Mercer Wine Estates owner Rob Mercer and hospitality manager Mandy Walters

Eastern Washington wineries have been opening satellite tasting rooms in Woodinville for years. More recently, wineries on both the west and east sides of the state have been opening satellite tasting rooms in another location: Walla Walla.

Bartholomew Winery, based in Kennewick, and Mercer Wine Estates, based in Prosser, are the latest wineries to open outposts in the town. Bart Fawbush, owner and winemaker at Bartholomew Winery, says the reasons for opening a tasting room in Walla Walla are simple.

“There’s a lot of people from the west side that hit Prosser, Red Mountain, and then hit Walla Walla,” he says. “I’ll be able to introduce my wines to new people that would not normally stop in the Tri-Cities or don’t know there’s a small wine region there.”

Bartholomew’s tasting room is located at 12 North 2^nd Avenue across from the Marcus Whitman Hotel. It is 1500 square feet with a wine bar and a fireplace. Bartholomew offers wines by the glass, by the bottle, or as tasting flights.

“When talking about real estate, people say ‘Location, location, location,’” Fawbush says. “This was a great opportunity, so we jumped on it.”

Fawbush started Bartholomew Winery in Seattle in 2007. He moved the winery to the Tri-Cities in 2017. Bartholomew focuses on lesser-known varieties, such as Counoise, Graciano, Tannat, Sagrantino, Negroamaro, and Carménère.

“The terms that I like to use are broaden your palate and taste the unexpected,” Fawbush says. “If your food is very diverse, then your wine should be too.”

One of the recent examples of Bartholomew’s varietal exploration is Malvasia Bianca, a white wine grape historically grown in the Mediterranean region. “It has super intense aromatics, is fruit-forward, but is absolutely bone dry,” Fawbush says.

Mercer Wine Estates, meanwhile, is opening its tasting room at 18 East Main Street. The three-level building has a main floor and a mezzanine that total 2350 square feet. (The basement will not be customer-facing.) There is also an outdoor patio. The entire space can seat 107 people. It was previously Martin’s Jewelers, which closed in 2022, and was originally a bank.

“My first pair of earrings came from Martin’s,” says Brenda Mercer, marketing manager at the winery. “I do feel a sweet connection here.”

Mercer has done an extensive remodel. The goal was to preserve and recreate the building’s historical architectural elements. Mercer’s tasting room will offer the winery’s Small Lot and Reserve wines by the glass or in tasting flights. Mandy Walters will serve as hospitality manager.

Rob and Brenda Mercer founded Mercer Wine Estates in 2005. The winery opened a tasting room in Prosser in 2009. All of the fruit for the Mercer wines comes from the Horse Heaven Hills appellation, where the Mercer family has been farming for five generations.

The trend of west side wineries opening tasting rooms in Walla Walla started over a decade ago. Woodinville’s Mark Ryan opened a tasting room in the town in 2012. (Mark Ryan now has two tasting rooms in Walla Walla and also produces its wines there.) Patterson Cellars relocated its winery from Woodinville to the valley in 2022. Guardian opened a satellite tasting room in Walla Walla that year as well.

Other eastern Washington wineries have opened satellite tasting rooms in Walla Walla Valley in recent years. They include Goose Ridge (2016) and Gård (2017).

Overall, the trend of west and eastside wineries opening in Walla Walla and elsewhere is reflective of an increasing number of Washington wineries focusing on direct-to-consumer sales. To get there, wineries have been opening satellite tasting rooms all over the state. Walla Walla Valley has clear appeal. The town is home to 120+ wineries and tasting rooms and is a major wine tourism destination.

Bartholomew’s Walla Walla tasting room had its soft opening earlier this month. Mercer will have its soft opening today, Monday July 15^th, and a grand opening July 27^th.

Image courtesy of Mercer Wine Estates. 

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