Sara A.
Yelp
A definite must, if you are in the Woodinville area tasting wines. While mead is technically not a wine, you will still enjoy the buzz that comes from sampling the fermented, boozy honey. Yes, they are sweet (I mean, obviously!) but if you pace your tasting, it is a really enjoyable afternoon.
They offer a wide range of tasting options, but I would recommend the $15 option, which gives you a 1oz pour of EVERY ONE! There's quite a bit of variety, from both the level of sweetness to the various additions, such as blackberry, ginger, raspberry, cherry almond, etc. Plus, if you purchase a bottle, they will waive the tasting fee (and the bottles are around $17-$20+, so very reasonable!)
My favorite thing about Sky River is the atmosphere. They have a large couch or two surrounding a fireplace, and are more than happy to let you hang out for a few hours. If those spots are taken, there's a long dining room table and a huge stack of board games. My family and I basically recreated our own dining room, playing Yahtzee and sampling the meads for a good 2+ hours. There are also 2 and 4 top tables on the other side of the venue, plus a restroom, and a bonus Labradoodle to pet! Feel like shopping while tasting? They have a bunch of cute kitchen items, as well as cookbooks, wine books, jewelry and other gifts. If the weather is nice, they also have a little deck where you can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful view from atop the hill where Sky River is perched.
Mead is not very common, so I highly recommend coming here to see what it is all about. Plan for a lazy afternoon, because with so many options to try, it is definitely more fun if you take your time!