Sparkman Cellars, one of Woodinville’s best-known wineries, and Snoqualmie-based Sigillo Cellars have joined together to form a partnership. The ownership team includes the two original winery owners as well as others in what remains a family-run business.

“The family just got bigger,” says Chris Sparkman, who founded Sparkman Cellars with his wife, Kelly.

The Sparkmans will continue to be involved with the winery. Winemaker Linn Scott and other staff at Sparkman Cellars will continue on as well. “We’re still here. We’re not going anywhere, Sparkman says of himself and his wife. “The machine just needed a pit stop, needed fuel and new tires, and it’s got them.”

At Sigillo Cellars, the Seal family, who co-founded the winery, similarly will continue to be involved. “Everything that people know and love about each individual brand stays the same,” says Ryan Seal. “The winemakers who have made the wines for all these years are still the same. We’re just collaborating so that we can keep providing the same great quality wines to our clubs and our guests and collaborate on some fun things for the future.”

By joining forces, the two wineries hope to gain advantages and operational efficiencies.

“The collaboration allows us to potentially streamline some processes, try to create some back-end savings that would help us both to flourish more in the current wine environment,” Seal says. That could include negotiating contracts with growers, lower pricing on glass bottles, and other things. “If we can use combined volume to help to help keep costs down, that’s better for our consumers,” Seal says.

The partnership is intended in part to respond to the changing landscape in the wine industry. Costs have increased considerably recently while consumption has, speaking generally, decreased.

“You have to be nimble,” Sparkman says. “This is being nimble.”

While much remains the same at Sparkman and Sigillo, there will be some consumer-facing changes. Going forward, both the

This article has been updated. 

Images courtesy of Sparkman Cellars and Sigillo Cellars. 

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