Jenny Neill is the first guest blogger for Find Your Joy. I am hoping to feature a guest blog every week. Please let me know how you like this new feature.
Photo by Mike Russell
As a sommelier, I frequently get asked for advice about where to buy wine in Seattle. Some eateries carry a “retail add-on endorsement” that allows them to sell bottles for off-premise consumption. Most tourists fare better by looking for regional brands in specialty shops largely because they are better equipped to help you get your favorites home.
These three easy-to-find stores let you try, buy, and ship local brands to any destination legally able to receive wines in the United States. Each location also sells shippers (cartons designed for shipping 750 milliliter bottles). For those traveling by air, the price of checking a box is often cheaper than the cost of shipping it.
Pike and Western Wine Shop, located at the north end of Pike Place Market, has been promoting Washington state winemakers since 1975. Open seven days a week, this store hosts free tastings Friday afternoons. Accustomed to dealing with traveling customers, staff here will pack your purchase for you.
More than a quarter of the shelf space at Sixth Avenue Wine Seller, on the third floor of Pacific Place Shopping Center, showcases wines from the Pacific Northwest. Biweekly tastings on Thursdays cost $10 in the store, a fee that gets applied to the price of a bottle when you buy one. Free delivery is available to anyone living or staying in downtown Seattle, including hotels.
Getting to Wine World Warehouse by car, by bus, or by taxi from downtown Seattle takes approximately 20-30 minutes. Laying claim to being “the largest wine store in the Northwest,” it features an evolving selection of 500 or more brands from Washington State alone. Winemakers visiting Seattle can add themselves to the daily event calendar making for a dynamic line-up of free tastings. Even if you don’t have time to visit, try looking for that favorite bottle on their ecommerce site.
Author Bio:
Jenny Neill is a freelance writer and sommelier based in Seattle. To see where her passion for food, wine, and travel take her next read her blog, Jenny Neill.
For more beautiful photos check out Mike Russell’s website.
Thanks for inviting me, Jennifer! It was a fun topic for me, and inspiring. I’m already plotting out a series about other wine shops in our many distinct neighborhoods.
Jenny darling – how could you forget Esquin or Mcacarthy Scheiring, two of my favorite shops? You could also do a whole series of posts of which wine shops has free wine tastings and on which days.
Bill! Nice to hear from you! How are things going for you in Oz?
I didn’t forget. In fact, I’m working on a series of posts to feature many of our other fabulous wine sellers. I selected the wine stores featured here for their proximity to Seattle’s hotel districts (downtown and University District).
Please visit my blog and share more about why Esquin and McCarthy & Scheiring are your faves:
http://www.jennyneill.com/blog/2012/02/shopping-for-pacific-northwest-wines-in-seattle/