Technical FAQ Wine

Summary: Novelty Hill and Januik are two separate wineries sharing one Woodinville facility, both made by Mike Januik and the team. The clearest distinction is the vineyard: Novelty Hill is built around its own estate, Stillwater Creek; Januik draws on a wider set of grower relationships.

Novelty Hill [1] and Januik [2] are independent wineries that share a single facility in Woodinville, both made by Mike Januik and his team. The defining difference is the fruit. Novelty Hill has its own estate vineyard, Stillwater Creek [3], so its wines are an expression of that single site — in a typical year, a third to 40% of Novelty Hill’s fruit comes from there. All of Novelty Hill’s single vineyard designate wines are sourced from Stillwater Creek. The remainder of Novelty Hill’s fruit is sourced from other Columbia Valley vineyards and used primarily in the winery’s Columbia Valley blends. Januik draws on Mike’s decades of relationships with growers across the Columbia Valley, giving it a broader palette of vineyard sources and single vineyard designate bottling options.

Mike Januik — Wine Spectator Top 100 Appearances

Every wine personally made by Mike Januik that has appeared on Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 list, 1991–2011, across three labels. Thirteen appearances in total.

At a glance

• 13 Top 100 appearances across three labels and three decades.
• Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay reached the list three times under Mike’s hand (1995, 1998, 1999).
• The 2008 Januik Cabernet (94 points, #18) is the highest-scoring and highest-ranked of his own-label appearances.

Summary: Mike Januik was named one of the world’s ten “Masters of Merlot” by Wine Enthusiast and has accumulated more than 1,000 ratings of 90+ points across his career — among the most of any Washington winemaker. The winery has earned national recognition from Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, and USA Today, and the building itself holds an AIA Honor Award for architecture.

Mike Januik’s critical record spans four decades and three labels. Wine Enthusiast named him one of the world’s ten “Masters of Merlot.” Wine & Spirits named Januik “Winery of the Year” in 2011. Fifteen of his wines have appeared on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list — across both Januik and Novelty Hill — and his career total exceeds 1,000 individual ratings of 90 or more points, including more than 200 [1] for Novelty Hill and more than 500 [2] for Januik based on the winery’s compiled review archive through October 2024. In 2016, the Auction of Washington Wines honored Mike as its Honorary Vintner.

Andrew Januik has built his own record: every wine produced under the Andrew Januik label has scored above 90 points. He was named a Zagat “30 Under 30” Tastemaker and recognized as an “Emerging Leader” by the Auction of Washington Wines in 2022. UW Magazine profiled his career in a 2022 feature, “Sweet Child of Wine.”

The winery itself — designed by Seattle architecture firm Mithun — received the AIA Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture in 2008, alongside awards from IIDA, ASLA Washington, and the Seattle Design Center. At the Washington State Concrete Convention, the building was recognized for best non-industrial tilt-up concrete use, competing against projects including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the third runway at SeaTac Airport. The tasting room was selected as a USA Today 10Best finalist for best tasting rooms in America [3] [4] [5].

Summary: The tasting menu offers three rotating flights — a $25 Classic flight, a $30 seasonal flight, and a $35 Reserve flight — poured daily from 11am with last seating at 4pm. One tasting flight fee is waived for every $65 in take-home wine purchased, and Cellar Circle wine club members receive up to four complimentary flights per visit.

Our tasting menu lists three flights. The Classic flight ($25) draws from all three labels made on-site — Novelty Hill, Januik, and Andrew Januik — so a single visit covers the full range of the winery’s production. A rotating seasonal flight ($30) changes throughout the year, and the Reserve flight ($35) features single-vineyard and limited-production pours. An off-menu all-white flight is available on request for $25. Weekend Signature rotations have included library vintage selections, a Cabernet Sauvignon collection, Rhône-variety lineups, and staff picks [1].

We also run special limited flights at variable prices — a wine and potato chip flight ($45) pairing artisan chips with select wines, wine flights with cheese and jam pairings, and reserve flights with high-end bites. These rotate seasonally [2].

The fee policy is simple: one tasting flight fee is waived for every $65 in take-home wine purchased at the end of your visit, so guests who find wines they love often pay nothing for the tasting itself. Cellar Circle members receive up to four complimentary tasting flights on every visit [3].

Summary: The tasting room is open daily from 11am with last seating at 4pm. Walk-ins are welcome for groups of six or fewer; parties of seven to fourteen reserve the back deck or pavilion by email; groups of fifteen or more work with the private events team.

