WA ‘winery to watch’ opens new tasting room in Tacoma’s coveted Proctor District

In scouting cities for their third tasting room in Washington, the owners of Valo and Massalto — considered by experts a “winery to watch” in the region and beyond — concentrated on Tacoma.

Michael Ruhland and Matías Kúsulas found a prime storefront in a vacated America’s Credit Union branch in the desirable Proctor District late this summer. Ruhland, who is also a chef, and a friend spent about three months modernizing the space, and the tasting room opened in October. They are planning a grand opening party with snacks and sips for Saturday, Dec. 13.

Proctor is “such a unique and great community,” said Ruhland in an interview this week, and Tacomans seem willing to have some fun. “We want to make sure that there’s no pretension in wine.”

Already the vintners have been impressed by new customers’ interest in their “society” membership — twice-annual shipments in combinations of six, 12 or 24 bottles, plus perks.

The walls have been painted a slate gray, accented by custom slat texturing and canvases by Loui Jover, an Australian artist whose work also graces the Massalto line of wines by Kúsulas. Find a seat at one of six bar stools, oak wood tables forged by Ruhland himself, or one of two anticipated lounge areas with leather couches and side-chairs.

The current glass list features 16 Valo selections (most around $12-$18/glass, $30-$55/bottle, plus reserves). Chilled options include chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cinsault rosé and Pas Mal, a “winter-style rosé” that’s barreled just a bit longer than usual. Reds offer vintages from 2019 and 2020 of pinot noir, syrah, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and a “right bank” blend of merlot and cabernet franc.

From Massalto, the bar pours another three whites ($17/glass, $50/bottle), including a “sauvalanche” of chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc, and six reds ($20/glass, $60/bottle), from a 2021 mourvèdre to a 2020 grenache.

A flight of four pours ($20, waived with $50 bottle purchase or club membership) changes daily, including both labels.

Kúsulas “loves to produce white wine,” said Ruhland, but the portfolio leans red, in part due to Washington’s climate. “You can grow more varieties than anywhere else in the country,” he added, resulting in vintages that are “approachably priced but high quality.”

Valo & Massalto expand to Tacoma

Kúsulas, who also produces wine for Gård Vintners and Desert Wind Winery, closely manages their source vineyards, with much of their fruit coming from Conner Lee in the Wahluke Slope near Mattawa. Born in Chile to a family with Greek roots, he served as a marine officer and naval engineer before jumping into wine.

Ruhland also career-transitioned, albeit in less of a twist. After a couple decades of cooking, he realized he “just loved doing wine dinners, but didn’t want a restaurant,” he recalled. He first harvested wine in Argentina, then traveled to vineyards around the world and here in the Northwest. He and Kúsulas met in New Zealand in 2016 and crossed paths again in Walla Walla; they bottled their first Valo harvest in 2018. Ruhland moved from Montana to Vancouver, Washington, to open their first tasting room in 2020. They added a second in Ellensburg last year, and Tacoma seemed like an ideal expansion — thanks to the still-young but blossoming winery scene.

Like other wineries that have touched down in Tacoma in the last five years, Valo’s new tasting room operates much like a bar, but club members receive discounts, first stabs at event tickets and complimentary flights.

They join a neighborhood that Browne Family Vineyards, a major Washington wine producer, has called home since 2020. Valo, though, functions more like Dahlman Cellars in the Stadium District or Structure Cellars in St. Helens: hyper-focused on direct-to-consumer sales and personal relationships as opposed to retail and restaurant distribution.

“We want to grow in the communities where we are,” said Ruhland, “bringing the wine community to them.”

While the brand is still a relative newcomer to Washington’s increasingly special wine industry, its vintages, starting from an initial harvest in 2018, have made waves.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate described Valo and Massalto in 2022 as “thoughtful, smartly made” with a true sense of place. In a recent feature of Kúsulas, Sean Sullivan of Northwest Wine Report, a leading industry publication focused on the Pacific Northwest, said Kúsulas “is as skilled as any winemaker in Washington matching fruit to barrel” and anticipates that his impact on the state’s vineyards and winemaking will be “profound.”

With the newest addition, Ruhland hopes Valo and Massalto can “grow with Proctor, and be a part of whatever’s here.”

They host wine dinners for members once a month in Vancouver and Ellensburg, and anticipate adding a third to the rotation in Tacoma.

Valo Massalto Wine - Tacoma

• 2602 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-212-0835, valo.wine
• Monday-Thursday 2-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-9 p.m., Sunday noon-7 p.m.
• Details: new winery tasting room with glass pours, bottles and wine club perks; follow instagram.com/valo_wine for updates

This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.