10/18/08

Don't bother

by PeachPuff

Sure, the grounds are beautiful, sure the buildings are nice and there's a nice shop, but the tours are definitely missable. That is, unless you enjoy being called "hon" every thirty seconds by a cloyingly "sweet" tour guide who doesn't seem to know anything about the wine or the grapes beyond what's already posted on the walls or is just common knowledge about wine.

• Pros: Beautiful scenery, impressive shop
• Cons: Incompetant tour guides.

11/21/06

Don't expect to see grapes

by shoebug

It is fun to tour the wine making process, but don't expect the experience you get when you travel to eastern washington or oregon wine countries. This is fun for out of town guests.

06/20/06

The tour of this beautiful facility is such a draw that even locals make repeat visits.

by Contributor

The Scene
The state's second largest winery creates its prized white wines in the heart of the Sammamish River Valley, producing approximately 750,000 cases of wine each year. A tour of "the cellar" includes the bottling room, the production room and the barreling room (where wines are aged in oak barrels, allowing them to achieve various degrees of toastiness). The final stop is the tasting bar, where guests can sample several wines: a fresh and fruity white, a dry white, a red and a dessert wine.

The Experience
Be sure to dress warmly; the cellar temperature ranges from 45 to 55 degrees. Tours begin on the hour and the half-hour. But if you don't want to miss the bottling process in action, call ahead. Bottling usually takes place Monday through Thursday, but the production line is sometimes halted.

08/19/02

Great scenery

by jarmiolowski

The Chateau is a must see for the beautiful grounds and building and for the fish ponds that hold 30 inch rainbow trout! The wine store is more fun than the tour.