There are hundreds of wineries in Washington state, though many of them are tiny artisanal wineries producing limited quantities of hand crafted wines. Here's a list of the major wine producing areas of the state, with a sampling of wineries from each. Keep in mind that some wineries are not open to the public, or have limited tour and tasting schedules, so check the Web site before beginning your private tour— or take a list to your local wine shop.

Seattle—In the western half of the state of Washington, Seattle is a commercial, cultural and technology hub of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle sits on Puget sound, and is surrounded by mountains and water. Although not the Washington capital, Seattle is the largest population of any city in the state. And Seattle has several wineries, many of them tiny but amazing artisan wineries. A few of the Seattle wineries: Cadence Winery, E. B. Foote winery, Fall Line Winery, Owen and Sullivan Winery, Stomani Cellars, Wilridge Winery.

Woodinville—A suburban city about 18 miles NE of Seattle, or thirty minutes by car, with a number of wineries. The larger wineries include Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, Domaine Ste. Michelle, maker of sparkling wines, but there are a number of small boutique and artisanal wineries in the Woodinville/Redmond area.

Yakima Valley—Yakima, with cool weather, and volcanic soil is an agricultral paradise in Eastern Washington. In additional to numerous orchards, there are many wineries, large and small. Prosser- In the eastern half of the Yakima Valley, about three and a half hours from Seattle, Prosser is the home of a number of wineries, including some of the state's oldest. A few of the more easily found vintages include Covey Run Winery, Hogue Cellars, Kiona Vineyards and Winery, and Snoqualmie.

Colombia Gorge—An area that runs along the Columbia River and between Washington and Oregon, three or or four hours from the Seattle area depending on traffic, but quite reasonable from either Portland, Oregon, or Prosser, Washington. There are a number of wineries, large and small, as well as vineyards. Columbia Gorge (an official appellation) Washington wineries include: Columbia Crest and Klickitat Canyon.

If you want to create your own private Washington wine tours, make sure to visit the Washington Wine Commission's site, where you can generate your own tour map.