One of our favorite hidden gems in Friday Harbor is Madrone Cellars. This award-winning winery and cidery is one of the best reasons to stay a little longer on San Juan Island, and in summer, when the outdoor wine garden is in full swing and the island is at its most lush and golden, it’s nothing short of wonderful. Madrone Cellars is the work of husband-and-wife team Shaun and Amy Salamida, islanders in the truest sense of the word, and they have a great story behind their business venture.
Amy grew up on San Juan Island, and when the two met in 2014, they were living in Lake Chelan, where Shaun was sharpening his craft as assistant winemaker at Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards and later as head winemaker at Mellisoni Vineyards. By 2017, the pull of the islands won. They moved back, set up their first winery in Amy’s family garage, and Madrone Cellars was born from six barrels of red wine and a shared dream. The name itself is an homage to the Pacific Madrone tree, arbutus menziesii, which grows throughout the San Juan Islands, with its distinctive peeling bark and deep green leaves.
There are a handful of lovely wine tasting experiences on San Juan Island, enough to create an itinerary with a winery stop on each day of your adventure. First, you’ll want to secure your lodging, and as one of the best hotels in Friday Harbor, our boutique Inn collection is the perfect place to stay. You can walk to everything in Friday Harbor, including Madrone Cellars and so much more. We can’t wait to host you; book your summer getaway today!
Wine Tasting at Madrone Cellars & More Island Wineries
For wine tasting in Friday Harbor, Madrone Cellars offers two distinct experiences. The downtown tasting room, now called the Madrone Bar + Kitchen, is located at 40 First Street, with an outdoor wine garden that makes for a perfect summer afternoon stop. You can try wines and ciders by the glass or as a flight, and share fresh salads, housemade hummus, and cheese plates. The space is also pet- and family-friendly.
For something more immersive, there are private tours and tastings at the production winery in the San Juan Valley, led by Shaun himself. Set on Land Bank preserved land and shared with the Island Haven Animal Sanctuary, the winery occupies two renovated historic farm buildings and offers a rare opportunity to see natural winemaking up close, taste current vintages straight from the barrel, and have a real conversation about what goes into every bottle.
The wines lean toward European-inspired styles, with Bordeaux-style reds, French-inspired dry whites, and a rosé that reflects the cool, maritime conditions of the Pacific Northwest. The ciders are equally thoughtful, crafted with local apples from Bellevue Farms on the northern end of San Juan Island and sourced fruit from Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee. Nothing sweet, nothing ordinary. Think dry, structured ciders with the depth of a well-made wine.
By 2024, Madrone completed a significant milestone: a full transition to island-grown fruit in partnership with Saltwater Farm, an organic and biodynamic estate vineyard on San Juan Island. Planted with classic Champagne varieties, including Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, as well as Siegerrebe, an Alsatian grape grown on the island since the 1970s, the vineyard reflects Shaun and Amy’s longstanding admiration for cool-climate wine regions. This year also marks Madrone’s first small batch of 100 percent island-grown sparkling wine, a milestone that has been years in the making.
Sustainability runs through every part of the operation. The estate orchard, planted in 2023 with heritage varieties from the Kwiaht Heritage Orchard on Lopez Island, is farmed using regenerative, organic practices. Apple and grape pomace are composted with manure from the nearby Island Haven Animal Sanctuary and returned to the soil. Pruning wood becomes ramial mulch that feeds the vineyard’s fungal network. Even the glass bottles are part of the loop, washed, sanitized, and reused through their Bottle Reuse Program, which launched in 2022.
When you’re planning things to do on San Juan Island, build in time for at least one of these Madrone experiences. And when it comes to hotels in Friday Harbor, staying in town puts you within easy walking distance of the tasting room, which makes the evening especially easy.
Other Wine Tasting Experiences on San Juan Island:
- San Juan Vineyard is a scenic ten-minute drive from downtown Friday Harbor on Roche Harbor Road, making it an easy addition to any island day. Their tasting room is a lovingly restored 1895 schoolhouse surrounded by 30 acres of estate vineyard, where they grow Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine, two cool-climate white varietals that genuinely thrive here. They also produce a rosé and several red blends. The Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley stops here for those without a car.
- Friday Harbor Skybar is a rooftop wine bar just steps from the ferry, open seven days a week, with a curated selection of Washington wines and beyond. The views of the harbor, the ferries, and the occasional seaplane are hard to beat, and it’s a perfect first or last stop on any island visit.
- Archipelago Wines operates as a small production facility in Friday Harbor, offering private tastings by appointment. Their sparkling wines, made with low-intervention methods, are worth seeking out.
Between Madrone Cellars and these local spots, a summer wine-tasting itinerary on San Juan Island comes together easily. Add whale watching, a morning at Lime Kiln Point, or a kayak around the harbor, and you have an island trip that’s hard to improve on.
Book one of the Best Hotels in Friday Harbor
When it comes to hotels in Friday Harbor, Tucker House Inn and Harrison House Suites make an exceptionally good home base for a wine-focused getaway. Our Inn sits just two blocks from the ferry terminal, which means Madrone Cellars Bar + Kitchen is a short, easy walk from your front door, and the rest of the island is equally accessible. The 18-room property has been welcoming guests for over 20 years and has earned recognition from Travel + Leisure as the best place to stay on San Juan Island, with good reason. Rooms and suites are thoughtfully appointed with fireplaces, jacuzzi tubs, and private hot tubs in select accommodations, and the cottages are fully stocked and roomy enough for groups or families.
Each morning begins with a complimentary multi-course gourmet breakfast made from seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, delivered hot to your door, which sets a pretty ideal tone for the day ahead. When the evening calls for something special, Coho Restaurant is right down the block, offering farm-to-table fine dining and an award-winning wine cellar featuring local San Juan Island wines alongside a curated selection of library and international bottles. The inn’s concierge can also arrange wine tastings and help coordinate your day on the island, so if you want to book a private tour at Madrone Cellars in the San Juan Valley, they can help make that happen. Book your room today!