It’s Official: Harvest Begins in Woodinville Today

Woodinville wineries will begin receiving their first grapes of the season today from Eastern Washington vineyards marking the official start to the 2012 harvest in Woodinville. 

“This is when the wineries rock and roll,” said Mike Stevens of Brian Carter Cellars and Woodinville Wine Country president. “It’s all hands on deck. You can feel the energy the minute you walk into a winery crushing grapes, and the delicious, heady aroma of the fruit is something any wine enthusiast shouldn’t miss.”

, , and will be among the first Woodinville wineries to receive the first white grapes of the season today. “Columbia Valley growing conditions have been picture perfect this summer, and winemakers can’t wait to get their hands on these grapes,” said Stevens.

With almost 100 wineries and tasting rooms in Woodinville, consumers will have plenty of opportunity to experience harvest for themselves. Many Woodinville wineries offer weekend visitors the opportunity to taste tank samples as the grape juice ferments or sample whole grapes in the tasting room. Some wineries, like , are designed to showcase the winemaking process giving visitors an opportunity to see the crusher-destemmer at work as well as survey the cellar crew working the fermentation tanks.

In the north end of town, Woodinville’s Warehouse district is home to almost 40 wineries where weekend visitors are as likely to meet the winemaker as they are to be offered an opportunity to tour these boutique wineries’ winemaking operations.

More information on visiting is available at woodinvillewinecountry.com or on Facebook/WoodinvilleWineCountry.