Whidbey Island Wineries You Don't Want to Miss

Whidbey Island wineries are some of my favorite to visit thanks to their proximity to Seattle. Every year my girlfriends and I have a ladies wine weekend around the Pacific Northwest. We try to switch it up, but we’ve been back to Whidbey a few times now because we love how convenient it is.

If you love wine, Whidbey Island wineries are a must visit to get a sense of wines made with grapes grown in western Washington. Here’s a breakdown of the wineries and tasting rooms you’ll find on the island, as well as my favorites to visit.

Whidbey Island Wineries

There are about a dozen wineries and tasting rooms on Whidbey Island, one of 10 popular islands off Seattle. Those that grow their own grapes are part of the Puget Sound AVA, the only wine growing region to the west of the Cascade Mountains. You’ll find some of the best wineries in the Pacific Northwest, on Whidbey Island growing unique white grape varietals you likely won’t find in other parts of the US.

Spoiled Dog Winery

website | directions | best for: interesting whites and pinot noir

This winery in Whidbey Island feels like such a hidden gem. It’s set back off the road and has a quaint outdoor patio perfect for enjoying some wine tastes.

The small-production winery was founded in 2003 by Jack and Karen Krug. Karen loves pinot noir and, undeterred by Whidbey’s mild climate, researched which clones of her favorite grape would do well on the island. She succeeded and now makes a few different pinot noirs worth tasting.

I also really love their white wines. I find that grapes grown in Western Washington produce white wines with flavor profiles I’ve never had before, particularly in the floral spectrum. If you haven’t had varietals like Siegerrebe or Madeleine Angevine, definitely try it at this boutique winery!

Dancing Fish Vineyards

website | directions | best for: ambiance

Owners Brad and Nancy retired and created Dancing Fish Vineyards to fulfill their love of entertaining. The grounds are the absolute coolest out of all of the Whidbey Island wineries, which makes it a popular wedding and event destination as well. On the property you’ll fine vineyards, bocce ball, seating scattered throughout, and bar seating on a hill looking out over the grounds.

Dancing Fish grows 1,000 vines of four primary cool-climate grape varietals. However, they also work with small Washington winemakers using eastern Washington grapes to round out their offering. So if you enjoy deeper, more full-bodied reds, you’ll want to add Dancing Fish Vineyards to your list.

Holmes Harbor Cellars

website | directions | best for: kid-friendliness

Holmes Harbor Cellars was the best winery stop for my nieces the last time we were on Whidbey. The tasting room assistant gave them fruit snacks and there are bunnies all over the property. If you have little ones, they’ll enjoy exploring as you kick back some wine tastes on one of the benches scattered around the tasting room.

Greg and Thresa Martinez live on the property with their son, Michael, and dogs. They released their first wines in 2008, focusing mostly on red varietals using grapes grown in Yakima Valley. If you’re more of a red wine drinker, this winery will be right up your alley!

Ott & Hunter Wines

website | directions | best for: convenient location

Ott & Hunter Wines has a tasting room right in downtown Langley, making it a convenient stop for wine tasting on Whidbey Island. Chris Hunter makes wine for his in-laws David Ott and Diane Kaufman, focusing mostly on red Rhône varieties using grapes from eastern Washington.

While they aren’t organic, Ott & Hunter focuses on sustainability. They use minimal filtration and sulfite additions to help preserve the wine’s structure. Their building is also designed to optimize its solar exposure, which is then transferred to the passive-solar heated fermentation room. The bottles are even made with lighter weight glass, which takes less resources and energy to produce.

Comforts of Whidbey

website | directions | best for: ambiance and accommodations

Comforts of Whidbey is another winery on Whidbey Island with great ambiance. Its a 22-acre farm, bed and breakfast, and tasting room with water views. Owners Carl and Rita bought the land back in 2006 and now have close to 6,000 grapevines planted on the property. You’ll find uncommon varietals like Siegerrebe, Madeleine Angevine, Madeleine Sylvaner, and pinot noir. While they also produce reds using grapes grown in eastern Washington, I encourage you to try their estate grown white wines!

Blooms Winery

website | directions | best for: award-winning wines

Ken and Virginia began making wine in 1998 and opened their Whidbey Island winery in 2003. They make award-winning wines using grapes from both their estate vineyards in the Rattlesnake Hills of Yakima Valley and grapes grown right on Whidbey. You’ll also find Ambrosia wine, a wine made from their farm-grown rhubarb!

Whidbey Island tasting rooms

These wine bars and wine shops make an excellent stop for tasting from a bunch of different wineries under one roof.

Greenbank Farm Wine Shop

website | directions | best for: loganberry wine

Hollie Swanson now owns the Greenbank Farm Wine Shop, but before that it was purchased by the Port of Coupeville from one of the most popular Woodinville wineries, Chateau Ste. Michelle. Now she offers beverages from local wineries and cideries, as well as small organic and biodynamic wineries. She also offers fruit wines, like a loganberry wine!

Village Wine Shop

website | directions | best for: Washington wines

Owners Nina and Ric typically offer a curated list of wines from small producers making some of the best Washington state wines.

Vail Wine Shop

website | directions | best for: rare Washington wines

Vail Wine Shop is located right in downtown Coupeville. Here you’ll find a variety of exclusive and hard-to-find Washington state wines.

Bayleaf

website | directions | best for: foodie souvenirs

Owner Beth offers wine tastings at her deli and convenience store in Coupeville. Food lovers will enjoy browsing the artisan goods while sampling some of her favorite wines.

Suggested Whidbey Island wineries itinerary

If I only had one day of wine tasting on Whidbey Island, this is how I’d spend it. It assumes you start in Langley, but if you’re starting from the north of the island you can do this wine tasting tour backwards.

Start at Comforts of Whidbey
Head to Spoiled Dog Winery
The head at Dancing Fish Vineyards
End at Holmes Harbor Cellars

Map of wineries on Whidbey Island

Here is my map of things to do on Whidbey Island. Hopefully it gives you a sense of where the wineries are around Whidbey Island, as well as ideas for restaurants and activities nearby.