Bothell Like a Local: Mari Womack of Damsel Cellars

Every fall, the wine country just east of Bothell goes into a full harvest season swing. We caught up with winemaker Mari Womack of Damsel Cellars to hear how her journey began in Woodinville: a boutique tasting room that’s still rooted in the community that helped her get started.

In this installment of our Bothell Like a Local series, Mari shares what harvest really looks like, the wine she calls her “don’t miss,” and why this might be the best time of year to explore wine country.

[Q] For those who don't know Damsel Cellars yet, what's the story behind the winery and your path into wine-making?

“My story is a very circuitous route to wine making. 
I came to wine later in life. I was working in the restaurant industry during college, you know, to have some extra walking around money, pay for some classes. 
And I just fell in love with hospitality and working in restaurants. Fast forward multiple years, I took an opportunity to come out here to Woodinville and started poking around at some of the tasting rooms during harvest. I ended up meeting Darby English at Darby Winery. He needed someone to manage his tasting rooms and I needed somebody to teach me how to make wine. Once I saw what was going on in the production side of things, I basically went from zero to nuclear and decided that I needed my own winery — knowing nothing about the business, really. For four years it was just two people processing 85 tons of fruit from 12 different vineyards, multiple different varieties of grapes. It was a fantastic training ground, and the community out here was incredibly supportive every time I had an idea. Every time I wanted to try something or learn something, I could reach out to the community and they were fantastic. Then, 2012 was the first year that I produced wine on my own and that was the start of it all for Damsel. Now in 2026, we're doing somewhere between 2,800 and 3,200 cases, so we’re still very boutique. We’re still very involved in the local community here and haven't really branched out too much. The story of Damsel is just me finding my passion and letting it go from a passion to a hobby, to a ‘jobby’ (which is what I call a job that doesn't pay you), to an actual winery.”

[Q] For someone visiting Damsel Cellars for the first time, what does a typical afternoon look like — and what shouldn't they miss?

“I am very happy to say we are blessed with some really wonderful staff. Our tasting room associates are some of the most fun, wine-loving people ever. They come across as your good friend that just happens to know a lot about wine. 
Visiting our tasting room down in Hollywood Hills gives you a really nice perspective of what's going on and what's being built. But if you're coming to Damsel Cellars for the first time, my favorite variety of wine is Syrah. If you are visiting us and there is a Syrah on the tasting — and there almost always is — that is where I would start. 
That is my favorite variety and it’s my favorite thing to make. I would say that is your ‘don’t miss’ wine.”

[Q] Harvest season is such a big deal in the wine world — what does this time of year look like for you, from the vineyard to the cellar?

“Harvest is a really crazy and high stakes time. You’re setting yourself and your business up for the next year or two. It kind of runs on a strange rhythm. You wait all summer for the fruit to ripen and then, all of a sudden, it's go time. Day after day, no breaks, seven days a week we are picking fruit. In the past, I have driven over the mountains to pick up the fruit and driven it back. We've been lucky in the past couple of years to have drivers and be able to utilize some of those other small businesses and services to share trucks, consolidating trips back and forth. We have that big mountain range that separates where we are here and where the vineyards are. 
A typical day-to-day is usually spending very early mornings processing fruit, fermentation, and pressing the fruit. Harvest is a long, long process. And it's really bittersweet. It's kind of funny. 
You get started and you have so much enthusiasm and you're really looking forward to getting this chance to make your wine. And then you get really worn down and tired in the middle of harvest, but you have to keep pushing. Then, at the end, as you're getting close to having all the fruit in, and things are starting to wind down, it’s bittersweet. You won't get to do it again for another 10 months or so. Harvest is special in the way it brings out the best in people. You really have to push to get through it.”

[Q] Do you have a fall or harvest-season release you're especially excited about this year?

“We always reward our wine club members with a harvest party in early November, where we usually do a fun wine club release. In the last couple of years I've started making Sinsó, which you don't really see a lot of as a single variety in Washington. It's lighter, it's spicier, it's perfect for fall and the holidays. But it's also a chillable red that you can drink in the summer. 
We get our fruit from Knox Road Vineyard, which is a small vineyard at the very eastern side of Yakama Valley owned by the Henry family. That fruit has been great to work with. A lot of winemakers think of ourselves as artists and grapes just happen to be our medium. When you get to be creative and try new varieties of grapes and experiment and play a little bit, it's always fun. So, I'm really excited that we've been able to do Sinsó in the last couple of years.”

[Q] How can out-of-towners stay connected and keep enjoying Damsel Cellars after they head home?

“We have a very loyal and involved wine club across many different states which is fantastic. And we partner with a local service here in Woodinville that does all of our shipping for us — Cellars Wine Club. We can ship to almost all 50 states with a flat shipping rate, which is great for the holidays. 
We also have newsletters and fun things that you can subscribe to on our website, and if you want to stay in the know, you can follow us on socials. But we really do appreciate those direct consumer relationships that we have when we can send our wine off to be enjoyed across the U.S.”

[Q] Any other local spots you recommend checking out for someone planning a weekend trip to Bothell?

“I recently went to Kro Bar for cocktails and that was such a fun experience. Having a bespoke cocktail made for me by a very knowledgeable bartender was a really great experience. For the restaurant scene in Bothell, I feel like just for the building itself you have to walk through the McMenamins property. It's just so wild and crazy and fun. That's always worth checking out. Out here in Woodinville, The Somm Hotel is here and Willows Lodge is right down the street, so there's a lot of fun things to do just in our little neighborhood. There are also a few other wineries not to be missed. 
Grosgrain just opened in harvest and they are doing some really wild, really fun stuff. They're worth checking out. Eletone, if you like sparkling wines. They're up in the Warehouse District.”

[Q] What does it mean to you to be part of the greater Bothell/Woodinville wine and food community?

“I think the one trait that I've seen over the last 15 years has been how much community there is. Not only are the Chambers of Commerce out here in Woodville and in Bothell doing what they can to support some of these small businesses, but partnerships and the community here in wine country has been really remarkable. I have been so embraced and supported. There are people out here that have shared equipment and come to everyone's aid, no matter if it’s somebody needing something, hiring, equipment, or business contacts. It’s such a wonderful community that has been so supportive of me over the last 15 years that I've been involved, and I'm really grateful to be in this particular area.”

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Header image provided by @damselcellars