Hold onto your corks, Eastsiders — Chateau Ste. Michelle may be headed out of town. Washington’s oldest + largest winery is pondering a sale of its massive, 118-acre property in Woodinville that includes offices, gardens, an amphitheater, and one of the region’s most prominent tasting rooms. Wait, we need a minute to digest this.
Saying goodbye to a Seattle area mainstay may be tough. | “Inside Amy Schumer” GIF via GIPHY
Okay, deep breaths. Nothing is fully fermented sales-wise, but the company definitely plans to move all of its white wine production to Eastern Washington. And if Chateau Ste. Michelle does end up taking everything else with it — lock, stock, and barrels — the impacts to the local wine scene could be huge. Let’s pour over some details.
Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Woodinville estate was built in the 1970s. | Photo by SEAtoday staff
We could build an epic bouncy house 🍷
No, seriously — there’s a lot you can do with all that acreage. However, over half of the Chateau Ste. Michelle site is zoned for residential use only, and the original Hollywood Farm(once owned by lumber baron Frederick Stimson) is on the National Register of Historic Places, which may limit potential development. Still, given the prime location in Woodinville, expect the asking price to be astronomical.
Glass half full 🍷
While losing the fancy Chateau would be a huge loss, the Eastside wine scene has developed in leaps + bounds since Ste. Michelle’s original heyday. Here are some more Woodinville names to know, if you’re looking for candidates to fill those grape-crushing shoes.
Author Talk: Ashia Ismail-Singer | Thurs., June 23 | 5-6 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Book Larder hosts a chat with the New Zealand-based author of “Aisha’s Table,” an exploration of Indian cuisine from her childhood. 📙
Friday
Schitt’s Chic 2 | Fri., June 24 | 7 p.m. | The Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave. + virtual | $10+ | This drag + burlesque Pride show includes performers dressed up as characters from the hit sitcom “Schitt’s Creek” — and, yes, zhampagne will be served.
CatVideoFest 2022 | Fri., June 24 | 5 + 7:15 p.m. | SIFF Cinema Egyptian | $14+ | Internet famous felines + local kittehs claw the big screen in this curated video compilation. 😸
BENEE | Fri., June 24 | 9 p.m. | The Showbox | $26 | The alt pop artist’s hit “Supalonely” was on many folks’ early pandemic playlists.
Saturday
Edible Garden Tour | Sat., June 25 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Sunset Hill Community Clubhouse, 3003 NW 66th St. | $15+ | Walk or bike through Ballard to discover the neighborhood’s urban fruits, vegetables + chickens. 🥬
Seattle Iranian Festival | Sat., June 25 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | Armory Food + Event Hall, Seattle Center | Free | “Celebration of Iranian Women” is this year’s festival theme — attendees can expect dancing, speeches + live music. 🎥
Sunday
Seattle Pride Parade | Sun., June 26 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Westlake Park + downtown | With 500,000 annual spectators, this is the fourth-largest Pride parade in the US. 🏳️🌈
Skandia Midsommarfest | Sun., June 26 | 11-6 p.m. | St. Edward State Park, Kenmore | $33+ | The Swedish celebration of the solstice includes music, vendors + raising the Midsommar pole — no freaky stuff from the movie of the same name, we promise.
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Now that the CDC has approved COVID-19 shots for children under five years old, Seattle Children’s is on the case. The local hospital started administering doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for the age group this week by appointment and plans to expand access through schools + mobile units. (KING 5)
Announced
Hey now, they’re All-Stars. Storm icons Sue Bird + Breanna Stewart were named as 2022 WNBA All-Star team starters — and both will be co-captains to boot. Stewie has been an All-Star four times in her career, while this will be Bird’s 13th selection — and her final one (*sniff, sniff*). 🏀 (Seattle Times)
Civic
How are your city planning skills? The Crown Hill Urban Village Action Plancommitteeis seeking feedback from residents on the neighborhood’s developmentvia an online survey. The survey’s aim is to get more community voices to guide upcoming multifamily + commercial project designs. 📣 (MyBallard)
Coming Soon
New cider house rules. Port Townsend-based Eaglemount Wine and Cider is planning to open a Capitol Hill location in early August. The tasting room will be at 1656 E. Olive Way and serve a selection of Eaglemount’s ciders + meads made from heirloom apple trees. 🍎 (Capitol Hill Blog)
Sports
You row, girl. Kirkland kayaking phenom Eleanor Knight will compete at the ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in Nottingham, England, starting Mon., June 27. The 16-year-old Lake Washington High School student trains on rivers in the Cascades and has her eyes set beyond the juniors division. (Seattle Times)
Buying into World Cup hype comes at a nice price. The Sounders are selling tickets for $20.26(get it?) to the team’s Sat., July 9 match against the Portland Timbers in honor of Seattle’s 2026 World Cup hosting duties. Proceeds go to the RAVE Foundation’s 26 Fields by 2026 campaign. ⚽
Pets
Congrats, Sriracha. The Italian greyhound from Snohomish competed in the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday and won Best in Breed. Though the two-year-old pup didn’t make it out of the overall toy group competition, she’s still a champ in our books. 🏆
Arts
Don’t sleep on this show. PNW artist Naoko Morisawa is displaying her “Happy Dreamer” exhibition at the Traver Gallery on Union Street through Sat., July 2. The abstract works use a combination of corrugated cardboard and oil-dried wood to create an almost hypnotic effect. (International Examiner)
Real Estate
More signs of a cooling housing market? An analysis by Seattle-based company Redfin showed that home investments were down 14.2% year-over-yearacross the region, the steepest decline out of the 40 metro areas surveyed. The data comes as interest rates continue climbing. 🏘️ (Puget Sound Business Journal)
Trending
Every rose has its thorns. “Bachelorette” star + Renton native Katie Thurston and her boyfriend John Hersey announced their breakup on Instagram earlier this week. Katie had started dating John following her high-profile split from former fiancé Blake Hoynes. 💔 (Seattle Refined)
A pet message from our sponsor
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Um, how sweet is this? Seattle-based nonprofit Treehouse — serving youth in foster care — showed off wonderful artwork from kiddos having an amazing time at summer camp. Looks like water slides, lava experiments + a “Rapunzel woodshop” were popular activities — we can almost smell the ‘Smores from here.
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Editor’s pick: I recently went to a tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle and will certainly miss it if its Woodinville days are numbered. I highly recommend you check out a concert there while you still can — tickets for an Aussie Pink Floyd cover band are still available for August. Since the actual band was my first-ever concert, I’ve got some nostalgia for that one. Raise a glass for true classics.
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