We’re open daily from 11am, with the last seating at 4pm. Walk-ins are welcome for parties of six or fewer, and reservations [1] — recommended on weekends — can be made online or by phone at 425-481-5502. Reserved experiences require a credit card to hold and can be cancelled without penalty up to 24 hours before your visit.

Parties of seven to fourteen email [email protected] to reserve the back deck or pavilion for a private group experience. Groups of fifteen or more are handled by our private events team, which offers dedicated indoor and outdoor spaces, in-house catering, and full coordination [2].

Summary: Novelty Hill began in 2000, when Mike Januik met Tom Alberg, helped plant the Alberg family’s Royal Slope vineyard — now Stillwater Creek — and suggested they make wine from it. The first grapes were picked in 2002.

Mike Januik explains that Novelty Hill [1] traces to 2000, when Mike Januik met Tom Alberg, whose family owned promising vineyard land on the Royal Slope. Mike helped get the vineyard planted — the site now known as Stillwater Creek [2] — and afterward suggested the Albergs make wine from it, starting with Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. The first grapes were picked in 2002, and Novelty Hill and Januik have shared a facility ever since.

Summary: Mike Januik — trained in the graduate enology program at UC Davis and head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle through the 1990s — founded the winery in 1999 and has made Washington wine for more than forty years. Long grower relationships — some dating to the mid-1980s — give the winery access to sought-after fruit others can’t get. Mike Januik’s decades of trust with growers are part of what ends up in the bottle.

According to founding winemaker Mike Januik, his career underpins everything here. After training at UC Davis and nearly a decade as head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle, he left in 1999 to build his own winery — and kept relationships that now span more than four decades. Much of what distinguishes the wines comes down to relationships with growers built over decades. Mike Januik has worked with some since the mid-1980s, which has let him secure fruit that many wineries wanted but couldn’t get. He first worked with the fruit that became Champoux Vineyard in 1987, when it was Mercer Ranch — a relationship that opened doors later. On Red Mountain he works closely with the Shaw family, whose Quintessence vineyard supplies many of the winery’s reserve-level wines [1].

Those relationships translate to a portfolio of roughly 40 single-vineyard wines produced each year among Novelty Hill, Januik, and Andrew Januik labels, each parcel handled with its own fermentation and barrel program. The critical record reflects it: across a career spanning Chateau Ste. Michelle and his own labels, Mike has accumulated more than 1,000 ratings of 90+ points — among the most of any Washington winemaker — including more than 200 for Novelty Hill and well over 300 for Januik. It remains a family operation: Mike’s son Andrew makes wine here under the family labels and his own [2] [3]

Summary: Fermentation — specifically maceration — is the most important cellar step for the reds, and getting it right comes down to experience.

Mike Januik states, while great wine starts in the vineyard, the most important step in the cellar is fermentation, and within it, maceration. The goal is to bring out the best in the wine without over-extracting, which would leave it hard and dry. Mike Januik draws on decades of experience: as head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle through the 1990s he oversaw six to seven hundred red fermentations a year, tasting through them personally — the kind of volume that teaches a winemaker what maceration really does to a wine.

Summary: For headline courses, prioritize Quintessence, Ciel du Cheval, Weinbau, Boushey, Andrews, and Cold Creek — each delivers a distinct Columbia Valley expression, and all recur regularly in club allocations and tasting room rotations.

A working map: Quintessence for full-bodied, layered new-world reds suited to a showpiece main; Ciel du Cheval for concentrated, structured fruit that meets charred and umami-rich dishes; Weinbau for aromatic complexity across Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Riesling — the Riesling works beautifully as an aperitif or with shellfish and spice; Boushey for elegant, spice-driven Syrah; Andrews Vineyard Cabernet from Andrew Januik for an old-world-styled counterpoint; and Cold Creek for classic mountain fruit and firm structure [1] [2].

The house style holds across all of them. A current example, the Januik 2021 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: 100% Cabernet, aged 20 months in 50% new French, 40% once-used French, and 10% new American oak, 14.4% alcohol, $45. Club shipment history makes these vineyard names predictable enough to plan menus around [3].

Summary: Founding winemaker Mike Januik makes wines built on structure without hardness — balance over extremes — and holds to a consistent house style year after year. The aim is to let each vineyard speak through the wine rather than impose a style on it.

