Take a hot air balloon ride over wine country!

TasTing
Room
spring
touring!
wa s h i ng T o n
SUmmer 2011
®
The magazine
for people
who love
wine tasting
Take a hot air
balloon ride
winery walking
loop
over
wine
take a wine cruise
country!
chef's kitchen
april bloom
Sip, stay & play in
downtown Walla Walla
$6.95 US
Summer 2011
Display until Aug. 31, 2011
A winery walkabout
tour in Leavenworth
Recipes for fresh
& simple grilling
wine
picks
Sagemoor
Vineyards
wine country
a taste of
in the city
URBAN ENOTECA is a multi-winery
tasting center in Seattle’s SoDo
District where you can sip
wine, dine with friends, even
attend a wine class
writer
Steve Roberts
Photographer
John Vitale
c
oncierge Heather Jo Kochevar looked
up from her computer monitor with
a smile and said, “Welcome to Urban
Enoteca.” My eyes were adjusting to the
northwest rustic elegance that surrounded me.
Before I knew it, Heather Jo had hung my jacket
and asked if I was familiar with their “Library
Card” system. Answering my clueless expression,
she mentioned that in exchange for my Visa digits,
I get a debit-looking card. She pointed toward
the Wine Library and instructed how the process
works.
With Library Card in hand, I could choose a
small taste, a bigger pour or a full glass of wine at
each winery tasting bar. What’s more, if I wanted
to purchase a bottle or a case, it would be waiting
for me at checkout. Like a voyage on a cruise ship,
I would settle at the end rather than swiping my
from top LEFT,
clockwise Urban
Enoteca represents
a number of Eastern
Washington wineries
under one roof; the
Wine Library is the
heart of the enoteca;
the Library Lounge
offers a variety of winefriendly foods; rustic
yet elegant decor
It’s about conviviality. A place where people can
gather, relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Terry thompson, Urban Enoteca
Visa multiple times. I viewed the card as a passport to a
tasty experience.
U
from top, clockwise
Proprietor Terry Thompson;
sconce made from wine
barrels; Fidelitas wine
consultant Kalen Boushey
(right) pours tastings; Urban
Enoteca library card
rban Enoteca is the brainchild of Terry
Thompson, who I am sure doubles as the
Energizer Bunny when he’s not welcoming
guests, checking in with his staff and
handling an assortment of operational needs. With a
contagious grin, Thompson talks about his self-professed
love of Washington wine. He’s an avid fan of the
Washington wine industry and, more specifically, the
wine growing regions of the Columbia Valley.
A native Spokanite, Terry attended Gonzaga
University and spent a semester abroad in Florence,
Italy. The Italian word “enoteca” comes from this
experience and denotes a “wine repository” that serves as
a library of sorts for local wineries. It provides visitors the
opportunity to taste wine at a nominal fee and purchase a
bottle (or two) if they so desire.
The “urban” part of the name refers to the location
in Seattle’s SoDo district. It’s a long way from the
windswept vineyards and granite cliffs framing the
Columbia River but that’s precisely the beauty of Urban
Enoteca. They bring wine country to the big city.
And they do so with a lavish dose of Northwest charm.
There are tasting bars made of recycled barrel staves,
comfy chairs and couches, a Cascade-size fireplace,
concrete stained floors, even an indoor waterfall.
The heart of Urban Enoteca is the Wine Library. It’s
here where you can exercise your Library Card at any
of the seven different on-site winery tasting bars and sip
premium Washington wine made from Vitis vinifera
grapes grown in such notable appellations as the Yakima
Valley, Red Mountain, and the Walla Walla Valley.
With space that can accommodate a total 13 tasting
bars, the current cast of wineries includes Kiona
Vineyards & Winery, Five Star Cellars, Cave B Estate
Winery, Côte Bonneville, Fielding Hills Winery,
Fidelitas and McCrea Cellars. It’s a kaleidoscope of wine
varietals and winemaking styles.
From Five Star Cellars’ bold Cabernet to McCrea
Cellars’ silky Syrah, visitors can sample wine while being
educated by winery staff. As I examined the pleasing
ruby color around the rim of my wineglass, the Côte
Bonneville winemaker talked about their estate vineyard,
taste the enoteca
Currently 7 wineries, with space to accommodate 13.
