Pull back the rouge-colored curtain to see how the wine is made. The Warehouse District of Woodinville, Washington, will be hosting Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept. 30, a celebration of the harvesting of wine grapes, wherein all guests will have the opportunity to learn about the winemaking process and see it in action.
Hosted by approximately 20 wineries, all attendees will be able to enjoy wine tastings, winery tours, live music, games, food trucks and more. In addition, a select number of the large-volume producers will perform grape stomping — also known as crushing — while the smaller producers will provide interactive wine education such as punch downs.
“Everyone is doing their own thing,” says Javi Thomasson, outside events manager and tasting room manager at Michael Florentino Cellars in Woodinville’s Warehouse District. “Each winery is going to try to do something on their own to help encourage people to come in.”
Increasing visitation to the Warehouse District has been a goal of all 27 wineries within the district. This inaugural Harvest Festival is meant to help these wineries gain exposure as Woodinville Wine Country continues to expand both in size and reputation.
“We want to help each other, so if one succeeds, we all succeed,” says Thomasson.
Commonly, wine tasters will visit the Hollywood District because it is home to larger and long-established Woodinville wineries such as Chateau Ste. Michelle and DeLille. Comparatively, the Warehouse District stands out as being home to more boutique wineries per square foot than any other wine region in the world.
The Harvest Festival will take place Saturday, September 30, at noon and end at 5 p.m. The event is free.
For more information about Harvest Festival and the wineries involved, visit https://woodinvillewinecountry.com/event/2023_harvest_warehousewineries/