woodinville...

i mentioned that we went wine tasting with jamie and ryan and it was our first time to woodinville.  i didn't know what to expect, but it was a gorgeous day with good wine and great company!  we went to 4 different places and i think we were all surprised at what our favorite taste of the day was...

first stop:  jm cellars! 

this felt like a napa style winery without the vineyard.  it had beautiful grounds with trails to walk on and a bocce ball court.  it was $15 for a tasting, which included 2 whites and 3 reds but they threw in a couple more for us to sample.  although i don't think any of us walked away super impressed by their wines, i liked the whites better and the overall experience felt like you were in napa.  so even though the wine was just so so for me, i was happy we stopped there.  there was also a really cute dog that we all fell in love with.

second stop:  chateau ste michelle!

this place is huge and probably washington's best known winery.  they have spring and summer concerts on the lawn, and they have a huge tasting room with a large gift shop.  it was so crowded and felt very commercialized that we ended up leaving without doing a tasting.  good thing i had bought a bottle of their sauvignon blanc from costco and had it in the fridge for when we got home!  this would be best to bring a picnic of your own and a bottle from the grocery store and just enjoy the beautiful garden.

third stop:  redhook brewery!

jarad is not a wine drinker, so he got to enjoy a beer here and we had a late lunch as well.  ryan got their beer sampler and jamie and i just sampled their delicious food!

fourth stop:  woodinville whiskey co.

i was excited for this one, i enjoy whiskey!  it was $10 a tasting and that included 3 tastings of whiskey, 1 vodka and their maple syrup that is aged in whiskey barrels.  i only liked one of the whiskeys, and of course i loved the maple syrup, but i think we would all be in agreement the best tasting we had all day was their vodka.  it had hints of butterscotch and caramel.  ryan bought a bottle and we discovered that it is sold at some of our local liquor stores as well as our trader joes!  unfortunately jamie tried to find it at home in california and it is not available.  the vodka is handmade in washington and is called "peabody jones." 

back of bottle: "northwest legend"