Columbia Winery is a

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

winery formerly located in

Woodinville, Washington Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is east of Bothell. Woodinville has waterfront parks on the Sammamish River, a win ...

. The winery is currently owned by

E & J Gallo Winery Gallo is an American wine producer and distributor headquartered in Modesto, California. Previously called E & J Gallo Winery, it was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo of the Gallo family, and is the largest exporter of Califor ...

. The winery was founded in 1962 as Associated Vinters by several former professors at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. In 1979, the winery hired David Lake as head winemaker and under his stewardship, Columbia Winery was the first winery in the state of the Washington to produce

varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

wines of

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

Pinot gris Pinot gris, pinot grigio (, ), or ''Grauburgunder'' is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety, it normally has a pinkish-gray hue, accounting for its name, but th ...

and

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

. In 1983, the winery released wines under its current name. In 1988, the winery moved to its former location in

Woodinville wine country Woodinville wine country is an area of Western Washington situated around the city of Woodinville, approximately 30 minutes to an hour driving time from downtown Seattle (depending on traffic). The area is home to more than 130' wineries and tasti ...

. Due to failing health, David Lake retired from Columbia in 2006. In 2006, Kerry Norton (formerly of Covey Run Winery was hired as Director of Winemaking. In June 2008, Columbia Winery (along with Covey Run Winery and other Constellation Brands wines) were sold by

Constellation Brands Constellation Brands, Inc. is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. A ''Fortune'' 500 company, Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 pe ...

to newly formed Ascentia Wine Estates, which in turn sold Columbia to Gallo in 2012. The Woodinville tasting room closed at the end of 2022.

Vineyards

Columbia Winery harvests grapes from several vineyards in

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...

including: *

Red Willow Vineyard Red Willow Vineyard is a grape-growing estate located in the far western end of Yakima Valley AVA, within the Yakama Indian Reservation. Beginning with their relationship with Columbia Winery and Master of Wine David Lake, grapes from Red Willo ...

Yakima Valley AVA Yakima Valley is the first American Viticultural Area (AVA) established in Washington state on April 3, 1983 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by the Yakima Valley Appellation ...

. At above sea level, this is the highest vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Planted with Cabernet Franc,

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are ...

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

, Syrah, and

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu AOC, Condrieu in the Rhone Valley (wine), Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 754, Oxford Univers ...

. * Otis Vineyard-

Rattlesnake Hills AVA Rattlesnake Hills is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Yakima County, Washington surrounding the Rattlesnake Hills. The appellation is the state's 9th AVA established on March 20, 2006 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade B ...

. First vineyard in Washington state planted with Pinot gris, and home to the oldest currently producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines.Columbia Winer
Otis Vineyard
* Wyckoff Vineyards-Rattlesnake Hills AVA. Planted with

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

References

{{reflist Wineries in Woodinville, Washington American companies established in 1964 Food and drink companies established in 1964

Vineyards

See also

References