On a hunt for neutral barrels and glass carboys for our winemaking venture, Charlie and I found ourselves in Woodinville. We purchased the needed supplies from a fellow home winemaker and in a passion on the vine mood; we decided to visit a few warehouses wineries while there.

We specifically sought out Darby Winery in search of their 92-point Aunt Lee Syrah and 91-point Chaos, recently given by Wine Spectator. With so many wineries to choose from, we got sidetracked and stepped into Alexandria Nicole first. After tasting their Seattle Wine Award-winning wines, we walked out with a bottle of their Viognier, the perfect summer sipper. We made a quick stop at Red Sky Winery before finally finding our way to Darby. Sipped and swirled, I highly recommend both of their award-winning reds.

We also visited Baer’s tasting room to sip their 2006 Ursa and nibble on Outrageous Shortbread. The cherry mocha was delightful.

Our last stop was Antonville Winery. A tad overpriced in comparison to its neighbors, but I must give them kudos for pairing their wines with local chocolates and confections. The 2005 Chardonnay was paired with Outrageous Shortbread’s lemon hazelnut.

The most delicious melt-in-your-mouth peanut brittle was the companion of the AVW Red. I ended up savoring three pieces of the unique brittle handmade by local confectionary, Sweet of You.

The remaining wines were paired with a myriad of chocolates. The Cabernet Sauvignon with a chocolate made from the same Cabernet Sauvignon, the Merlot with a sweet huckleberry, and the Cabernet Franc with a spicy chili pepper truffle.

Two bottles of wine, a box of chocolates, and a trunk full of winemaking supplies later, we were on our way out of the Woodinville Wine Warehouse district a bit more connected to Washington wines and local confections.