Welcome to Our Chocolaty World!

Chocolate Box is a celebration of the best chocolatiers in the Northwest, along with a thorough selection of Northwest wines to pair with your chocolate. Whether it’s for your own pleasure or to give to someone special, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect chocolate and wine in our wonderful store! Enjoy your journey!

Seattle Wine – A Rich Cultural History in the Making

The first wine grapes appeared in Washington in 1825, planted by Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. Throughout the remainder of the 19th century, grapes and wine spread throughout Washington and the Northwest. By 1910, settlers from France, Germany, and Italy had started plantings in many areas of the state – a Seattle wine industry was soon inevitable.

Environmental events helped wine production explode in the Northwest, and gave Seattle wine its rich flavor varieties. In 1903, runoff from melting snow on the Cascade Mountains resulting in massive irrigation that enriched soil with volcanic minerals. This allowed wine makers to plant Italian and German grapes in areas like the Columbia Valley. The Columbia Valley Grape Carnival in 1910 was the first ever major wine event in Washington. While it may seem that the arrival of Prohibition in 1920 would have hindered the development of Seattle wine, it actually may have helped increase interest in home winemaking that continues to characterize the Northwest to this day.

Seattle Wine History Timeline

From the beginning of Prohibition on, wine production in the Pacific Northwest first stalled, but was soon forced to scramble to meet increasing demands immediately following the end of Prohibition:

• 1933: Prohibition repealed by the Twenty-First Amendment; the Northwest’s first bonded winery opens on Stretch Island in the Puget Sound.
• 1938: Wineries have opened in 42 locations throughout Washington
• 1940s: Wineries primarily serve churches, businesses, and low volumes of private orders.
• 1960s: Local wine interest increases, wineries soon open in 170 locations in Washington.
• 1975: Enological Society of the Pacific Northwest founded
• 1987: Washington State Wine Commission formed
• 1999: Washington Wine Quality Alliance
• Today: The Washington Wine Commission estimates that a new winery opens in Washington every 15 days.

Chocolate Box and Wine

Chocolate Box recognizes the unique flavors possible with fantastic wine and chocolate pairings, and we celebrate the abundance of both wine and chocolate in Seattle with two tours:

Urban Wine Tour: a three-hour tour where you’ll visit the finest wineries in the area – fortunately located right within the Seattle center. Tasting is a major part of the experience, of course.

Chocolate Box Experience: Chocolate Box also offers morning Seattle chocolate tours on Saturdays and Sundays. If you’d like to spend the entire day with both chocolate and wine, you can take advantage of special combo tickets.