valley because it’s like your visiting multiple wineries at once. That’s because this is a custom crush facility, meaning super tiny winemakers use their warehouse to make wine so they don’t have to invest in the expensive equipment. You’ll find a ton of wines made by both up-and-coming winemakers, as well as side projects of super popular, award-winning winemakers in Oregon.

J.L. Kiff Vineyard

website | address | best for: beautiful red wines produced by the cutest couple

I am obsessed with Joel and Laurie Kiff. They are the sweet couple behind J.L. Kiff Vineyards who do everything in house. You’ll see Joel farming the grapes with their kids, or maybe singing a song on his guitar while Laurie pours. They’re also the closest vineyard to McMinnville. So it’s a great change of scenery from the warehouse and downtown-style tasting rooms of the nearby town.

Brittan Vineyards

website | address | best for: structured reds

Brittan is in an unassuming warehouse strip located in McMinnville. But it’s owned by Robert Brittan, an OG winemaker with 45 years of experience growing grapes and making wine in both Napa Valley and now Oregon. His focus is on pinot noirs, and this is an awesome spot to wine taste and get some side-by-side comparisons. The staff will take you through the different tasting notes, explaining how the terroir or weather in a specific year changes the same wine style year to year.

The Eyrie Vineyards

website | address | best for: award-winning wines

The Eyrie Vineyards is one of those other spots you’ll often see on lists of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest. That’s because its founder, David Lett, is an OG winemaker in the Willamette Valley. He purchased vineyards back in 1965 on Dundee Hills. And planted the first pinot noir, chardonnay, and “New World” pinot gris grapes in the valley. While they now own 5 vineyards in Dundee Hills, their tasting room is near Brittan in downtown McMinnville.

More Must Try Pacific Northwest Wines

While the above lists out my favorite wineries to visit, there are so many good bottles of wine to try from Pacific Northwest wineries. Some come from the wineries in this list, but others are from other wineries…some that don’t even have tasting rooms! For those, pick up a bottle at the best Seattle wine shops for those days that call for a glass or three on the couch.

• Best Washington state wines
• Best Black-owned wineries in the PNW
• Best Oregon wines

Find a Place to Stay Near Pacific Northwest Wineries

If you’re ready to start drinking your way through the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest, book one of these places for your winery tour!

• Best Washington Wine Country Hotels
• Unique Hotels in Washington
• Glamping in Oregon Wine Country
• Cool Places to Stay in Seattle
• Boutique Hotels in Eugene, OR