Ever been to a winery that was so busy the focus became "fill 'em up and get 'em out"?

That's the unfortunate experience I had at Matthews Cellars on a recent Saturday. To be fair, their small tasting room located south of downtown Woodinville was completely packed with folks spilling outside into the lawn. The three servers working that day were clearly "in the weeds". They could have used an extra hand from Matt Loso, owner and winemaker, who was nowhere to be found. As a result, the place was more like a busy bar scene, with little, if any, attempt by the servers to really engage folks about their wines.

As I was standing there, sipping my wine and observing the crowd of folks around me doing the same, I got to thinking: what would make this a more enjoyable experience?

My first thought was having one of the servers engage us collectively on the who, what and where of Matthews Cellars. With dozens inside the tasting room, only those at the bar seemed to be getting a chance to chat with one of the servers. I attempted to ask a few questions, but it was clear they were far too busy to engage in a conversation.

I was hoping one of the servers would have stopped, asked for everyone's attention, and then shared something, anything about the winery, the winemaker, the vineyards and/or the wines. Had someone behind the bar approached this in a more communal fashion, the captive audience sipping wine might have left with a closer connection to Matthews Cellars. After all, isn't that what wine is all about, the shared experience one has in opening a bottle with others?

To their credit, the servers were incredibly efficient in collecting the $10 tasting fee from each new arrival and getting a glass of the first of three wine tastes in their hand. Of their five current releases, Matthews Cellars was pouring a sauvignon blanc, a claret (cab sauv/merlot) and a cab sauv/cab franc blend. On a cost per taste basis, this was one of the more expense stops on my Saturday tour of Woodinville Wine Country. This cost was lessened a bit when one of the servers unexpectedly offered me a taste of the 2003 Conner Lee Cabernet Franc.

Having read about Matthews Cellars in a recent Paul Gregutt column, I arrived on their doorstep eager to learn more about their wines and hopefully experience a connection that went beyond the bottle.

Granted, I was excited when they offered the bonus taste of Matt's cab franc, but as soon as it was poured the server disappeared. And I was pleased to have had my request to see the egg fermenter fulfilled, but this too was rushed as if the server had to get back to pouring wine. Finally, I was a bit bummed to learn that the 2006 Stillwater Creek Sauvignon Blanc made in the egg was unavailable for tasting. It would have been fun to compare the two styles of winemaking, concrete vs. steel fermentation, providing a true beyond the bottle experience.

If you're looking for efficient service, then Matthews Cellars is a place to taste wine. However, being efficient with folks doesn't always mean you're effective, especially when it comes to enjoying something like wine.

Rating: