The Waddling Chateau, Inc.

Pros

• The wine tasting was absolutely lovely on a beautiful sunny Fall day.
• The staff did a great job describing each pour and filling orders promptly.
• Guests look forward to returning for a more leisurely visit to see more of the grounds.
• The Salmon Safe Red wine tasting featured a knowledgeable explanation of each vintage and excellent food to complement the tasting.
• Guests ordered a case of wine with a $5 ground shipping fee and had an awesome experience.
• Josh Groban's concert was fantastic and a great showman who loves his fans.
• The venue was gorgeous, the food fabulous, and the waitress was informative, friendly, and bubbly.
• The wines are delicious.
• The winery is a great place to see a concert.
• Emilie was the best server - personable, sweet, and attentive.

Cons

• They waited in line for over two hours to enter and the concert started late.
• The Riesling was described as the worst they've ever tasted and unable to complement anything.
• It was the worst winery visit of their life, with nowhere to do a tasting and only a to-go flight available.
• VIP customers waited in line and were not allowed into the private acoustic set.
• They felt the venue could use more ADA accommodations.
• Parking at the concert venue was criticized as excessive, and there was no shuttle service.
• The venue's layout and seating changes ruined the fan experience, making it hard to see the stage.
• It felt more like a restaurant or bar than a winery.
• It was so busy there were hardly any tables available, even with reservations.
• The tasting was overpriced at $30 for four small pours.
• One reviewer called it one of the worst venues in Washington state.

Review

The experiences at this winery and its adjacent concert venue paint a picture of a place that clearly aims to be a premier destination, with a big store, welcoming grounds, and a full calendar of tastings and events. The winery itself is described as a place where you can explore the building, understand how tastings are conducted, and enjoy a well-organized process. Tastings are curated as a program with five different wine options, paired with simple finger foods, all arranged by advance reservation on the website. Tours run two times a day, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the whole tasting experience typically lasts about 75 minutes. The emphasis is on structure and hospitality, with clear instructions that help guests settle into the process without missing out on other stops in their day.

On a bright Fall day, the tasting experience outside proved to be absolutely lovely for a party of seven. The staff did a commendable job describing each pour and ensuring orders were filled promptly so everyone could keep moving to their next winery stop. The setting - outdoors in nice weather - added to the enjoyment, and there was a sense of a smooth, efficient operation even in the bustle of a popular destination. The overall tone from this visit is one of warmth and efficiency, with the grounds and the tasting flow contributing to a memorable, leisurely experience despite tight scheduling.

Another guest highlighted a standout interaction with a staff member named Jean Pierre during the Salmon Safe Red tasting. The tasting was described as highly educational, with thorough explanations of each vintage and thoughtful food pairings to complement the wines. The guest left with a tangible winemaking win and even placed an order for a case, attracted by a modest $5 ground shipping fee. It was characterized as an "awesome experience," and the wine itself was deemed wonderful, underscoring that for some visitors the combination of knowledgeable staff and curated tasting can be genuinely satisfying.

Music and wine intersected for several guests as well, with references to a Josh Groban concert at the venue. The setting and the quality of the show earned high praise, confirming that the site can double as an exceptional concert venue in addition to a winery. However, the concert experience was not without its frustrations: lines for lawn seating stretched for over an hour, and the event started late. Nevertheless, the performance itself was described as fantastic, with Groban being a consummate showman who clearly loves his fans. The sentiment was that concerts here can be memorable - just not always seamless in terms of entry logistics and timing.

There were distinctly negative notes amid the praise. One reviewer described the wine as the worst Reisling they'd ever tasted, arguing it failed to complement any accompanying foods like cheeses, pork, or curry. This critique extended into a broader plea that the winery and its management should rethink certain aspects of the business, implying that for this guest the experience did not align with the winery's potential. Another commenter felt the overall atmosphere had shifted away from a true winery experience toward a restaurant or bar vibe, where walk-in tastings were discouraged and a reservation system created bottlenecks. The sense of frustration was amplified by experiences of being unable to find open seating and encounters with reserved signs that seemed to block casual tastings.