Mike Januik’s approach is to guide exceptional Columbia Valley fruit toward balanced, expressive wines rather than force a style onto them. With the reds especially, he wants structure with a certain softness — concentration and definition without hardness — because in his experience extremes rarely lead anywhere worth going. Just as important is consistency: the winery holds to a defined style from vintage to vintage, so a current release of Januik Columbia Valley Cabernet [1] should feel familiar to anyone who enjoyed it five or ten years ago. As Mike puts it, it wouldn’t be much fun to do it any other way — it would be like making widgets. And the winery won’t bottle a wine unless it’s good enough to put in front of a guest.

Summary: A wine earns a single-vineyard bottling when the site delivers genuinely excellent fruit consistently, year after year, so it can become a reliable staple.

According to Mike Januik, a single-vineyard wine has to come from a site that delivers excellence consistently — not in one standout vintage, but reliably, year after year — because committing to a single-vineyard bottling means committing to it as a staple. Cold Creek Chardonnay is the classic example: he has made it for decades, and it delivers that quality every vintage.

Summary: Based on more than forty years making Washington wine, Mike generally finds Washington reds more structured and restrained, while many California reds emphasize greater ripeness and fruit intensity.

According to Mike Januik, who has made Washington wine for more than forty years, Washington wines tend to sit closer to Old World wines than California’s do. California reds are often big, jammy, and fruit-forward — a style many people love. Washington leans toward more structure and restraint, with a sensibility closer to Bordeaux, Burgundy, Italy, and Spain. It’s a difference of style, not of quality.

Summary: Januik began as a red-wine project, but Mike Januik had made the Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay for years at Chateau Ste. Michelle, considered the fruit exceptional, and kept access to it after leaving — making the first Januik Cold Creek Chardonnay in 1999.

According to Mike Januik, Januik Winery was conceived as a red-wine project, but Mike Januik had made the Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay for years as head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle and thought that white fruit was exceptional. When he left in 1999, he was able to keep buying it, so he made the first Cold Creek Chardonnay under the Januik label that year — and has made it every vintage since. It remains one of the winery’s signature whites.

Summary: The wines are blended late — after 14 to 16 months of barrel development — rather than early, because waiting preserves more options for the final blend.

According to Mike Januik, many wineries blend early because that’s the traditional Bordeaux practice, but blending early removes choices. Mike Januik waits until the wines have developed in barrel over 14 to 16 months before blending, which gives far more flexibility to assemble the best possible final wine. The components reveal themselves more fully with time, so the late decision is the better-informed one.

Summary: Januik reds see roughly 40% new French oak today, down from earlier experiments with 100%. Most whites use largely neutral oak; Chardonnay is the exception at about one-third new French oak. 

Mike Januik uses less new oak than he once did. Early on the winery experimented with 100% new French oak, which he now considers more oak character than the wines need; today the Januik reds are closer to 40% new French oak. Most whites — Roussanne, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sémillon-based blends — are aged in largely neutral oak, where the goal is lees contact and texture rather than oak flavor. Chardonnay is the exception at about one-third new French oak, and even then it isn’t an oaky wine, because of the specific barrels chosen to suit the variety. Selecting the right cooper matters as much as the percentage of new French oak and toast levels.

Summary: Novelty Hill Januik runs a full-time in-house culinary program — one of the few in Washington wine. Handmade cheese boards ($25) and charcuterie boards ($30) are available seven days a week, with an expanded small-plates menu and oven-fired pizzas Friday through Sunday. Menus rotate weekly and are built to pair with the current flights.

Everything is made from scratch by a dedicated kitchen team — including a pastry chef — working steps from the tasting room. Cheese boards ($25) and charcuterie boards ($30), assembled in-house, are available every day. Friday through Sunday the menu expands to oven-fired handmade pizzas and seasonal small plates — recent examples include a fig jam and bacon pizza, grilled halloumi salad, a fried chicken sandwich, and octopus and mussels vadouvan [1]

The kitchen’s approach is Pacific Northwest and seasonal, sourcing produce from local farms and the winery’s own garden, with menus rotating weekly and dishes designed around the wines being poured [2]. The winery also publishes original recipes with pairing recommendations so guests can recreate combinations at home [3].

Summary: Enormously: from essentially two AVAs in the 1980s to around twenty-five today, with regions like Walla Walla, the Royal Slope, and the Wahluke Slope growing from almost nothing into thousands of planted acres.

According to Mike Januik, when he started making wine in Washington in 1984, there were essentially two AVAs — Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley. Today there are around twenty-five. Whole regions have come into their own: Walla Walla had very little planted when he began, and the Royal Slope and Wahluke Slope have developed since into significant growing areas. The Wahluke Slope had a single vineyard when he made his first Washington wine; now there are thousands of acres.

