Earlier this summer, I took my friend Claudette (who organizes the busy, active Eastside Social Club Meetup group) wine tasting in Woodinville.
Neither of us had been to visit Market Vineyards yet, so in we went! I hold a special place in my heart for tasting rooms with outdoor patio options.
Inside, we found a beautifully decorated, elegant wine tasting room.
We wished it was a nice enough day to have the garage doors open and taste wine on the patio. We’d just have to come back on a warmer summer day next time!
Market Vineyards has a stock market theme, echoed in the wine names and on the bottle labels.
Claudette and I really enjoyed meeting Cassie, the tasting room manager.
We could barely take our eyes off her new puppy, Kilo Kilo, however! (His name is Hawaiian for “magic.”) Cassie kindly let us love on him and snuggle him up.
I was worried Claudette would try to sneak him home in her purse!
Every time we’re in the area (perhaps tasting wine nearby at J Bookwalter or eating lunch at Bistro at Hollywood Schoolhouse) we can’t resist stopping in to say hi to Cassie and Kilo Kilo.
Such a precious face! I’m sure he’s grown a lot bigger since we took these photos earlier this summer.
The puppy was put down for his nap, and our tasting began with the 2015 Liquidity. It’s a blend of 50% Viognier and 50% Roussanne.
I immediately bought this to add to my local white wine collection!
Next we tasted the Rosé, made from 100% Cabernet Franc. This has been one of my favorites this summer, of all the Woodinville Rosé options.
Only 116 cases were made of the Rosé.
It was time to move into the reds. We began with the single varietal Merlot, a 2014. It was made from grapes grown at Wahluke Slope. Charlie Hoppes was the winemaker for this one.
Claudette enjoyed the Merlot particularly.
Michael stopped by – he’s in training to manage the Richland tasting room for Market Vineyards.
Cassie then poured us the incredible 2013 Arbitrage Cabernet Sauvignon.
It tastes of cherries and blackberries, with a hint of peppercorn and smoke.
Our next tasting was the 2014 Basis Points Red Blend. It’s made from Red Mountain AVA grapes.
Basis Points is a Bordeaux-style blend. We loved it, and both of us opted to take a bottle home to our cellars.
I was delighted to discover that Market Vineyards makes a Malbec! It’s their 2013 from Scootenay Flats vineyard in Red Mountain. This Malbec is named “Merval” after Argentina’s stock market.
This wine tasting session was getting expensive, as I greedily purchased the Malbec as well! I had trouble lugging my loot to the car.
If you’re looking to taste some very good red wines, you’ll find a nice lineup at Market Vineyards.
A little shop area offers Market Vineyards logo wine glasses, poured candles, and of course, wine bottles.
You can learn more about the Market Vineyards wine club here.
Market Vineyards is located at 14810 NE 145th Street, Ste A-2, Woodinville, WA 98072.
-Carrie
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