Severino Cellars

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The first thing that smacks you is the remarkable Craftsman-style house serving as Severino Cellars. It’s old, big and beautiful. It drips with Yakima Valley farming history and family values. You can almost smell the bread baking in the oven and hear the squeals of a laughing baby.

Fortunately for us the Spurlocks and the Samaniego families preserved the turn of century charm of the old house and added a dash of vino to the ambience. The long tasting bar gives plenty of elbowroom to belly up to the bar and visit with the pourer. In my case, I had the pleasure of Nikki Samaniego (wife of winemaker Severino Samaniego) providing me shots of their refreshing whites and delicious reds. The Severino Red Lot#3 grabbed my palate’s attention with its distinctive notes of blueberry and other dark fruit. At just 16 bones a bottle, it quickly gained even more appreciation.

Take time to examine the distinctive wine label in between sips. If it looks a lot like northwest native art, you’d be right. Turns out that Severino Samaniego is a member of the Tlingit nation and the logo pays homage to this heritage. Obviously, salmon is a main staple of this Pacific Northwest coastal tribe and I couldn’t help but think that the Severino Red Lot#3 would pair nicely with wild salmon.