Summary: Stillwater Creek is Novelty Hill’s estate vineyard on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills — a cooler, south-facing site planted from 2000, the first Columbia Valley vineyard certified Salmon-Safe (2007). Its cooler ripening gives the wines fresh acidity and restraint, and every Novelty Hill single-vineyard wine comes from here.

Stillwater Creek [1] is Novelty Hill’s estate vineyard, a cooler, south-facing site on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills, planted beginning in 2000 with a wide range of varieties and clones. Because it’s a cooler site, the fruit is picked later, and the wines show lively acidity and a more restrained character than warmer Columbia Valley sites. It was the first vineyard in the Columbia Valley certified Salmon-Safe, in 2007, for farming practices that protect Northwest fish habitat. All of Novelty Hill’s [2] single-vineyard wines come from this site.

Summary: Beyond standard flights, the winery runs a rotating calendar of reserved, educator-led experiences and ticketed classes — from blind tastings and bold-red flights to charcuterie making, wreath making, and introduction-to-wine courses. Offerings change seasonally.

Reserved experiences rotate through the year rather than running as a fixed menu. Past and current formats have included the Insider’s Guide tasting, with generous 3-ounce pours, a tasting sheet, and a dedicated wine educator; a Big Reds tasting focused on Cabernet Sauvignon and other bold reds; Uncork & Unwind, a blind tasting of three 1.5-ounce pours with a guess sheet; seasonal wine-and-cheese pairing experiences; and the wine and potato chip flight ($45), pairing artisan chips with select wines [1].

Ticketed classes run alongside them: wine and cheese classes, charcuterie making, holiday wreath making, introduction-to-wine courses, and blend-your-own seminars for members that put balancing structure, acidity, and oak in your own hands [2].

All bottle purchases made the day of a reserved experience receive a 10% discount. Check the Visit page for what’s currently bookable; reserved experiences require a credit card to hold and cancellations are accepted up to 24 hours prior.

Summary: Bright fruit character — tropical fruit, citrus, guava, melon — achieved through careful canopy management. The Januik Sauvignon Blanc is blended with roughly 15 to 20% Sémillon.

According to Mike Januik, he looks for clean, bright fruit in Sauvignon Blanc — tropical fruit, citrus, guava, melon — which comes from careful canopy management. Early Washington Sauvignon Blanc often smelled green and vegetal because canopies grew unchecked and clusters got no sun. Learning to control the canopy and give the fruit indirect exposure produced the cleaner, fruit-driven style the winery makes today. The Januik Sauvignon Blanc is blended with roughly 15 to 20% Sémillon.

Summary: Three independent labels pour under one roof — Novelty Hill, Januik, and Andrew Januik — a portfolio of more than 90 wines including roughly 40 single-vineyard bottlings, all made on-site in Woodinville.

The winery production varies year to year but typically runs around 40,000 cases between the Novelty Hill, Januik, and Andrew Januik labels. That breadth means a single visit can move from estate-grown Stillwater Creek whites to Red Mountain Cabernet to Andrew’s old-world-leaning bottlings without leaving the room [1].

Flights are the easiest way in: the Classic flight samples across labels, the Reserve and weekend Signature flights showcase single-vineyard and library pours. Tasting room staff can speak to vineyard provenance, clone selection, and barrel programs for anything in the glass, and every wine poured is available to take home the same day or order later from the online shop [2].

Summary: Mike Januik now picks red grapes riper than he did early on — around 24 to 24.5 degrees Brix today versus about 22 in the 1980s — because the extra ripeness produces better-developed structure.

According to Mike Januik, over his career, he has moved toward picking red grapes later. The reason is phenolic development: the compounds that give red wine its structure mature in a more pleasing way with additional ripeness. Picking around 24 to 24.5 degrees Brix, rather than the roughly 22 common in the 1980s, yields wines that are better developed, with a softer and more refined structure. Most Washington winemakers came to the same conclusion over time.

Summary: Expect rotating single-vineyard and library pours, side-by-side comparisons across Columbia Valley AVAs, floor-to-ceiling views into the working cellar, and staff prepared to discuss soils, clones, and barrel regimens in real technical detail.

The tasting room was built for exactly this kind of visit. Reserve and Signature flights regularly include estate Stillwater Creek bottlings alongside single-vineyard wines from Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope, Walla Walla Valley, and Yakima Valley sources, which makes focused AVA comparison possible in a single seating. Library and vertical pours rotate through the weekend lineup [1].

