It’s the country’s second-largest wine producing state, but there are a lot of mixed messages out there about Washington wine. On one hand, it’s known for corpulent collectors’ reds like Cayuse, Leonetti, and Quilceda Creek; on the other, for everyday sippers from Chateau Ste. Michelle, and Columbia Crest. Cab and Riesling dominate the market but canny connoisseurs will want to seek out Rhône varieties and Sauvignon Blanc.

Much of the winemaking is done in and around Woodinville, which is just east of Seattle, but don't expect seductive tastings among vines. Most of the vineyards in the state's 21 AVAs are three or more hours away in Eastern Washington, which has a completely different climate and lacks the robust tourist infrastructure of Napa and Sonoma as well as the big-city proximity of the Willamette Valley. For that matter, some of the most celebrated wine is Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley's sub-appellation Rocks District of Milton-Freewater—which is situated across the border in Oregon. 

The lack of a signature grape has been a curse and a blessing. Instead of a recognizable brand like “Oregon Pinot Noir” or "Napa Cab" there are more than 80 planted varieties whose growers and makers argue do as well in parts of Washington as anywhere in the world. "I love the idea of not having a ‘signature grape,' since Washington is an amazingly diverse growing region," says Riley Miller of the Yakima Valley’s Sonder Wines. "There are cooler climates, like parts of the Columbia Gorge where folks like Elentone are crafting amazing sparkling wine, to the upper Yakima Valley where you see off the beaten path Italian varieties—like Sage Rat's Barbera."

Ever since horticulturist Walter Clore's experimental plantings in the 1930s, there has been no shortage of pioneers in the Washington wine industry. For all the corporate presence in the state In the last decade or two, some younger producers who were originally fêted for their sense of experimentation—Two Vintners, Latta Wines, Sleight Of Hand, W.T. Vintners, Savage Grace, and Avennia, to name just a few of many—have become standard-setters for grape diversity, balance, and minimal intervention. They (and many others) have set a welcoming stage for newer, small producers who are against the grain. These five show what Washington wine can achieve.

5 Washington State Wine Producers to Try

Devison Vintners

Devison’s owner-winemaker Peter Devison is hardly an upstart, having spent 15 years making wine in Washington State for labels like Efesté and Cadaretta, but he made a big splash when he launched Devison Wines with his partner Kelsey Malm Devison in 2020. These are unabashedly serious wines, painstakingly sourced and crafted—mostly from red Rhóne and white Bordeaux varieties and Cabernet Sauvignon (the 2022 vintage will be released this spring). The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc ($28) puts the lie to generalizations about New vs. Old World or warm vs. cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, offering passion fruit and honeydew on one side, lime zest and gravel on the other, with a seductive mouth filling texture that never dulls its energetic acidity. Devison is one of the most visible advocates of native fermentation in a state where few wineries employ it, and credits it with his wines' quality. "My wines tend to have three elements that I truly think make a great wine, and I attribute their presence to ambient yeast: texture, tension, and terroir," he says.

Itä Winery

Kelsey Albro Itämeri's semi-eponymous winery (itä means "eastern" in Finnish) sources grapes from the eastern foothills of the Blue Mountains, near her family's farm. The area has slightly cooler summers, warmer winters, and more rain than neighboring regions. "My goal is to understand what this small part of the Walla Walla Valley AVA tastes like, and that goal is couched in a huge bias that it will, in fact, be delicious," says Itämeri. This deliciousness takes myriad forms in Itämeri's hands, though: a Beaujolais-inspired carbonic Zinfandel ($30), a delicate Pinot Noir ($48), and both barrel- and stainless-fermented varietal Semillons (both $28). Her 2021 Syrah ($48) is 50 percent whole cluster, with blue and red fruit and smoky dried herbs, suggesting neither Northern Rhône nor Washington’s “steak” Syrahs, making the case for the uniqueness of her little corner of the state. "My wines are not what most people look to Washington for, [but] I will say that, hands down, one of the best things about making wine in Washington is how supportive and open-minded the wine industry is here," she says. 

Poberaj Wines

The Columbia Gorge AVA could not be farther from the Italy-Slovenia border where Joško Gravner makes his pioneering natural wines. But his nephew, Jure Poberaj, is taking his experience working harvests with Uncle Joško to make some of the most exciting wines in this unusually varied (and stunning) region at the Oregon border. Jure and partner, Nina Jiminez, are growing their own Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, and Nebbiolo, make white and skin contact Pinot Grigios ($30 and $39), and have made wines from Mencia, Godello, Sangiovese, and other less-seen-in-Washington grapes. Common to all is their use of native yeast and whole-cluster fermentation, and 700-liter Georgian qvevri buried on their land. The 2022 Rocksteady Vineyard Pinot Noir ($42) is both fermented and aged in qvevri, and is utterly unique while showing classic Pinot Noir vibes of mushroom, red berries, potpourri, and a happy compost pile.

Sonder Wines

Sonder's Riley Miller experienced first-hand Australia's "lo-fi" natural wine movement working with Ben Caldwell and Mauricio Ruiz Cantú at Somos Wines in McLaren Vale. It inspired him to make similar wines in Washington State. Recent releases have included Roussanne ($22), a Cinsault rosé ($20), and red and orange field blends. As an example of his commitment to self-described “smashable” wines, the 2021 Grenache Blanc ($23) employs early harvest and no malolactic fermentation to avoid the grape’s tendency toward heavier notes of honey and canned pear. Sonder’s shows green mango, watermelon rind and gingery spice anchored by a Chablisian steeliness. 

"The importance for me at Sonder is really just to showcase the breadth of what we can do in Washington, it's not just big bold reds, it can be bright and fresh reds, cool rosés, zesty and refreshing whites," says Miller. "We are going to keep pushing the boundaries—and maybe, sometime soon, folks will start to take notice." 

WeatherEye

WeatherEye makes wines from estate-grown fruit (a relative rarity in the state) from its eponymous vineyard at the top of the north face of the Red Mountain AVA. "Vineyard" understates the complexity of the site, whose 30-plus acres range from sand to basalt, and vary in elevation by 500 feet. With dozens of varieties planted at wildly varying densities, it’s essentially a conglomeration of micro-sites. The fastidious attention to detail by winemaker Todd Alexander and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson results in what are probably Washington's most acclaimed, and most in-demand, wines at the moment. If you can get your hands on them, set some aside since the reds and whites alike will age beautifully. The portfolio currently includes a Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, a red Bordeaux-style blend, and four white Rhône-style blends. The wines have presence, character, and almost academic complexity; they’re in the spirit of the premium wines that put Washington on the map, but they don’t shout. The 2021 WeatherEye Estate Grenache (sold out), for example, stands among the best Grenache-based wines from Priorat and Châteauneuf-du-Pape while maintaining restraint and elegance among its flavors of Bing cherry, tangerine, thyme, tobacco, leather and lace. These will blow minds at your next blind tasting—once you get on the mailing list.