Liberty Lake Wine Cellars

Unedited

Doug and Shelly Smith’s story is not unlike a large number of other small lot producers in Washington. Doug’s passion to make wine resulted in textbook reading, courses via UC Davis and an eventual degree in enology. From 20 pounds of fruit purchased at Costco to bringing in 4 tons of grapes from Red Mountain AVA today, Liberty Lake Wine Cellars has grown to about 500 cases per vintage. The 2005 crush marked the beginning of their commercial venture relying on their Liberty Lake house as the winery. Clearly, the neighborhood hasn’t been the same especially with the smells of eau de cabernet wafting in the air.

What is different about Liberty Lake Wine Cellars however is that Doug and Shelly truly understand that wine is part of our culture. Sure, you can enjoy a glass (or two) from their tasting room deck with Liberty Lake in the foreground (gorgeous) but better yet is to share a bottle among friends. As stated by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe back in 1771, “Wine rejoices the heart of man, and joy is the mother of all virtues.” Through wine, we get to know our neighbors and perhaps even ourselves a little better.

Open on select Saturdays during the year as well as Spokane Winery Association event weekends, the home-like setting at Liberty Lake is the perfect place to ask Doug and Shelly about their goals for the winery; what they do for day jobs; and how they got the image for the wine label. Of course, there’s the business side of the winery and you can also get into a discussion about the profitability of owning a small winery. As one California winemaker said, "We release no wine before the bank tells us that its ready." --- Kevin Zraly,Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, 1997.