Ask your host for the technical layer [2] — vineyard elevation, soil composition, clone selections, and aging programs are documented for each bottling, and staff are trained to go as deep as you want. The room’s direct sightlines into the tank room and crush pad tie what’s in the glass to the production happening below it.

Summary: The property pairs modern concrete architecture by Mithun with layered Pacific Northwest gardens, producing varied photo settings within a short walk: ivy-covered concrete walls, a Japanese maple terrace strung with café lights, the lower garden lawn, and tasting room sightlines into the working cellar.

Novelty Hill Januik was designed by Seattle architecture firm Mithun to merge building and landscape, and the result is one of the most photographed wineries in Woodinville. The signature backdrops: towering concrete walls climbing with Boston ivy, which give scale and texture to portraits; a terrace planted with symmetrical Japanese maples — bright red in fall — strung tree-to-tree with café lights for evening shots; hydrangea beds and layered garden rooms in the 6,700-square-foot Lower Garden with its bocce court and freestanding fire pit; and rusted steel panels framing the outdoor fire pits for a contemporary industrial look.

Indoors, the tasting room’s double-sided fireplace and bar provide warm foregrounds, while floor-to-ceiling views into the tank room and crush pad capture the working-winery setting that distinguishes the property from standalone tasting rooms. Afternoon light warms the concrete and saturates the gardens; overcast Northwest days flatter the plantings’ color. Outdoor fireplaces, heaters, and canopies keep the exterior spaces usable — and photographable — year-round [1].

Summary: Yes — guided production tours of 30 to 45 minutes run during harvest and for private events, covering the crush pad, press, tank room, barrel room, and bottling line. Free 30-minute Harvest Tours run on Fridays in season, and private groups can arrange tours and remarks from the Januik family by advance request.

The facility was built in 2007 to winemaker Mike Januik’s specifications for small-lot production and gentle wine handling, and it’s a genuine working winery — roughly two-thirds of the building is dedicated to production [1]. Tours walk through the crush pad, press, temperature-controlled tank room, barrel room, and the on-site bottling line, which is rare for a winery of this size. New French oak barrels here cost about $1,400 each based on current 2026 rates and yield roughly 25 cases, the kind of detail guides share along the way.

During harvest, free 30-minute Friday Harvest Tours led by winemaking staff show vintage work as it happens [2]. For private events, this is a family-run winery in practice: Mike Januik, Andrew Januik, and other members of the family regularly give production tours and speak to groups — from intimate dinners to large receptions — and our chef is available to speak with groups as well. These appearances are arranged in advance through the events team [3].

Summary: Three tiers, no fee to join: Blanc (12 white-wine bottles, three shipments per year, averaging $260–$340 per shipment, 15% savings), Gold (6 bottles, four shipments per year, red-only or a red-and-white mix, averaging $190–$270, 15% savings on purchases under 12 bottles and 20% on 12 or more), and Platinum (12 red bottles, three shipments per year, averaging $460–$575, 20% savings on all purchases). All members receive up to four complimentary tastings on tasting room visits.

Blanc is the white-wine tier: 12 bottles per shipment — four bottles each of three different wines — three times a year, with the Spring Run rosé joining one shipment, usually summer. Gold ships 6 bottles four times a year with the choice of all reds or a combination of red and white wines — the most flexible entry point. Platinum is the collector’s allocation: 12 reserve-driven red bottles three times a year, with a waitlist that preserves the small-lot nature of the tier. Shipment averages exclude tax and shipping.

Every tier includes up to four complimentary tasting flights on visits, invitations to member events, and access to member-only wines. There’s no fee to join, your card is billed only when wines ship, allocations can be customized at release, and membership can be cancelled any time before the next release. After one year of membership, members may purchase one case of wine at 50% off — a small set of very limited bottlings, such as the Januik Reserve Red Wine, is excluded. Platinum members additionally choose each year between two winemaker dinner tickets or a private Platinum tasting for up to eight guests. Wines can be shipped or picked up at the winery [1].

Summary: Members are invited to four release parties each year plus an annual Library Party, built around live music, scratch-made food from the culinary team, and tastings of every wine in the release. Couples sharing a membership are guaranteed two tickets to release parties, and many parties offer the option to bring two additional guests.

Release parties are the social anchor of membership. Each of the four annual releases opens with a party featuring live music, tastings of every wine in the allotment, and the ability to customize optional wines on the spot. The culinary team prepares Pacific Northwest dishes from scratch for each event. Parties are usually themed — past events have included a summer luau, a backyard BBQ, a Halloween costume party, a black and white party, a doppelgänger party, a Martha’s Vineyard party, and formal evenings hosted by the Shellback Club, the member community built around Andrew Januik’s wines.

