Visiting Puget Sound & Islands wine country for the first time: where to start, what to expect and the mistakes to skip.
ride the Bainbridge ferry from downtown Seattle and taste at Eleven, Eagle Harbor and Perennial Vintners, then decide whether the next trip is Whidbey's Langley cluster or a San Juans weekend
Expect urban Seattle cellars, ferry-ride island tasting rooms and the 1995 AVA's rare cool-climate grapes - Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe and Pinot Noir grown west of the mountains, poured mostly by people close to the winemaking.
the ferry is the big-ticket item; tasting fees run modest, island rooms pour without appointment charges, and a one-ferry day (Bainbridge on foot from downtown) keeps the whole trip cheap.
The region sits ferry rides and shoreline drives from Seattle - Bainbridge in 35 minutes, Whidbey via Mukilteo, the San Juans from Anacortes; plan the driving and every stop gets better.
Don't overpack the itinerary: three stops with time to talk beats six drive-bys anywhere, and doubly so here. And check hours before every stop; small family rooms adjust schedules seasonally.
Every winery we track in the region, each with its own page.
See the full Puget Sound & Islands guide → · Browse all wineries →