There's a new wine bar in East Spokane's Sprague Union District where technology meets funky, creating an atmosphere that owner Jackie Casey hopes is welcoming to all.
Casey had operated her local franchise of Pinot's Palette art studio in downtown Spokane since 2014, but she and her aspiring-artist clientele were growing weary of the parking situation. Street parking was limited to two hours — less than the length of a class — and nearby lots often charged inflated "event parking" rates.
So, Casey began looking for a new location.
"I fell in love with this building," she says. "It's a historic building with nice, big windows everywhere, tall ceilings and giant skylights. It's perfect."
Bonus: It includes an adjacent parking lot.
There was only one catch: The property owner was looking to lease the entire building, not just the rear portion Casey needed for the art studio.
"I toyed with the idea of sub-leasing the front area," she says, "but I'd always wanted to open a wine bar. So, I figured this would be the time to do it."
That's how 1919 Wine Cellar, which opened its doors in early April and had its grand opening (alongside the grand re-opening for Pinot's Palette) on May 8, came to be.
The Pinot's Palette business model already includes a wine component — helping to create a social atmosphere for participants in its guided painting classes — but that element actually didn't spark Casey's wine bar dream.
"Our top-selling wine at Pinot's Palette is the huckleberry riesling from Latah Creek," she notes. "People love it. That's exactly the kind of wine I loved when I was 21."
But as time ticked by, Casey's palate began to evolve — and quickly.
"I was born and raised in Montana, and after college, my husband and I moved down to Tulsa, Oklahoma," she says. "I had a friend who told me she had the best job ever; she was a wine rep for a distributor. Her job was to go around to bars and restaurants with bottles of wine and let the owners and managers try them. She talked about how much free wine she got from it. And then she mentioned that they were hiring."
Casey applied and got the job, and it wasn't long before she was enjoying not only sweet rieslings but also dry pinot noirs. The next step encompassed "the big, bold reds," which she says she loves.
"It was very educational. I learned so much."
Now, Casey is sharing the love at 1919 Wine Cellar, which consists of a wine bar with eight scalloped black-velvet stools, additional seating for more than 50 guests, a cooler packed with dozens of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and the piece de resistance: a trio of eight-spigot, self-service Wine Emotion dispensing systems that were made in Italy. The technology incorporated in each machine can keep each bottle fresh for weeks.
Similar machines have been utilized at venues in nearby Idaho for years, but their use was legalized in Washington only last year, Casey says.
Here's how it works: A staffer obtains a credit card from a guest to start a tab, then presents them with a 1919 card. The guest scans that card at one of the machines, selects the wine they wish to try, grabs a glass to place under the spigot and selects the size of the pour: a full glass (6 ounces), a half-glass (3 ounces) or a taste (1.5 ounces).
The technology embedded in the special card keeps track of the purchases, ensuring that guests are not overserving themselves.
"I really try to select a big variety, not just in flavor profiles, but also in prices," Casey says. "We have a Leonetti merlot that's $15 for a taste, but we also have several that are very reasonably priced. The 2024 Misty Cove sauvignon blanc [from the Marlborough growing region of New Zealand] is just $1.75 per taste [and $7 per glass]. I have a lot from Walla Walla and Columbia Valley because I love to support local, but you can't have a wine bar without at least some from around the world."
Casey also includes a few of her personal favorite varietals, cabernet franc and syrah, but says she knows it's more important to stock what guests will like. And, she adds, she's "always open to suggestions."
Although the wine bar offers a dozen white, red, rosé and sparkling wines ($7-$11 by the glass), as well as four rotating draft beers ($7), Casey estimates that 98% of guests so far have opted to use the wine dispensers.
"People are so enamored and intrigued by them," she says. "I'm guessing that's because it's a new thing in Washington."
As the new business finds its rhythm — with a Spotify list of '80s-and-later tunes providing the beat — Casey says she's working on what's coming next: mocktails and food.
"I think the nonalcoholic cocktails will be important for us because not everybody's drinking today," she observes. "I also think it's a good idea to have food with wine, so we'll be offering a menu of flatbreads, appetizers and charcuterie."
Down the road, Casey adds, 1919 Wine Cellar will be embracing the "cellar" in its name by remodeling a downstairs space for special events.
Meanwhile, with its mix of comfy couches and chairs — obtained from its neighbors The Tin Roof, Bide & Burgeon and ReSkued — and a long church pew found on Facebook Marketplace, Casey is working to create a "Roaring Twenties feeling that isn't over the top."
Ah, so the name of the business is derived from the year before Prohibition went into effect?
No.
"I might own a creative business, but I'm not super creative myself," Casey admits. "Our name came from our address on Sprague Avenue: 1919."
It's also just a happy coincidence that the wine bar sits on the corner of Sprague and a street named Napa.
Casey adds that while some people are intimidated by wine bars or "think they're kind of hoity-toity," that won't be the case at 1919 Wine Cellar.
"We don't take it too seriously," she says. "We turn our music up. This place is for everybody, even if you don't drink wine. The vibe I'm going for is laid-back. My goal was to make it fun, eclectic and funky, but also cozy and comfortable."
1919 Wine Cellar • 1919 E. Sprague Ave. • Open Sun 2-8 pm, Wed 4-9 pm and Thu-Sat 3-10 pm • 1919winecellar.com • 509-508-1586
