John Patterson of Patterson Cellars
John Patterson’s earliest experiences in the wine industry happened at Quilceda Creek Winery, where he had a part-time job during high school. Quilceda’s founder Alex Golitzin knew John’s father, who also worked at the winery. In 2000, the father and son team decided to start their own Patterson Cellars in Monroe, WA about 30 miles northeast of Seattle. The area was not a wine-tasting destination, but the Pattersons owned property there that could be turned into a winery. In 2007, they moved their production and tasting room to the Woodinville Warehouse District, which was just beginning to take off as a winetasting destination. John soon became a leader in the Woodinville area, providing not only excellent wines, but also mini crush, pressing and bottling equipment for many other wineries. Eventually, he became a leader of the Woodinville Wine Country Association.
Today, Patterson Cellars has 5 tasting rooms, with two in Woodinville, one is SODO in South Seattle, one in the touristy town of Leavenworth, and one in the Southside District of Walla Walla. John purchased the latter one in 2022, which includes a spacious winery, tasting room and estate vineyard. All production for Patterson Cellars is now in Walla Walla, and John is making his first estate wines. Visitors to all 5 tasting rooms will find a diverse array of excellent white, rosé, red, sparkling and dessert wines. Don’t miss the late harvest Roussane wine, which is a delicious dessert in a glass.
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