When we heard that there was a new tasting room opening up (in the space previously held by Damsel Cellars ), Carrie reached out to Stephanie and Shawn from Glacier View Cellars and we stopped in for a tour and wine tasting.
Glacier View Cellars is a vegetarian winery, which we had not heard before here in Woodinville! Carrie is a lifelong vegetarian, and my youngest daughter is a vegetarian so this was something that both of us were very intrigued by!
You may be asking (like we were), what does it mean to be a vegetarian winery? Well, at Glacier View Cellars, it means that they do not use animal by-products such as beef gelatin, fish bladder and eggs that are commonly used to heat stabilize and clarify wines. To avoid the use of such products, they minimize their use of stabilizers and when needed, use bentonite clay as a substitute.
Stephanie began producing wine in her garage about 6 or 7 years ago before going to commercial production in 2015. In 2018 they had produced their first small-batch wines to sell. The tasting room opened recently and they have done an incredible job with it. Wine tasting reservations can be made on Open Table, or you can walk-in, but space is limited.
In addition to learning something new and being able to offer vegetarian wines to our guests at home, it was also exciting to see changes happening in Artisan Hill! We have been really enjoying visiting these Woodinville wineries lately (James and I have also been stopping for delicious beer at Métier Brewing Company to mix things up). If you have not yet made the trip to Artisan Hill, you will find it in the northeast quadrant of Woodinville, within the Woodinville Commerce Center and business/industrial part on 142nd Ave NE.
Stephanie and Shawn are passionate about wine and the PNW. Hiking and being outdoors is very important to them and they strive to combine these two things with adventurous spirit. This trail register is seen as you enter the tasting room, and as you move through the gorgeous space, you will find many other nods to trails just like you will find while hiking in this beautiful PNW region.
I absolutely love the overflow seating area here! It is such a relaxing and romantic setting and brings familiar scenes to life in a fun way. I can’t wait to get back to visit again soon and plan my next hiking adventure while sipping delicious wine. What a perfect conversation starter for anyone looking to get outdoors and explore Washington State!
Shawn poured for us from the beautiful inlaid tasting counter that was locally made. We always love it when we see local businesses supporting one another. Shawn assists in operations at Glacier Hill, and Stephanie (who was not at the tasting room the day we were there, but later met with Carrie) is the winemaker. Can we say how thrilled we are to be supporting another female winemaker here in Washington State? Women winemakers and winery owners are so under-represented in our state, so congratulations to Stephanie for bending the curve upward!
Here is a look at the wine tasting lineup that we enjoyed. Carrie and I both swooned over the 2016 Sangiovese and of course had to bring home a few bottles. Sangiovese has been a long time favorite of mine and this one from has bright cherry notes, layered with hints of tobacco leaf and vanilla, with a long blackberry pie finish.
Also noteworthy was the 2015 Lake 22 Bordeaux blend. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cab Franc, and 5% Merlot is part of the Trail Head series, named after Shawn and Stephanie’s first Washington State hike. It has flavors of blackberries, red plum and toffee. A perfect Washington style Bordeaux.
Here I am at one of the counter seats, about to taste some of the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc before removing my mask. It is important to mention that at the time of this post, we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and guests and tasting room staff are taking all required safety measures.
This was a very refreshing and bright white wine fermented in stainless steel from Fruitland Hills vineyard in northern Washington State. Notes of citrus fruit are balanced by soft tropical fruit on the nose. Perfect for summer patio drinking!
It is almost impossible to look chic while wearing a mask and holding a glass of wine, but Carrie manages effortlessly! (You can check out some of her awesome sources for fun and fashionable masks, here)
Behind Carrie you can see a wall map, as well as river rocks under the tasting counter, and other examples of native vegetation that represent this beautiful region, and the passion of this winery. I can’t wait to get back and visit Glacier View and I hope to have the opportunity to meet Stephanie then as well. We know that you will enjoy visiting this unique tasting room, and can’t wait to hear about your experiences in our comments section.
You can find Glacier View Cellars at 18744 142nd Ave NW, Woodinville WA 98072. They are open on Saturday from 12-5pm and on Sunday from 1-5pm.
Check out our other videos and photos from our wine tasting adventure here:
Woodinville Wine Blog on YouTube – Chatting with Shawn from Glacier View Cellars
Woodinville Wine Blog on Instagram
Cheers to many happy wine tasting adventures! ~ Jen
RESOURCES:
Glacier View Cellars on Facebook
Glacier View Cellars on Instagram
