Matthews Cellars
Matthews Cellars is a privately held, family-owned Washington State winery producing Bordeaux-inspired red wines from Columbia Valley AVAs, selling direct-to-consumer through its Woodinville tasting room, e-commerce, and Claret Club, plus wholesale via Winebow to restaurants and retailers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersWoodinville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Matthews Cellars does
Matthews Cellars (operating as Matthews Winery) is a privately held, family-owned Washington State winery founded in 1993 and operated under parent company Avallé by proprietor Bryan Otis of the Otis Family. The company produces Bordeaux-inspired red wines from vineyard parcels across multiple Columbia Valley AVAs, including Horse Heaven Hills, Royal Slope, Red Mountain, and Walla Walla Valley, with winemaking executed in Walla Walla under a team installed in 2021 (Alex Stewart, Jesse Schmidt, Hal Iverson, formerly of Quilceda Creek). Production is boutique-scale, totaling 7,000+ cases annually and spanning entry Columbia Valley blends (multi-thousand cases) through limited-production AVA wines (240-599 cases per SKU) priced at $60-$90 retail per bottle, with consistent critic scores of 92-96 points from Wine Spectator, James Suckling, Vinous, and regional reviewers.
The underlying production approach centers on artisanal techniques: hand harvesting with cluster and berry sorting, multi-stage fermentation using non-Saccharomyces then Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts with pump-overs and punch-downs, extended maceration of 30+ days post-fermentation, and multi-clone Cabernet Sauvignon blending (clones 2, 4, 6, 8, 15, 21, 31, 169, 191, 337, 338) aged in concrete, stainless steel, and French oak. Fermentation and aging infrastructure spans concrete tanks and stainless steel for natural vibrance, with select wines receiving up to 100% new French oak for 21 months, and the company reports 40-50 barrel evaluations per lot prior to bottling as a quality control checkpoint.
Matthews generates revenue through three primary channels: direct-to-consumer sales (e-commerce via shop.avalle.us and an 8-acre Woodinville Tasting Room + Farm), the subscription-based Claret Club wine membership program offering recurring allocations and member pricing, and wholesale distribution via Winebow to restaurants, wine shops, and grocery stores across Washington State and in-network states. Ancillary revenue comes from experiential hospitality including farm-to-table dinners, CSA farm boxes produced in partnership with Ecolibrium Farms, guided farm tours, and venue rentals. The customer base is split between wine enthusiasts and collectors (primary persona), B2B wholesale trade accounts (via Winebow), and experiential hospitality guests, with no external institutional funding or disclosed revenue figures.
Matthews Cellars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Matthews Cellars
- Legal name
- Matthews Winery
- Website
- https://matthewswinery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Matthews Cellars is a privately held, family-owned Washington State winery producing Bordeaux-inspired red wines from Columbia Valley AVAs, selling direct-to-consumer through its Woodinville tasting room, e-commerce, and Claret Club, plus wholesale via Winebow to restaurants and retailers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Matthews Cellars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Winemaking
- NAICS
- Wineries (312130), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)
Keywords
Where Matthews Cellars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Woodinville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Matthews Cellars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct-to-Consumer Wine Sales: E-commerce sales through shop.avalle.us and tasting room purchases. Includes wine club membership subscriptions (Claret Club) providing recurring allocations of wines with special benefits.
- Wholesale Distribution: Wines sold through Winebow distributor to restaurants, wine shops, and grocery stores across Washington State and in-network states.
- Experiential Hospitality: Revenue from farm-to-table dinners, tasting room experiences, CSA farm boxes (with wine included), and venue rentals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 2019 Royal Slope Cabernet Sauvignon - Sold Out |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 2020 Horse Heaven Hills Claret |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 2021 Royal Slope Cabernet Sauvignon |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 2022 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Claret |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Matthews Cellars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Matthews Cellars is a Washington State winery that produces premium Bordeaux-inspired red wines from vineyards across the Columbia Valley AVAs, including Royal Slope, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, and Walla Walla Valley. The company hand-harvests and blends multiple Cabernet Sauvignon clones and other Bordeaux varietals using extended maceration and multi-stage fermentation, then sells the wines through direct-to-consumer channels (tasting room, e-commerce, wine club) and wholesale distribution via Winebow.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 2019 Royal Slope Cabernet Sauvignon Single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from the Royal Slope AVA; retail priced at $60 per bottle, 240 cases produced.
- 2020 Horse Heaven Hills Claret Bordeaux-style Claret blend from Horse Heaven Hills AVA; 599 cases produced, retail $65 per bottle, 14.5% alcohol.
- 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Horse Heaven Hills; Clone 8, 21 months French oak, 336 cases produced, retail $85 per bottle.
- 2021 Royal Slope Cabernet Sauvignon Single-vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Royal Slope AVA; 21 months in 100% new French oak, 358 cases produced, retail $85 per bottle.
- 2022 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Horse Heaven Hills; 265 cases produced, 14.9% alcohol, retail $85 per bottle.
