Artist rendering, Eight Bells Lake City exterior

Eight Bells Winery, which has been in Seattle’s Roosevelt/Ravenna neighborhood since 2009, is relocating. The winery will move its tasting room and production facility to Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood in 2025.

“It’s been 16 years in the making,” says Taylor Nordby, partner and CEO at Eight Bells. “We’re calling it Eight Bells 2.0.”

The three-story facility is 9,000 square feet, a considerable increase over the winery’s existing space. The top floor, which is the only one visible from Lake City Way, will be used for wine retail. It includes two outdoor decks that look onto Thorton Creek. Other floors will be used for production and storage.

“It’s the only commercial property that’s on Thornton Creek with a Thornton Creek view,” Nordby says. An added perk, the sound of the river blocks traffic noise from the ever-busy Lake City Way. The land behind the winery is also owned by the City of Seattle, making the area feel like an urban oasis.

“It has a real blow away factor,” says Frank Michiels, winery co-founder and father of Nordby.

Easing pain points

Artist rendering, Eight Bells Lake City interior

Being an urban winery has always been a major part of Eight Bells’ identity. The move allows the winery to keep that component while addressing significant issues with its current facility.

Their current facility is extremely space-limited. The winery has gone to great lengths to maximize every square inch. Some winemaking practices, like gravity flow, will now be able to occur more naturally.

Visibility will also be greatly improved. Eight Bells is currently located down an alleyway that one could easily walk by without knowing the winery is there. Signage is limited. In contrast, the new location will be on Seattle’s second largest arterial with prominent signage and thousands of cars passing by per day.

Finally, the new location will have ample parking, including its own lot. Currently, Eight Bells only has on-street parking in a densely populated city neighborhood.

Eight Bells plans to transition to its new location in phases. The first phase will be to move the tasting room, with the timing depending on permitting and construction. The second will be to move production.

Decreasing environmental footprint

L to R: Pete Zachara, Frank Michiels, Andy Shepherd, Taylor Nordby, Tim Bates, Kip Nordby

While some things will change with the new Eight Bells facility, many will not. Eight Bells will continue to be a small, family-owned, woman-run business.

“We’re not changing as a family, as a business, or as a brand,” Nordby says. “We’re just going to upgrade our location and have a facility and an ambience that matches the quality of the wine.”

The new location will also have environmental benefits. Case storage will now be on-site. The winery plans to store wine in wire cages to avoid using cardboard boxes and plastic wrap. Customers purchasing wine will carry it away in cloth bags and be encouraged to bring them back for reuse.

“We have this opportunity to re-establish how we want to operate,” Nordby says. “Not having to use as much cardboard or any plastic wrap, it matters.”

Eight Bells is already one of the few wineries in Washington that uses glass stoppers to seal its bottles. Customers are encouraged to return the stoppers to the winery, whereupon they are sanitized and reused. (NB: Glass stoppers are, to my knowledge, currently the only wine bottle closures that are reusable.)

A history tied to Red Willow Vineyard

Eight Bells Winery was established in 2009 by Michiels, Tim Bates, and Andy Shepherd. The winery gets its name from the bells that toll each half hour on a ship, with the eighth bell signaling the end of a sailor’s watch. Bates and Shepherd previously worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Read a 2012 article about the winery.)

Eight Bells largely focuses on fruit from Red Willow Vineyard in Yakima Valley. The winery has made a name for itself by focusing on specific blocks, often using multi-clonal fruit, such as its 8 Clones Syrah. Eight Bells also sources from Boushey Vineyards.

Nordby joined the team as partner chief executive officer in 2021. Her husband, Kip, is also a partner in the winery. In fact, Taylor first introduced Kip to her parents at the Eight Bells inaugural release party in 2010.

“It’s been a big part of our relationship from the very beginning,” Nordby says of the winery.

Pete Zachara was hired as winery manager in 2021. Zachara was also named assistant winemaker earlier this summer.

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