Domanico Cellars

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Some wineries are loaded with touch points of the organic kind. By that I mean, smells, feels, sights and sounds that have evolved randomly but form a cohesive front. Call it a “accidental brand’ or just call it smart but such is the case at Seattle’s urban winery Domanico Cellars.

Tucked in one of Ballard’s working neighborhoods, the unobtrusive winery could easily be overlooked as another machine shop, woodworking space or boat supplier. However, the smells of wine resting in the barrel and perhaps a staccato laugh of a patron inside lead you to the promise land.

The interior goes vertical with plenty of space to stack barrels but it’s the bar itself that draws your attention. Thick planks of clear wood form the tabletop of the bar resting on used wine barrels and behind the bar owner/winemaker Jason Domanico greets visitors with a friendly smile. Jason’s baldhead reflected the light from above and like Yul Brynner, the hairless feature works. He’s a good looking guy. As Jason poured a sample of their Lewis Vineyard Riesling, a patron at the end of the bar jokingly noted, “Too bad his wife (Jill Domanico) isn’t here, she’s much easier on the eyes.” I thought to myself that they must be a handsome couple.

Turns out that Jason and Jill’s winemaking venture has its routes way back in 1994 when on a date they visited Kiona Vineyards and Winery in Washington’s Red Mountain AVA. There owner/winemaker John Williams introduced them to the barrel room where they sampled wine fresh from the barrel. They left with a serious case of wine bug fever and I suspect a case or two of Lemberger wine. Many vintages later while working as volunteers for a number of wineries, they realized their dreams with the opening of Domanico Cellars in 2009. They are the first winery and tasting room in Ballard.

However, that’s just the start of this winery’s story. More recently they acquired an existing vineyard in the booming wine center of Prosser complete with an old farmhouse and views of Horse Heaven Hills in the distance. I could easily imagine the Domanico family (including their winemaker-in-training daughter Anna) escaping the gray skies of Seattle to happily work the harvest at their Yakima Valley vineyard.