Columbia Winery -- MikeL's Guide to WA Wineries

MikeL's Guide to WA Wineries Columbia Winery 14030 N.E. 145th, Woodinville, WA 98072-1248 Phone: 425-488-2776

[Label collection: Beth Schoenberg]

Tours: yes
Tasting room: 10am-6pm daily
Official website: http://www.columbiawinery.com/
email: click to email (winery)
BW-WA-?; bonded 1962?
Owners: Associated Vintners

Click here for map/directions.
Page last updated: 17-Dec-2005, Page generated: 17-Dec-2005


Spirit of WA Wine Train label	Milestone Merlot label	Building sketch	Millenium label {poor image}	1985 Woodburne Chardonnay label	1989 Red Willow Cab. label


cork with URL	1990 Syrah label	1998 Shadow Hill Merlot label	1998 Cabernet Sauvignon label

Newsletters: Dec 2002 (.pdf 1.69Mb), Nov 2002 (.pdf 728Kb), May 2002 (.pdf 43kb), Nov 2001 (.pdf 34kb), Aug 2001 (.pdf 131kb), Mar 2000, Oct 1999, May 1999, Winter 1999, Fall 1998, Spring 1998, Winter 1998, Summer 1997.
(To display the .pdf files, you may download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader from http://www.adobe.com/.)

Production: ? cases
Vineyards: ?

History:
In 1951 Lloyd Woodburne picked up winemaking as a hobby. Dr. Phillip Church, a meteorologist friend of Woodburne did extensive weather pattern and grape variety research, and they convinced a group of winemaker friends to buy five acres in Sunnyside. These 10 men individually produced their own wines from their portion of the vineyard. I believe they became a bonded winery in 1962.

In 1966, the wine writer Leon Adams visited and tasted some of Woodburne's wine and responded with great enthusiasm about its quality and he suggested they start a winery. A year later, Andre Tchelitscheff was served one of Woodburne's Gewurtztraminer wines with a salmon dinner and was enthralled. This was enough to push the group into a winery project.

In 1972 a 60 (80?) acre farm was purchased and two more stockholders were added. The initial planting of 25 acres was mostly destroyed over the first winter by abnormally severe weather.

The winery operated out of a small warehouse in Kirkland under the name of Associated Vintners as a communal weekend project until 1976 (Woodburne became the first full-time employee) when they moved to a much larger facility in Redmond and doubled their volume. The name was changed from Associated Vintners to Columbia Winery in 1984.

In 1988, they moved to yet a larger facility, a unique building erected a few years earlier for the failed Haviland Winery directly across the street from Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville.

The Spirit of Washington Wine Train now stops at Columbia Winery.

In 1995, Columbia bought out Paul Thomas Winery, which at this writing no longer has any public tasting room, though the Paul Thomas wines are available for tasting at Columbia's tasting room. In March 1996, Columbia bought Covey Run Vintners, who have maintained their Zillah facilities. In 1997, they've acquired another winery, this one a very large one, 125k cases per year -- Chateau Ste. Chappelle in Idaho.
Sources: [TW-Purser]

The Wines: (Spring 1996)
Whites:
Reds:

Winemakers:
Lloyd Woodburne
David Lake

Welcome to MikeL's WA Winery Guide (http://vintners.net/wawine/)

up to MikeL's WA Winery Guide -- Main Index