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Spokane's Inland Empire Wine Scene With the added incentive of attending Taste Washington - Spokane at the posh Davenport Hotel, we loaded up the van and made the four-hour drive to the inland-empire oasis of Spokane. The wine scene there has always been fun, and it is evolving to include some surprises and tasty treats.
To unwind
from the long drive, we enjoyed lunch at Anthony's at
Spokane Falls, an outpost of the popular Seattle restaurant group,
perched above the namesake thundering waters that cascade
With some time to kill before Taste Washington at 5pm, we got settled into our accommodations and headed over to visit Barrister Winery, one of the new players in Spokane. Owners Greg Lipsker and Michael White have gently renovated a large warehouse building downtown to include production facilities, a handy tasting bar and space for special events. They are open on Saturdays for tasting from 10am to 4pm. Specializing in rich and powerful red wines (with a tasty Sauvignon Blanc also in the lineup) these genial-lawyer winemakers have made quite a splash in their first few years. Taste Washington was a great idea by the Washington Wine Commission that grew out of an inaugural event at the Auction of Washington Wines almost a decade ago. The concept of having a wine tasting with restaurant participation (wine and food, what a great idea!) is a big hit with consumers and gives local restaurants a chance to show their stuff. The Spokane edition of this event paired 102 wineries from around the state with 28 local restaurants and caterers. For those of us who are veteran wine tourists, it is an excellent opportunity to visit industry friends and colleagues. Arising early the next day, our first visit was to Robert Karl Cellars to meet with owners Joe and Rebecca Gunselman. The winery is nestled in a former firehouse in Spokane's historic Warehouse District and is normally open for tasting on Saturdays from noon to 5pm. Robert Karl Cellars crafts their wines exclusively from fruit grown in the Horse Heaven Hills -- one of Washington's newest AVAs. They have planted a small vineyard in the area, looking forward to harvesting estate grapes in the coming years. Joe and Rebecca are great people fulfilling a dream of small winery success. Mike Scott at Lone Canary Winery crafts blended red wines that are focused on "grace and restraint," instead of the currently popular practice of power, oak and high alcohol. Three red blends offer different varietal compositions and are popularly priced at $15. Mike's Sauvignon Blanc is Lone Canary's signature white wine and is universally acclaimed for its affinity for Northwest seafood and other light dishes. The winery is open noon to 5pm, Thursday through Sunday.
It's great
to see old friends when wine touring, and Steve and I really enjoyed
renewing our acquaintance with Mike and Ellena Conway of Latah Creek Wine Cellars.
One of Spokane's original three wineries, Latah Creek has been attracting
wine lovers with flavorful, affordable wines for almost 25 years.
Ellena's passion for wine-related gifts has grown over the decades to fill
the tasting room, corridors and part of the production space with all manner
of delightful décor, apparel, foodstuffs and whimsical souvenirs of all
kinds. Even if you're a serious wine snob, you should stop by to take in
both wines and the gift extravaganza. By the way, the couple's daughter,
Natalie Conway-Barnes, has signed on to learn winemaking from dad and plans
to be the future of Latah Creek Wine Cellars. If you are a new visitor, be sure to enjoy the wine, as well as the spectacular views and architecture, at Arbor Crest Cliff House. This historic mansion is perched on basalt cliffs overlooking the Spokane River Valley east of town. Also in the east end of town is Knipprath Cellars offering a variety of unique dessert and table wines. Mountain Dome winery is open by appointment in the foothills of Mt. Spokane -- they are one of Washington's premier producers of sparkling wines. Other Spokane tasting opportunities include: Caterina Winery and Grand Ronde Cellars in downtown Spokane and Townshend Cellar north of town on the Highway to Newport. Don Townshend crafts a widely diverse selection of wines ranging from hearty reds to late-harvest wines to a line of specialty wines flavored with local huckleberries. We were able to enjoy two additional restaurant experiences in Spokane. Wild Sage Bistro has been open for just a few months and already has quite a following among discriminating foodies and wine lovers. South of town, Latah Bistro was created by Dave and Heather DePree to accommodate the growing affluent population of the Latah Creek valley. Great bistro fare and spectacular desserts including a list of over 50 gourmet chocolates to nibble with your post-prandial port or coffee. Thanks to Steve's old friends Dick and Karen for suggesting this jewel and for being superb dinner company. The next day we were up early for the drive through the Palouse to Pullman to visit two of Washington's newest wineries. Both Merry Cellars and Wawawai Canyon Winery rely on students, faculty and visitors to Washington State University for a considerable portion of their customer base. When the students leave for the summer, business declines, but this allows time for vacations, upkeep and new construction. Wawawai (pronounced wah WOW ee) Canyon Winery, and its vineyard are located a dozen miles west of Pullman near the Snake River. The tasting room is under construction with hopes to be open by fall 2006, and is located east of Pullman on Highway 270 in the same space as Prairie Bloom Nursery. Winemaker Ben Moffett crafts his reds and whites mostly from grapes grown on the Wahluke Slope (one of Washington's newest appellations) and is looking forward to using his own vineyard fruit as the vines mature. Ben and partner Christine Havens met at the enology and viticulture program at Walla Walla Community College. Christine offers creativity to the operation designing the winery labels, marketing materials and consulting with Ben on the evolution of the tasting room.
Patrick Merry came to WSU to
complete his Ph.D. in computer science, but has been slowed slightly in the
pursuit of his love of wine. Merry Cellars has been thoughtfully assembled
in a corner of
Though it may be early to tell, Merry seems to have the intuition to become a rising star in Washington winemaking. His wines are all well crafted and show care and patience in their making. Whites are clean and crisp with varietal character, and his reds show balance in use of oak and restraining the power of ripe fruit. The wines demonstrate Merry's insight and relaxed appreciation for serendipity in winemaking, leading to wines that are noteworthy and appreciated by palates young and seasoned alike. All in all, Steve's and my trip to the Inland Empire was an adventure well worth repeating; the treasures found were suggestive of greater bounty yet to be discovered!
Also from Chuck Hill:
Wines of the Week
Copyright © 2006 - 2008 Susan R. O'Hara. All rights reserved. |
Time flies when you're having
fun, and the Spokane part of this trip ended before we had a chance to visit
our friends at every winery. 
the Old Post Office in downtown Pullman, sharing space with a
wine merchant and gallery/bistro. His production space and barrel storage is
in the basement, and the tasting room is just off the main lobby upstairs.
