Sparkman Cellars

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Noted wine writer Paul Gregutt classifies Woodinville’s Sparkman Cellars among his “Rising Stars” of Washington wineries. That is not quite “second growth” classification a la Bordeaux, but getting there. In his taxonomy, Sparkman Cellars joins other cult-like wineries such as Efesté, Rulo, Buty, Syncline and Mark Ryan as part of the new guard of Washington wineries.

Chris Sparkman, a Tennessean with a restaurateur background (which reads like a who’s who of famous American restaurants), must pinch himself mightily when he reads heady praise from Gregutt. After all, it was only back in 2004 when he launched Sparkman Cellars with zero background making wine. However, Chris had a few things going for him most notably a hugely supportive family with his wife Kelly Sparkman the primary cog in this family enterprise. In addition, as the GM for Seattle’s renowned Waterfront Restaurant, Chris orchestrated enumerable winemaker dinners and tasting events and in the process got to know the Washington wine scene intimately: The best winemakers, the best Columbia Valley vineyards, and the best mentors that could advise him on making elegant wines.

Early on amiable Chris turned to winemaker Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan Winery to be his vintner/mentor. Since then Chris continues to rely on consultant winemakers including Erica Orr who also assists with William Church, Baer and other Woodinville wineries giving rise to the question does she sleep during crush? Chris’ friendly demeanor likely had something to do with his ability to contract for fruit from the likes of Ciel du Cheval, Boushey, Stillwater Creek, Klipsun, and Hedges and interestingly one vineyard in Oregon’s Eola Hills named Temperance Hill (can you say ‘pinot noir’?). In fact, rare among Woodinville wineries is his L’Autre Pinot Noir, which explodes on the palate with a silky finesse rich in earthy mushrooms and cherries.

Note: Named by Wine & Spirits as one of the world’s top 100 wineries, Sparkman Cellars offers two tasting rooms in Woodinville. His Warehouse District location is also the production site where he got started. His newer location is in the Hollywood Schoolhouse neighborhood in the shopping complex near Purple Café.