A taste of Maryhill’s new waterfront digs

Also in attendance were a variety of local media and food-and-drink-industry people curious to see this new tasting room. Among them was Leah Jackson, who opened Niche Wine Bar in downtown Vancouver in 2010 before there were any craft breweries in the area. She was pleased to see more places to drink wine in Vancouver. She explained, “There are a lot more opportunities to try wine. There have been a lot of beer opportunities.” Her dream is to see people riding bikes from one wine tasting room to another.

There were also some people usually associated with craft beer in Vancouver. Michael Perozzo, of the newly renamed Zzeppelin Media, sipped red wine from a long-stemmed glass. The Southwest Washington Winery Association is one of Zzeppelin Media’s clients, and he came out to support Maryhill, its newest member. He was standing with outstanding and highly entertaining Bader Beer & Wine Supply teacher Andrew Reudink and Reudink ‘s wife, Kate, market manager for the Vancouver Farmers Market. Andrew Reudink, in addition to making great beer, also makes wine and has dabbled i nalbariño (one of the featured wines that evening). He was sticking to the lighter wines on the flight list that evening. He felt a big red (like merlot or cabernet) required a large juicy steak to counter the tannins.

At around 6:30 p.m., the loud din of the room was hushed and Maryhill’s CEO, Craig Leuthold (with his wife and co-owner, Vicki Leuthold), came to the mic. He explained how 20 years ago when he and his wife started Maryhill Winery in the Columbia River Gorge near Goldendale, people thought he was crazy to build a winery in the middle of nowhere. He announced, “This is the next transition. We’re bringing the winery to the community.” The Leutholds were attracted to the scenic beauty and large space for their tasting room on the Vancouver Waterfront. They also wanted to get closer to their club members — 50 percent of whom come from Portland and Vancouver.

After thanking the public, Vicki explained to me that she hoped that by visiting this tasting room, people will be interested in visiting the winery. There are exclusive offers for club members who visit Goldendale. For those who don’t make the drive up the Gorge, the walls are filled with information about each wine with a photo and description of the vineyard that it came from and wine bottles filled with soil from the various vineyards. The rainbow of soil showed visitors the variety of rich soil available in Washington and also tied the wine back to its origins.

The Big North Duo, a two-man band consisting of a mandolin player and a standing double bass, played for the crowd. Live music will be a regular fixture at this cavernous tasting room. The Duo played old-timey renditions of popular music that fit with the sepia tones of the decor. The main bar is an ornately decorated 1885 Brunswick mahogany bar from Philadelphia. The light fixtures above the bar and the droopy bronze colored chandeliers with tulip shaped bulbs looked like those that might have been hung by the madam in a 19th century house of ill repute. A baby grand piano and five nights of live piano music will add a musical element to this theme. As a steady drizzle wet the sidewalk beyond the huge windows, The Duo warbled “Summertime and the living’s easy …”

In a conversation a couple weeks before the event, Craig Leuthold expressed his excitement in embarking on this new adventure. He called The Waterfront Vancouver “the jewel of the Columbia River.” He also acknowledged that the development wasn’t like anything else in Vancouver. He said, “The waterfront is going to change this area in ways that we can’t even understand.”

It will be interesting to see the influence of the addition of wineries like Maryhill and SuLei Cellars in a downtown area that was revived on malt and hops.