Barrel fragments line the walls at Kerloo Cellars.
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Barrel fragments line the walls at Kerloo Cellars.
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The bar at Nine Hats Wines.
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The bar at Nine Hats Wines.
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Wine (and vintage toys) are on full display at Nine Hats.
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Wine (and vintage toys) are on full display at Nine Hats.
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Rotie Cellars is all modernity and sharp lines.
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Rotie Cellars is all modernity and sharp lines.
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Friends share a drink at SoDo’s Rotie Cellars.
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Friends share a drink at SoDo’s Rotie Cellars.
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Sleight of Hand Cellars originally hails from the Walla Walla Valley.
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Sleight of Hand Cellars originally hails from the Walla Walla Valley.
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Sleight of Hand Cellars blends into its new urban environment with industrial touches.
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Sleight of Hand Cellars blends into its new urban environment with industrial touches.
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During warmer months, Structure Cellars opens up onto a patio.
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During warmer months, Structure Cellars opens up onto a patio.
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Structure Cellars is a food-friendly spot that got its start in a Ballard basement.
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Structure Cellars is a food-friendly spot that got its start in a Ballard basement.
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Diners lounge (and sip) on the couches at Structure Cellars.
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Diners lounge (and sip) on the couches at Structure Cellars.
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Waters Winery crafts Walla Walla Valley red wines.
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Waters Winery crafts Walla Walla Valley red wines.
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There’s plenty of elbow room at Waters Winery.
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There’s plenty of elbow room at Waters Winery.
With Seattle’s urban wine scene sprinkled around the city, a critical mass of wine tasting once required a 30-minute drive to Woodinville and at least a half-day commitment. That started to change in 2013, when retailer Full Pull Wines located its warehouse and retail pickup site at SoDo Urbanworks, an industrial park nearly two miles south of Seattle’s stadiums. Wineries soon started to open satellite tasting rooms in neighboring bays, which offered an escape from Woodinville’s rising prices, and a welcome proximity to Seattle’s giant customer base.
Five years later, SoDo Urbanworks is home to 10 wineries and satellite tasting rooms, including Sleight of Hand Cellars, Rôtie Cellars, Patterson Cellars, Den Hoed estates, and Waters Winery, plus production facilities for Kerloo Cellars, Structure Cellars, and Latta Wines. Nine Hats Wines spun off a pizzeria, Nine Pies, and Schooner Exact’s brewery is there for anyone in need of a palate-cleansing beer. Most of SoDo Urbanworks’ wine tenants signed on here, in close proximity, because the owners are genuinely friends, which creates a pleasant synergy when you wander from place to place.
Woodinville, with roughly 120 wineries and tasting rooms, will always be Western Washington’s wine mecca. But at last, Seattle has a compelling alternative, one where every winery is high quality and home is just a short Uber ride away.
