9 great wine bars around Tacoma to learn your grapes in 2024

Tacoma, a beer town I was told, has been drenched in wine in recent years, thanks to an influx of thoughtful entrepreneurs, a couple of wineries looking to reach new audiences, and the long-awaited growth of what was once the city’s only shop.

Brewery taprooms are a popular destination for families year-round, but wine is finally having a moment in Tacoma.

These wine bars and tasting rooms have the makings of a sophisticated yet low-key outing for your out-of-town guests throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Head to these additions to our bar/bottle shop scene to impress visitors, find a cool gift, or build a better stash for yourself.

DAHLMAN CELLARS

▪ 113 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253-342-9455, dahlmancellars.com

▪ Thursday 4-8 p.m., Friday 3-8 p.m., Saturday 1-8 p.m., Sunday 2-6 p.m.

Don’t let the tasting room moniker fool you — Andrea and Jim Dahlman have created a space that feels like a living room, only here you’re served fabulous wine with the makers as your guides. The couple opened their Tacoma tasting room — the young brand’s first — in summer 2022. Bottles are carefully sourced from specialized vineyards in Eastern Washington, and taking at least one home is a must. Conveniently located in the Stadium District, it’s also decorated with vintage-style posters of Tacoma designed by a family friend. (Hint: they’re for sale!)

STRUCTURE CELLARS

▪ 632 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 978-697-2346, structurewines.com

▪ Wednesday-Thursday 2-7 p.m., Friday 2-10 p.m., Saturday 12-10 p.m., Sunday 12-6 p.m.

Joining their tasting room in Seattle, Brandee Slosar and Brian Grasso opened their Tacoma tasting room in late 2023. The sleek space is also comfortable, with hanging Edison-bulb pendants and cool blue walls. Enjoy a flight, a glass or a bottle in one of two lounge areas looking out onto St. Helens Ave. or at one of about 10 tables. The host will guide you through a flight with professionalism and as much or little info as you’d like. Structure focuses on varietals not often highlighted in Washington, including cab francs, merlots and syrahs.

TACOMA WINE MERCHANTS

▪ 2112 N. 30th St., Tacoma, 253-779-8258, tacomawinemerchants.com

▪ Tuesday-Saturday noon-8 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.

Longtime Stadium District wine shop and bar Tacoma Wine Merchants unveiled its bigger Old Town shop last fall. It boasts a bigger bar, a big booth and a few window tables alongside, of course, their top-notch selection of bottles from around the world. Pop in for a flight (most in the $20 range for four 2-ounce pours), a full glass, or share a bottle on-site (corkage fee applied). The staff here is endlessly knowledgeable, and it’s unlikely you’ll leave without a few extras for your year-end celebration.

THE BLUE ROSE

▪ Tuesday-Thursday noon-10 p.m., Friday noon-midnight, Saturday 3 p.m.-midnight

A staple of St. Helens Ave., the former Stink/El Tufo became The Blue Rose in 2023. The new owner has revamped the space to foster more of an everyday neighborhood bar feel, but it still offers both a family-friendly dining room and a 21-and-up side. Nibble on a charcuterie board, warm up with a cup of homemade soup or have the Monte-Stinko sandwich (a blackberry jam-boosted Monte Cristo). Sip on a glass or go for a very reasonably priced bottle from a European and South American-leaning list, most under $30. The full bar also serves cocktails and beer.

BROWNE FAMILY VINEYARDS - TACOMA

▪ 2508 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-904-3066, brownefamilyvineyards.com

▪ Sunday-Thursday noon-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Brown Family Vineyards is an established name in Washington wine, but their Tacoma tasting room opened in 2020. The sleek midcentury-styled space is well-suited to entertaining, with seats at a beautiful bar or in plush velvet chairs around the fireplace. Located in the heart of the Proctor District across from Met Market, stop by for a glass of several tasting-room exclusive sips, including the brand’s Spy Master series. Light bites include packaged charcuterie from Tacoma’s Art of Crunch.

THE BURIED BOTTLE

▪ 1130 Broadway, Suite. 204, Tacoma, 253-888-6829, buriedbottlewine.com

▪ Friday 3-7 p.m., Saturday 1-6 p.m.

This speakeasy-style wine bar and bottle shop was previously Vin Grotto, run by Kris Blondin. She sold the business in 2023 to Aly and Chris Ramsdell, who renamed it The Buried Bottle. (Note that you can access the entrance from either Broadway or Court C — take the stairs in between these two streets.) Grab a glass while you survey the bottle you’ll take home for the rest of the weekend. The selection remains interesting and unique in the Tacoma area, as the couple begins to infuse their eclectic personal tastes into the selection. They have also added more tables and weekly specials like “Weird Wine Wednesday,” at which they open a bottle that’s mysterious or unusual in one way or another.

FIELD BAR & BOTTLE SHOP

▪ 2614 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-273-1427, fieldtacoma.com

▪ Tuesday-Saturday 3-10 p.m. (food starts at 4 p.m.)

Field Bar first served Sixth Avenue as a bottle shop, which led to a wonderful retail selection of wine (and other finely crafted goods like tinned fish and nonalcoholic cocktails) that stuck around when it officially opened the kitchen in 2021. Owner Brian Hibbard collects bottles with an eye toward natural selections that will please nerds and surprise the uninitiated. Enjoy a glass or perhaps one of the bar’s top-notch cocktails alongside hyper-seasonal plates with local ingredients from chef Ike Hippensteel and his talented team. The rotating toast, on various stylings of housemade bread, should never be missed.

WATER FROM WINE

▪ 1704 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, waterfromwine.org

▪ Sunday-Wednesday noon-8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Fresh on the Tacoma scene, Water from Wine opened in November 2023 in the heart of the University of Washington-Tacoma campus, making it a great choice for museum and convention visitors. Locals will want to pay attention, though, as the wines from this Paterson-based outfit provide plenty of variety and sophistication at affordable prices. The best part? A portion of every sale — and 100% of bottles with their nonprofit partners’ names on them — supports clean water initiatives around the world. The winery has donated more than $1 million since its first bottle sale in 2017.

MORSO WINE BISTRO

▪ 9014 Peacock Hill Ave., Gig Harbor, 253-530-3463, morsobistro.com

▪ Monday-Saturday noon-8 p.m.

Also a full-service restaurant, Morso is handily one of the most pleasant places to dine in Gig Harbor. While lunch and dinner are fine options, the lounge-like atmosphere also makes for an easy excuse for off-hour shared plates: warm herbed olives, salmon cakes, seafood chowder, flatbreads and charcuterie boards. Relax with whatever your potion, then ask for a few recommendations to take-home from the adjacent retail shop, which they added in 2020. Can’t get enough? They also have a wine club.

THE MILL BY JACK + ADELINE

▪ 515 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-561-7711, jackandadeline.com

▪ Wednesday-Saturday 4-9 p.m.

Note: The Mill closed in February 2024. Leanne and Paul Franetovich opened this lovely storefront in early 2022. It’s the future home of her bakery — of pastries and focaccia, which you can now find at their La Finestra Cafe at Museum of Glass. The Mill is also a retail hub for his custom wood boards and tables, crafted from heirloom woods. Part boutique general store, part wine and cheese shop, it offers an excellent selection of packaged beer and wine to-go and pours on-site. Find a seat by one of the floor-to-ceiling windows and browse the unique merchandise, great for gifts. Weather permitting, there’s also a sidewalk patio.

This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.