Accessibility and on-site management also cropped up in reviews. A guest suggested that additional ADA accommodations would be beneficial, even though staff were described as generally great. There were anecdotes about service gaps and miscommunications, including situations where guests felt unprepared to serve walk-ins and where reservation systems led to confusion. The feedback collectively hints at a venue that can pull off impressive experiences (great grounds, good staff, memorable tastings) but sometimes struggles with the logistics of a high-volume, multifaceted operation that includes both a winery and a concert venue.

Parking, pricing, and the overall value of the concert experience were frequent hot-button topics. Some visitors called out exorbitant parking fees and high prices for beverages, including outdoor lawn areas where lawn seats and parking options created a perception of being gouged. There were comments about the scarcity of convenient parking and the need to shuttle in from distant lots, along with remarks about how the "VIP" model and private experiences sometimes failed to meet expectations - such as missing a private acoustic set that was promised in a VIP package. Those reviews reflect a tension between the venue's ambitions to be a top-tier entertainment and wine destination and the realities of managing crowds, logistics, and value perception for paying guests.

Despite the fluctuations in consistency, the grounds themselves drew a lot of admiration. Several reviewers lauded the beauty of the venue, the attractiveness of the grounds and flowers, and the versatility of a space that accommodates both wine tasting and concerts. Individual staff members also received heartfelt praise; Emilie, in particular, was singled out for being personable, sweet, and attentive, helping to elevate the experience with excellent service and a friendly demeanor as guests enjoyed wine flights, food add-ons, and parmesan fries. This kind of praise suggests that when the team hits its stride, guests feel genuinely cared for and inspired to return.

In sum, the winery and concert venue emerges as a dynamic, multifaceted destination with a lot going for it: a well-conceived tasting program, knowledgeable staff, and a setting that shines on a sunny day. The experience is enhanced by attentive service, generous grounds, and the promise of events that can be truly special. Yet for every glowingly positive note - lovely tastings, excellent staff interactions, stunning venues - there are equally vocal reminders of how quickly things can fray: long lines, reserved seating complications, variable pricing, and layout challenges that dampen the fan experience in large crowds. Taken together, the reviews reveal a place with tremendous potential and a strong, sometimes inconsistent execution, where careful planning, accessibility improvements, and transparent communication could elevate the visit from memorable to consistently outstanding.

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.2 miles)
• The Matador (0.4 miles)
• Twokoi Japanese Cuisine (0.5 miles)
• Frisko Freeze (0.7 miles)
• E9 Brewing (1 miles)
• Dirty Oscar's Annex (1.1 miles)
• Taqueria El Antojo (2.4 miles)

Theaters

• Grand Cinema (0.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• Hilltop Pharmacy (0.4 miles)
• Walgreens (0.9 miles)
• Good Neighbor Pharmacy (1.8 miles)
• Bartell Drugs (1.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.1 miles)
• Walgreens (2.4 miles)

Physicians

• Pacific Northwest Maternal Fetal Medicine (0.5 miles)
• St Joseph Medical Clinic (0.5 miles)
• Gyft Clinic (0.6 miles)
• Tacoma/Valley Radiation Oncology Centers (0.7 miles)
• Andrew B Kopstein (0.7 miles)
• Mary Bridhe Pulmonary Clinic (0.7 miles)
• Joelene J. Werden, DO (0.7 miles)

Hospitals

• MultiCare Regional Cancer Center - Tacoma (0.6 miles)
• Group Health Cooperative (0.7 miles)
• MultiCare (2 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (0.6 miles)
• Alfred's Cafe (1.1 miles)
• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• Panera Bread (2.7 miles)
• Starbucks (3.5 miles)
• Starbucks (3.8 miles)
• Dutch Bros Coffee (4.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Christ Episcopal Church (0.8 miles)
• Bethlehem Baptist Church (3.2 miles)
• St Theresa's Church (4.6 miles)
• Iglesia Ni Cristo (5.6 miles)

Parks

• Sheridan Park (1.1 miles)
• Kandle Park (3.3 miles)
• Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park (4.5 miles)
• Dash Point State Park (4.9 miles)
• Titlow Park (5 miles)
• Point Defiance Park (5.1 miles)
• Conservation Park (5.4 miles)