Fletcher Bay Winery

Fletcher Bay Winery is a small boutique winery owned by Jim Wilford. The winery sources it’s grapes from Eastern, WA. You can taste their wine at their winery, or at the Island Vinters Wine Bar in downtown Winslow. It is cheaper if you go to the winery itself.
The tasting room is quaint and cozy and located were all the wine making action takes place. You get to sit amongst the barrels of maturing wine. The cheese plate here is incredible! Do not pass up on getting some of the food. They even have rice crackers for those who are wheat sensitive.
Shannon/​Sharon was an amazing knowledgeable host as she took us through the tasting. I believe it was about $ 5 for a tasting of about 6 glasses of your choice from the tasting menu. Between my friend and I we tasted the entire menu. There wasn’t anything we didn’t like, everything was OK. The standouts for me were Barking Dog Red, Tara Rouge, and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (still young, well rounded, balanced, drinkable now, but you could taste the future possibilities).

pretty awesome winery in the middle of a nondescript strip mall away from downtown bainbridge island.
the tasting fee was only $ 5 for 6 glasses of wine! what an amazing deal. the bartender was careful to explain each glass that she was pouring for us, which was really helpful for a wine n00b like me. they also sell glasses of wine individually if you’re not interested in doing a tasting.
if you’re a little hangry, they do sell cheeses there as well.
recommendation: if you’re in a large group, pay by cash. they use an ipad to split the bill, and it was way too confusing for the bartender to figure out.

Friendly service! I love Shannon. I found it so cool that was so outgoing and she made us feel comfortable in the winery. She helped me pick a few wines because I’m a beginner and I loved that. The tyrah was awesome and so was the Vouiter. The man was awesome too.

Cute place with friendly service. And dog friendly! Great place to stop by to share a bottle of wine on the weekend.

Shannon was the best host! We always go on random wine tasting adventures and this place really holds its own. They have a small tasting area that is intimate and industrial at the same time. We loved the Patriots Red and the cracked pepper white cheddar. Again, the experience was memorable and we will be going back to visit Shannon!

The winery was great, especially for a novice like myself, the hostess,
Shannon was extremely helpful and very friendly and she was able to talk at
length about the wines that we drank. They charge $ 5 for tasting but wave
that fee if you buy a bottle. The owner, Jim, also came in and was very
knowledgeable and was happy to answer our questions and talk about the
different factors that affect the wines flavor from year to year based on
terrior. Also the location is great because the winery resides next to a
brewery and a distillery is also a stone’s throw away. Bainbridge Island is
a great trip and this place is a must on that list.

Jim & Sharon are good people and Jim’s passion for wine is clear. I love the uniqueness of their different blends… keeps it interesting and seasonal for us locals!

The service here is great. I really like the man who served us. This space is a little small for patrons but they have some great reds. My favorite is the Tara Rouge and I would also give a shootout to the Battle Point Red.
Note that they also serve this wine at Island Vinters for a higher tasting price, so try the Fletcher Bay wine here and get something else at Island Vinters!

Perfect, relaxed environment. Take the ferry from Seattle and start your little stay-​cation here with their great Pinot and unique varietals! Owner is there on the weekend and the passion about his craft is evident! Join the wine club, support this great boutique winery with tasty local offerings! Another location on the main drag of Bainbridge if you’re walking or biking, also offer tastings at Island Vitners!

Nice little stop if you are checking out the distillery and the brewery in the same complex. The owner was really nice and very welcoming. I wasn’t crazy about their reds (I am kind of picky), but the white they had to offer and their late harvest (also a white) were both delicious. Worth the stop for some crisp white wine on a hot summer day!

We had a wonderful experience at Fletcher Bay Winery. Jim was an extremely hospitable host and went out of his way to make our experience unique and fun. A close friend is marrying next weekend so we had a low-​key girls’ «weekend get-​away» to Bainbridge Island. Jim was very responsive to my inquiry around winetasting options and opened up the winery to do a private tasting just for us (he could have sent us to the tasting room, but offered to host us at the winery at Fletcher Bay)! He had cheese and crackers prepared to go along with our tasting (I think we sampled about 6 different wines — bottled and directly from the barrel), showed us how to bottle wine (that was really fun!), and was open to any questions we had around their wines/​the winery with a friendly, relaxed and unpretentious approach. It made for an enjoyable and unique experience we might not have otherwise had at a larger winery in Woodinville or elsewhere in Eastern Washington. Not to mention, their wines are lovely! I highly recommend Fletcher Bay Winery — great wine, beautiful setting on Bainbridge Island, and short ferry ride from Seattle. Enjoy!
Thank you Jim — we’ll definately be back!

Great little place! Free wine tasting with no pressure to buy. We enjoyed all the wines. And the little doggie greeters!
They now have a tasting room in downtown Bainbridge Island but the winery (guest house) on their property is still open for tastings. Friendly owners!

Fletcher Bay was the next to last stop on our cycling tour of Bainbridge wineries and even though we didn’t end up purchasing any of their wines it was a very welcome detour.
The tasting room is a comfy, well-​lit space with tasting counter/​kitchen at one end and ample space to mill about and chat while you sip your wine and sample the selection of cheeses they put out for the afternoon.
They were only pouring one white and one red that afternoon, but they were generous pours, which was perfect for taking a stroll around the property to relax on the lawn, or enjoy the shade of the deck overlooking the winery’s namesake bay. The lady working in the tasting room even brought the next bottle to us out on the deck when she saw our first glasses were running low. If we weren’t running a little low on time, I would have been inclined to buy a bottle to enjoy right there on the grounds.
Their wines are pretty well respected, so I’d love to go back for another visit when they have a few more to sample. On a somewhat related note, their tasting room would be a great space for an intimate gathering — maybe a birthday soirée or reunion of old friends.

Sharon was truly the consummate hostess in the tasting room on July 16^th when we visited. They had just had their grand opening the night before and had lots of delicious food to sample with their amazing wines. We purchased a half-​case (which is still in-​transit, apparently, a month later but we’re expecting it soon). Overall, nice, knowledgeable people making great, hand-​crafted wines presented happily in their tasting room on Bainbridge Island.
**October 2011 Update: As mentioned in the original review, our wine took over a month to ship, which is really not typical in my experience. Their reason, however, was due to higher than normal temperatures in the Washington area, which would impact wine quality during shipment. Also, when the wines arrived, we were not as impressed with the wines we purchased compared to the wines we tasted. This could be due to different batches being used for tasting vs. what was shipped but really affected our impression of the wines we purchased (which averaged $ 15 — $ 20 per bottle).
Also, the pino grigio we purchased had some secondary fermentation (bubbles), which was unfortunate and mired the taste.

Fantastic wine for such a new winery. Wonderful and hospitable owners. Beautiful setting. The guest house is lovely. Check this place out.

A truly grass roots wine lover will appreciate the heart and soul put into this small winery and the owner’s authentic love of wine.
We think it is a must do if you are on the island. Enjoy!