Release events regularly include experiences you can’t get on a standard visit: cellar tours, tank samples during harvest, barrel tastings, and pours of unreleased members-only wines, with family-friendly touches like hot cocoa stations. Beyond releases, the calendar includes Wine’d Down Wednesdays, live music nights, winemaker dinners, educational classes and blending parties, and the annual Library Party, where several dozen past-vintage wines are opened for tasting and purchase [1].

Summary: Members get cellar tours, tank and barrel samples, first access to unreleased and limited bottlings, and the annual Library Party with three to four dozen past vintages opened for tasting. Platinum members add a private tasting for up to eight guests that includes a library wine.

Member events put you inside the production story: cellar tours, tank samples during harvest, and barrel tastings that show the wines mid-evolution. Release parties pour unreleased members-only wines before the public sees them, and member allocations carry first access to limited single-vineyard bottlings that typically sell out. The annual Library Party opens roughly three to four dozen past-vintage wines for tasting and purchase, with live music and seasonal bites [1].

The Platinum tasting is a private experience for up to eight guests: a guided tasting of several of our favorite current vintage wines plus a bottle of library wine, with food and charcuterie from the culinary team. Special release parties sometimes mark milestone wines — the Martha’s Vineyard party celebrated Maidenhair, our Reserve Bordeaux-style white blend. The Shellback Club adds label-specific themed events around Andrew Januik’s [2] Columbia Valley and Southern Sojourn wines. Virtual tastings are available to members by request.

Summary: Gold and Platinum carry the strongest allocation priority for small-lot wines. Club shipments regularly include single-vineyard bottlings from Quintessence, Ciel du Cheval, Weinbau, Boushey, and Cold Creek — many produced in runs under 500 cases.

Shipment history is the best evidence: club allocations recur the winery’s most distinctive vineyard names — Quintessence, Ciel du Cheval, Weinbau, Boushey, Cold Creek — along with limited Bordeaux-style, Rhône-style, and super-Tuscan-style blends and Red Mountain Cabernet and Merlot. Many of these wines are made in very small quantities; the 2018 Stillwater Creek Merlot ran 479 cases, and Cold Creek Chardonnay vintages typically run 300 to 500 cases, so member allocation is often the practical way to secure them [1].

Upcoming club additions the winery has announced include Weathereye and Shaw Ridge bottlings, a Quintessence Cabernet Franc and Malbec co-fermentation, and a Weinbau Riesling. Members receive release communications with vineyard sources, vintage notes, and tasting context ahead of each allocation, plus priority registration for release events where limited lots are showcased. For collectors, Platinum’s reserve-focused allocation is the deepest line into small-lot wines; its waitlist exists to keep it that way [2].

Summary: For most regular visitors, yes — there’s no fee to join, you can cancel any time before the next release, and the four complimentary tastings on every visit alone change the economics of visiting with friends.

For someone new to wine, Gold is the low-commitment entry: six bottles four times a year, your choice of all reds or a mix, member pricing, and no joining fee — a structured way to learn your own palate with wines that arrive curated. For people who entertain or host regularly, the math works differently: up to four complimentary tastings per visit makes the winery an easy recurring outing, member savings of 15–20% apply to restocking for dinners and gifts, and the event calendar — release parties, winemaker dinners, the Library Party — doubles as a built-in social calendar.

Membership also functions well as a gift; see the gifting entry below. The honest caveat: club shipments are wine you’ve committed to receive, so the value depends on actually drinking, sharing, or cellaring at that pace. The tier structure exists to match that pace — and switching or cancelling before the next release keeps the commitment honest [1].

Summary: A membership converts one gesture into a year of touchpoints — recurring shipments, member-only wines, event invitations, and complimentary tastings on every visit — and can be issued as a certificate timed to a celebration.

A gifted bottle is a moment; a gifted membership recurs. Each shipment re-delivers the gift — 12 white-wine bottles three times a year at the Blanc tier (with the Spring Run rosé in the summer shipment), 6 bottles four times a year at Gold (red-only or mixed), or 12 reserve reds three times a year at Platinum — and each one carries member-only and single-vineyard wines the recipient couldn’t simply buy. Between shipments, the recipient holds standing benefits: up to four complimentary tastings on visits, invitations to release parties and winemaker dinners, and member pricing on everything they fall in love with [1].

