The former production facility for Betz Family Winery in Woodinville has been listed for sale. The listing comes after Betz Family moved its production to Walla Walla in 2021.

“The reason we [moved production] is we could not expand the winery in Woodinville, number one. Number two, we just felt that we really needed to be closer to the vineyards,” says Betz Family owner Steve Griessel.

Griessel and his wife, Bridgit, purchased Betz Family in 2011. The Griessels subsequently sold the winery property to Greg and Pamela Goff, who own adjoining parcels. The Griessels then leased back the portion with the winery.

The Goffs have now put the parcels they own up for sale. What that might mean in the near-term for Betz Family’s use of the facility remains unclear. Despite moving production, Betz Family has maintained offices at the facility. Additionally, the winery, which is only open by appointment, has held events there.

Betz Family is, however, actively working to acquire a permanent facility in Walla Walla. For the last three vintages, production has taken place at Walla Walla Wine Services, a custom crush facility.

“We are highly committed to moving everything to Walla Walla, both production and hospitality,” Griessel says.

When the winery does fully relocate, it will still hold events in Woodinville. “We will continue to do pop up events for members,” Griessel says. “We have so many people who have been loyal fans for so long, and we want to ensure it’s convenient for them.”

Most of Betz Family’s core Bordeaux and Rhône-style wines have been stable in terms of production. The winery has, however, had strong growth in a wine called The Untold Story. Debuted with the 2012 vintage, this wine (originally called Cuvée Frangin) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.

“When we first started it way back, it was really a second wine,” says Griessel. “Now it’s a wine with its own vineyards.” Production of The Untold Story is approximately 6,000 cases annually.

The former Betz Family production facility is part of three parcels the Goffs are selling that total 10.87 acres. They are listed for $9.9M. John L. Scott Real Estate is the broker. The production facility is 6,000-square feet. The property has alternately been referred to as being located in either Woodinville or Redmond. It is located in unincorporated King County.

Betz Family is one of Woodinville’s oldest wineries. Bob and Cathy Betz founded the winery in 1997. At the time, Bob Betz was working at Chateau Ste. Michelle, which was the first winery to call Woodinville home. Betz spent 28 years working at Ste. Michelle.

In 2003, Betz left the company to focus on Betz Family. The following year, Betz broke ground on the winery, which was completed before the 2005 harvest. Though he sold the winery in 2011, Betz has continued on in a consulting role in the ensuing years. Louis Skinner serves as winemaker.

Overall, Woodinville is in a period of realignment. In addition to Betz Family, Patterson Cellars, another old guard winery, moved production to Walla Walla in 2022. A group of other early Woodinville wineries recently moved production to nearby Maltby. Other wineries from Woodinville and beyond have recently opened tasting rooms in downtown Woodinville. The newest addition to the area was Mullan Road.

Other Woodinville wineries and tasting rooms have been changing locations. DeLille and Sparkman moved into the old Red Hook Brewery campus in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Mark Ryan, Long Shadows, and Fidélitas have joined them there in newly constructed buildings that opened earlier this year

Meanwhile, Harvest, a sprawling, long-dreamed of development, is currently underway. It will have a hotel, spa, residences, restaurants, winery tasting rooms, and other retail space. When completed, Harvest will be the biggest change to the Woodinville wine scene since Ste. Michelle opened its doors in 1976.

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