The weird thing about Passport to Woodinville is that it suggests that Woodinville is a far-away, exotic place, the entry to which requires strict documentation and maybe a luggage search. You would think the 50 wineries there would want to promote the opposite message since, in fact, Woodinville is like 30 minutes away.

Think about that: there are 50 wineries within half an hour of downtown Seattle. You don’t need a passport, you don’t even need to stay overnight. (Careful with the driving though. And if you do want to stay, we have some suggestions.)

On April 17 and 18, 38 of those wineries will open their doors and pour selections of their creations to anyone who purchases a "passport." (You buy them online and the pick them up at Columbia Winery, get details here. ) The passports contain info about each winery and when you visit one, you get a stamp.

A passport for both days costs $60, a pass for Sunday only is $40. Cynthia Daste of Woodinville Wine Country helps organize Passport, she says most of the wines will be poured by the winemakers themselves. So you can meet them and learn about how they make the wines and all that.

A list of the wineries participating is below. Just for fun, I bolded my personal favorites, but some of these wineries I’ve never been to.

Adams Bench Winery, Airfield Estates Tasting Room, Anton Ville Winery, Baer Winery, Brian Carter Cellars, Canon de Sol Tasting Room/Irlandes, Challenger Ridge Tasting Room, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, Covey Run, Covington Cellars, Cuillin Hills, Davenport Cellars, Des Voigne Cellars, DiStefano Winery, Dusted Valley, Edmonds Winery, EFESTE, Elevation Cellars, Gifford Hirlinger Tasting Room, Goose Ridge Vineyards and Estate Winery Tasting Room, Hestia Cellars, Hollywood Hill Vineyards, Isenhower Cellars, J. Bookwalter Tasting Studio, Matthews Estate, Northwest Totem Cellars, Otis Kenyon Wine, Page Cellars, Patterson Cellars, Pomum Cellars, Red Sky Winery, Silver Lake Winery, Tefft Cellars, William Church Winery, Woodhouse Family Cellars, Woodinville Wine Cellars and XSV Winery.