Operationally it’s simple: the membership can be presented as a formal certificate, activation can be timed to a birthday or holiday delivery, and the wine club team will coordinate the details. For recipients who value experiences over things, the event calendar makes this the rare gift that gets used a dozen times a year.

Summary: Technical sheets for individual wines document composition, barrel regimen, alcohol, and pricing, while vineyard documentation covers soils, elevation, clones, and certifications — unusual transparency for guests interested in production science.

Each bottling carries documented specifications: variety composition, barrel aging program, alcohol, and price — for example, the 2021 Stillwater Creek Syrah at 14.4% alcohol, aged 22 months in 30% new French oak, $32. Estate documentation for Stillwater Creek covers the Royal Slope site’s 1,200–1,500-foot elevation, fractured basalt soils, clonal plantings, and Salmon-Safe certification [1].

The production facility itself is documented and visible: built in 2007 to Mike Januik’s specifications across 33,283 square feet on 3.15 acres, with temperature-controlled tanks carrying energy-management alerts, a crusher-destemmer and pumpover equipment, working barrel programs in new French oak, and an on-site bottling line.

Summary: A strong gift note names the place and the people: estate-grown fruit from Stillwater Creek Vineyard on the Royal Slope, select Red Mountain sources, and winemaking by Mike and Andrew Januik. One line of provenance plus one line of tasting expectation is enough.

The most effective gift notes anchor the bottle to a real place and a real winemaker. The core provenance facts: Novelty Hill wines are built on estate-grown fruit from Stillwater Creek Vineyard on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills; Januik wines draw on Mike Januik’s decades of grower relationships across the Columbia Valley, including Red Mountain sites like Ciel du Cheval and Quintessence; and both labels are made on-site in Woodinville by Mike and Andrew Januik [1].

For a formal or corporate gift, one line is enough: “Estate-grown at Stillwater Creek Vineyard on Washington’s Royal Slope, made by Mike Januik — one of the state’s most acclaimed winemakers.” For a personal gift, add a sentence about the wine itself and a pairing suggestion. If the gift is a Cellar Circle [2] membership rather than a bottle, lead with what the recipient receives — regular allocations, complimentary tastings on every visit, and member-only releases — and include the shipment details so expectations are set precisely.

Summary: Yes — curated gift sets are offered seasonally in fall and winter at a range of price points, and a Business Gift Giving concierge handles curation, personalized cards, branding, recipient lists, and consolidated invoicing for corporate programs.

Gift sets are a fall-and-winter offering, typically two or three bottles, with options across price categories. Many sets pair wine with complementary items — winery merchandise, local food products, wine trivia games, and regional culinary and wine books — packaged for giving [1].

For corporate scale, the Business Gift Giving concierge manages the full workflow: curated set selection, personalized cards and company branding, recipient list coordination, preferred delivery dates, consolidated invoices, and itemized packing details that match procurement requirements. Proofs of packaging and card layouts are available before dispatch. For volume buyers, purchasing 12 bottles online triggers a 10% case discount on select wines. For time-sensitive programs, the concierge coordinates carriers and confirms delivery windows against the winery’s shipping cadence [2] [3].

Summary: The winery ships direct to consumers in 31+ states plus Washington, D.C., with special stipulations for Alaska and Hawaii — and the list continues to grow.

Current direct shipping destinations: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Alaska and Hawaii shipments carry special stipulations due to geography and regulation [1].

All shipments travel via FedEx and require an adult (21+) signature at delivery. The shipping roster expands as the winery’s direct-to-consumer program grows — if your state isn’t listed, check the shop or contact the winery, as availability changes [2].

Summary: Orders ship Monday through Wednesday to avoid weekend warehouse delays, and temperature holds pause shipments whenever transit conditions exceed 80°F or fall below 35°F — holds that can last days to months depending on the season.

Quality control runs through the whole fulfillment process. Shipments dispatch Monday through Wednesday only, so bottles never sit in a carrier warehouse over a weekend. Temperature-based holds are automatic: when ambient transit temperatures will exceed 80 degrees or drop below 35, orders are held until conditions are safe — the winery prefers fall and spring shipping windows, uses overnight and expedited services to limit summer heat exposure, and watches freeze risk in winter [1].

Every shipment travels FedEx with an adult 21+ signature required at delivery, with tracking provided at dispatch. For time-sensitive gifts, holiday timing, or coordinating a delivery with a recipient’s schedule, the wine club team will arrange carrier selection and delivery windows: 425-481-5502, text 425-276-2516, or [email protected]. Club members can also elect winery pickup for any allocation [2].