- 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Claret Bordeaux-style Claret blend from Horse Heaven Hills: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 283 cases produced, 15.1% alcohol, retail $90 per bottle.
- Claret Club Wine Membership Subscription wine club offering recurring allocations of Matthews wines, member pricing, and special access to events and limited releases.
- Farm-to-Table Dinners Monthly on-site dining events at the Woodinville farm featuring locally sourced food (within 10 miles) prepared by chefs and paired with Matthews wines.
- Matthews CSA Farm Box Program Weekly CSA subscription delivering farm produce, flowers, local food items, and a bottle of Matthews wine.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% increase in visitors after farm integration
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Matthews Cellars
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Matthews Cellars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Matthews Cellars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- WinebowcoreWinebow is Matthews' primary wholesale distributor in Washington State. Restaurants, grocery stores, and local wine shops can special order Matthews wines directly through Winebow's sales representatives. Order turnaround is typically 24-48 hours for in-state customers.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Matthews Cellars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Quilceda Creek Vintners: Washington State premium Cabernet Sauvignon producer in Snohomish, WA. The former employer of Matthews' entire current winemaking team (Alex Stewart, Jesse Schmidt, Hal Iverson), and the most direct comp on premium WA Bordeaux-style positioning, critic scores, and price tier.
- Leonetti Cellar: Walla Walla, WA pioneer of premium Washington Cabernet and Bordeaux blends. Closely comparable to Matthews in AVA sourcing (Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley), price point, and critic profile, and a long-standing reference point for premium WA wine.
- Cayuse Vineyards: Walla Walla Valley producer of premium Cabernet, Merlot, and Bordeaux-style blends. Comparable small-lot, single-vineyard-driven production model and scarce allocation economics that define the segment Matthews competes in.
- Woodward Canyon Winery: Walla Walla-based producer of premium Bordeaux-style wines with deep Walla Walla Valley sourcing. Direct comp on price band, wine portfolio (Cabernet, Claret-style blends), and family-owned family-operated DNA.
- Betz Family Winery: Woodinville/Walla Walla producer focused on premium Bordeaux-style blends from Columbia Valley AVAs. Comparable limited-production, critic-recognized model and price band to Matthews' single-vineyard Cabernets and Claret bottlings.
- Long Shadows Vintners: Walla Walla collection of premium wines made by notable international winemakers (Allen Shoup venture). Comparable in structure as a multi-AVA, multi-wine, premium-tier portfolio with strong Washington sourcing, and competes with Matthews in fine dining and DTC channels.
- Doubleback Winery: Walla Walla premium Cabernet producer founded by Drew Bledsoe. Similar small-volume, single-vineyard-focused Washington Cabernet positioning and direct-to-collector distribution, increasingly competing for premium retail and DTC shelf space with Matthews.
- Andrew Will Winery: Seattle/Walla Walla producer of premium Cabernet and Bordeaux-style blends. Comparable direct comp on Washington AVA sourcing, low-volume production, and Bordeaux-inspired winemaking style that defines the category.
- Hedges Family Wine (Beloved): Red Mountain AVA estate producer of premium Cabernet and Bordeaux-style wines. Comparable estate-based, terroir-driven approach with restaurant-channel and DTC emphasis similar to Matthews.
Broad incumbents
- Chateau Ste. Michelle: Washington's largest winery with broad portfolio including the premium Ethos, Col Solare, and Single Vineyard tiers. Operates in the same channels (Winebow-tier distribution, on-premise, DTC) and AVAs as Matthews, but at vastly greater scale and broader price points.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Matthews Cellars social profiles
Digital presenceMatthews Cellars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Matthews Cellars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Matthews Cellars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Matthews Cellars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Matthews Cellars
What does Matthews Cellars do?
Matthews Cellars is a Washington State winery that produces premium Bordeaux-inspired red wines from vineyards across the Columbia Valley AVAs, including Royal Slope, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, and Walla Walla Valley. The company hand-harvests and blends multiple Cabernet Sauvignon clones and other Bordeaux varietals using extended maceration and multi-stage fermentation, then sells the wines through direct-to-consumer channels (tasting room, e-commerce, wine club) and wholesale distribution via Winebow.
Is Matthews Cellars a public or private company?
Matthews Cellars is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Matthews Cellars founded?
Matthews Cellars was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Matthews Cellars based?
Matthews Cellars is headquartered in Woodinville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Matthews Cellars make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer Wine Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution and experiential Hospitality.
Who are Matthews Cellars's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Quilceda Creek Vintners, Leonetti Cellar, Cayuse Vineyards, Woodward Canyon Winery, Betz Family Winery, Long Shadows Vintners, Doubleback Winery, Andrew Will Winery and Hedges Family Wine (Beloved). Chateau Ste. Michelle is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Matthews Cellars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Matthews Cellars.
What industry is Matthews Cellars in?
Matthews Cellars's product category is Winemaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAB, Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAE, Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms). Its NAICS code is 312130 and its SIC code is 2080.