Fielding Hills Winery, www.fieldinghills.com
Cave B Estate Winery, www.sagecliffe.com
Five Star Cellars, www.fivestarcellars.com
Côte Bonneville, www.cotebonneville.com
Kiona Vineyards & Winery, www.kionawine.com
Fidelitas, www.fidelitaswines.com
McCrea Cellars, www.mccreacellars.com
DuBrul Vineyard (featured in the Spring 2010 issue
of Tasting Room Magazine), and painted a picture of
this south-facing slope next to the Yakima River. I
could imagine the clusters of Merlot and Cabernet
in their deep purple glory ready for harvest.
Moreover, just when I visualized a circling hawk in
the noonday sky, the pourer asked if I would like to
try another sample. Ah, the challenge of staying on
task when you’re working!
Urban Enoteca is much more than a wine bar.
It’s a venue for wine club members and other
guests to gather for a release party, host winemaker
dinners and partake in private functions, even
attend a wine class. As Vincent Bryan of Cave B
Estate Winery noted, “Seventy percent of our wine
club membership is from the Puget Sound area and
in the wintertime it can be very difficult getting
over Snoqualmie Pass to visit our winery.” If you
can’t get to Cave B, they bring Cave B to you.
L
ike visiting wine country, tasting the
portfolio of wines requires multiple hours,
and repeat visits. But that’s precisely the
allure of Urban Enoteca. It beckons you
back to discover your favorite wines.
Although a visit to Urban Enoteca is educational,
don’t think stuffy. You’re more entertained than
filled with viticulture facts. The educational part
is value-added, but not just for wine snobs. It’s an
oasis of sorts where colleagues might gather for
happy hour while their palate discovers a red blend
cuvée that boggles the mind. As Thompson points
out, “It’s about conviviality. A place where people
can gather, relax and enjoy each other’s company.”
My visit coincided with an empty tummy and I
couldn’t help but notice the mouth-watering smells
coming from the restaurant seating area. The
spacious Library Lounge, as it’s called, welcomes
hungry visitors to select from a menu of bites, small
plates, shared platters and sweets. For example, our
party opted for the warm baked chevre and wild
mushrooms with crostini, a charcuterie selection
of salamis, prosciutto, hams and cured meats and
a gratin of brussel sprouts with bacon, bourbon,
and butter—my favorite despite advocating the
W ash i n g t o n Tas t i n g R o o M . c o m
0 W ash i n g t o n Tas t i n g R o o m . c o m
elimination of brussel sprouts from earth! We
figured the food would complement a bottle of
Fidelitas Cabernet Sauvignon. It did, with that
joyful “ahhhhhh” that hits mid-palate every so
often. Crunching on the last of the crostini, I asked
our server to give thanks to newly-named Chef
de Cuisine, Christopher Opsata. When I imagine
having the job of creating the ultimate food and
wine pairing menu for the Library Lounge, it makes
me wonder why I studied biology.
The tour of the facility continued after dinner
with a peek at Urban Enoteca’s three event rooms.
Beginning with the Blanc de Blanc room that sports
a contemporary look among white splendor, you
see the perfect solution for someone’s bridal event
or corporate retreat. Next up was the larger Barrel
Room that can comfortably accommodate up to
45 guests for a large private party (think family
reunion). Finally, the grand-sized Riddling Room
provides enough space for up to 200 people for
weddings or large gatherings.
At checkout, Terry asked how my experience had
been. “Wonderful,” I responded while reflecting
on that word experience. It reminded me of a story
that Vincent Bryan had shared with me: Years ago,
someone asked the legendary California winemaker
André Tchelistcheff if he could remember the
best wine he had ever drank. He responded that
he couldn’t remember the wine but he could
remember where he was and whom he was with.
It’s true. We remember the overall experience and
jettison the details. I might not remember what
went into Kiona Vineyards & Winery Bordeaux
Blend but I left thinking that I needed to pay a visit
to their Red Mountain location. Or come back to
Urban Enoteca soon.
tour the enoteca
Urban Enoteca
4130 First Ave So, Seattle WA 98134
(2 miles south of Qwest Field)
Opens at 4pm Tues-Fri and at 12pm weekends
Free parking
Ph: 206-467-9463, www.urbanenoteca.com
S U M M ER 2 0 1 1 i ssuE