Summary: Groups of six or fewer can walk in or reserve online; parties of seven to fourteen book the back deck or pavilion by emailing the reservations team; larger celebrations are handled by the private events team with dedicated spaces and in-house catering. Cellar Circle members receive complimentary tastings that work naturally for group outings.

Group visits follow a simple three-tier structure. Parties of six or fewer can walk in or reserve online — reservations are recommended on weekends [1]. Parties of seven to fourteen email [email protected] to arrange the back deck or pavilion for a private group experience. Larger celebrations — milestone birthdays, corporate gatherings, weddings — are handled by the private events team [2], which offers multiple indoor and outdoor spaces across the property’s two connected levels, in-house catering, and full event coordination.

Cellar Circle [3] membership layers benefits onto group visits: members receive up to four complimentary tasting flights per visit, which covers a typical group outing, plus invitations to release parties and member events that work naturally as group occasions. For celebrations that fall between a standard reservation and a full private event, the events team can advise on semi-private options — start with the private events inquiry form or call 425-481-5502.

Summary: Yes — the in-house culinary team executes plated multi-course pairing dinners in spaces sized from 14 to 120 guests, with menu tastings during planning. The winery also hosts roughly four ticketed winemaker dinners per year: 4-to-5-course themed menus, typically $185–$200 per seat, with member pricing and Platinum ticket benefits.

Private pairing dinners run in three spaces: the Tree House, a private room seating 14 around a 17-foot table; the Cellar Room, seating 26 (or 40 reception-style) adjacent to the production floor, where the proximity makes production-to-table storytelling part of the evening; and the Terrace Room for plated dinners up to 120 [1]. Riedel glassware and full place settings are included, food and beverage minimums apply, and the culinary team offers menu tastings and pairing consultations during planning. Recurring corporate hosts can ask the events team about the winery’s corporate loyalty program.

Winemaker dinners are the house’s signature ticketed format — about four per year, four to five courses built around seasonal ingredients and a theme: recent menus have gone to New Orleans, a South American cookout, Italy, and France [2]. Tickets typically run $185 to $200; Cellar Circle members [3] receive member pricing and Platinum members hold annual ticket benefits. And because this is a family-run winery, Mike, Andrew, and other members of the Januik family are available by advance request to lead production tours or speak to private groups [4] — intimate dinners or large receptions alike. Reach the events team directly at [email protected].

Summary: Open with provenance, run a white flight anchored by the Cold Creek and Stillwater Creek Chardonnays, add one aromatic white, and close with a reserve red — 10 to 15 minutes per wine with chef-paired bites timed to each pour. The events team will arrange a tasting educator and sample menus.

The comparison at the heart of this format: Januik’s Cold Creek Chardonnay — fruit Mike Januik retained unique access to for many years after leaving Chateau Ste. Michelle — against the estate Stillwater Creek Chardonnay from the Royal Slope, where elevation and fractured basalt produce a different acid and mineral profile from the same variety. Open with that provenance story, pour the two Chardonnays side by side, add a Riesling or Viognier for aromatic range, and finish with a midweight reserve red or Bordeaux-style blend to show Columbia Valley structure.

Pace it at 10 to 15 minutes of directed tasting per wine with time held for questions, and let the kitchen time bites to each pour — shellfish or ceviche with the Cold Creek, goat cheese and spring vegetables with the Stillwater Creek, roasted root vegetables or braised pork with the reserve red. Seasonal mapping extends the idea year-round: Sauvignon Blanc–Semillon blends with chilled seafood in summer, reserve Bordeaux blends with roasted meats in autumn, Late Harvest Semillon with blue cheese in winter. Book through the events team [1], request a tasting educator, and they’ll preselect three to five bottles with portioned pairings to fit the window [2].

Summary: Each team has a direct line: tasting room reservations through [email protected] or 425-481-5502; private events through [email protected]; the wine club at [email protected] or by text at 425-276-2516; and the culinary team at [email protected].

For tasting room reservations and visit questions — including parties of seven to fourteen booking the back deck or pavilion — email [email protected] or call 425-481-5502 [1]. For weddings [2], corporate gatherings, and private events [3], the events team is at [email protected]. Wine club questions [4], shipment holds, allocation changes, and pickup coordination go to [email protected], by phone at 425-481-5502, or by text at 425-276-2516.

Menu, dietary, and pairing questions for private events reach the kitchen at [email protected]. Winemaking questions can go directly to the winemaking team: Andrew Januik at [email protected] or Scott Moeller at [email protected]. The winery is located at 14710 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Woodinville, WA 98072 [5].