Woodinville turning into Disneyland of winery tasting rooms

During a trip to Walla Walla Valley last summer, I mentioned to one of the winemakers how crazy things had gotten there in terms of winery growth.

"You think it's bad here?" he commented with a bit of a smirk. "Go to Woodinville. That place has become a regular Disneyland."

Turns out he wasn't kidding.

I've been to Woodinville a couple of times the past three months, thinking I could take in several wineries during a leisurely afternoon of tasting. Truth is, there are so many wineries in the area that I couldn't put a dent in the total.

Back in the mid-1980's when I lived in Seattle, there was just a handful of wineries in nearby Woodinville, including Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery (both still there) and French Creek (now defunct, and, yes, you're old if you remember that one).

Now, according to the woodinvillewinecountry.com website, there are over 70 wineries within 30 minutes of downtown Seattle. In one area, referred to as the "Woodinville Warehouse Wineries," there are 40 wineries - and a vodka distillery, thrown in for good measure - within a one-minute radius.

Depending on your point of view, here's where the "Disneyland effect" comes into play. You'll either be ecstatic about the prospect of parking your car in a central location and having everything at your disposal, or you'll be completely put off by the density and its accompanying challenges.

On the plus side, you'll find wineries offering scores of excellent wines. Many of the wineries are based in rural Eastern Washington, so the logistics of opening a satellite tasting room close to a major metropolitan area became a no-brainer. (Read: don't come to us Western Washington, we'll come to you.) The drive from Bellingham, for example, is an easy 80 to 90 minutes, provided you don't have any traffic issues.

On the down side, it can be difficult to conduct a quiet, intimate tasting with winery staff, especially on weekends. And if one or more of the wineries is having a promotional event, and many frequently do, the entire area can turn into a bit of a zoo.

That's the paradox of Disneyland: It's fun, it's exciting, it's entertaining ... but at the end of the day, you can hardly wait to get out of there.