Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Woodinville, Washington
Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, Chateau Ste. Michelle cultivates European-style wines on a sweeping 105-acre property in eastern Washington around 20 miles northeast of Seattle. The winery is the oldest and most decorated winery in the state, encompassing several award-winning vineyards, the French-inspired Chateau and a historic manor house.
“One of the things that really makes us stand out is the grounds,” said Piper Scalise, events manager at the winery. “We have beautiful, historic trees; ponds; fountains; and art. When attendees have the opportunity to get out of the banquet room and walk around, it adds that refreshing experience.”
The Chateau can seat up to 200 guests in its expansive banquet room, which features a barrel-vaulted ceiling with chandeliers, a large fireplace and original artwork. Built in 1912, the historic manor house carries a sense of Old World charm and elegance through classic French windows that overlook a formal garden as well as colorful glassworks from renowned artisan Dale Chihuly. The house provides a charming setting for groups of 60 or fewer.
In honor of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s 50th anniversary in 2017, the winery recently doubled the size of its visitors center, adding an 80-seat theater, a new tasting room and an interactive blending room.
“Even though the theater seats 80 people, it’s very intimate,” said Scalise. “It’s a very lovely space for people to use for meetings and events.”
In the blending room, attendees get the chance to become winemakers for the day as they learn about the key elements of growing a successful vineyard and create their own signature blend to take home. The blending room can hold only 16 guests at a time, but planners can move the workshop into the theater or the banquet room to accommodate larger groups.
Later in the evening, planners can organize a chef’s dinner and bring in a member of the winery’s experienced culinary team to talk about the preparation of the food and selected wine pairings.
Surly Brewing
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Since opening in 2006, Surly Brewing has made quite an impact on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. BeerAdvocate magazine named Surly Brewing the Best Brewery in America just 16 months after selling its first keg of beer. In 2011, the brewery helped push the Surly Bill into law, which repealed a Prohibition-era law that prevented breweries from selling beer in their own production facilities.
A few years later, Surly Brewing opened a brand new multilevel facility with a state-of-the-art event center to host wedding receptions, corporate meetings and other events.
“The really awesome thing about our space is that you’re not just renting part of a brewery — we have a full-service event center inside,” said Andrea Graham, senior events and brand experiences manager.
On the second floor of the brewery, the event center can host 50 to 175 guests and offers a sweeping view of the Minneapolis skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. Planners can work with the on-site event planning team to smooth logistics, prepare a catering menu and set up the room, making the planning as simple as possible.
“One of the main reasons we built the event center was because we wanted a place for our fans to celebrate milestones in their lives,” said Graham.
Guests can also enjoy the beer hall downstairs, which features 24 beers on tap and famous Surly fare such as barbecue brisket and burgers. During the facility tour, groups wander through the heart of the brewhouse, the fermentation center and the packaging hall to see industrial machinery and canning lines up close.
“Our tour guides are really fun,” said Graham. “A lot of them have been around since the beginning, so they can tell some great anecdotes.”
