WRITTEN BY PAUL GREGUTT PHOTOGRAPHED BY BARRY WONG

	At The Tasting Room in the Pike Place Market, manager Jen Doak may well greet you with her official Tasting Room Dog, Stanley. The idea is to keep the mood casual at this unique co-op.

Jen Doak, the gregarious manager and owner of Stanley, the official Tasting Room Dog, fell in love with the wine business during a six-year stint with the Washington Wine Commission.

Sometime near the end of her tenure there, the idea for a multiwinery tasting room began to take shape. A recent change in state law allowed wineries to have two tasting rooms away from their main wine-making facility. What if a small group of them got together and formed a wine-tasting-room co-op?

As it happened, Paul Beveridge (Wilridge Winery) and Robert Goodfriend (Harlequin Wine Cellars) were already planning such a project. "Our original idea," recalls Beveridge, "was to create a space in a great location to showcase boutique wineries that could not afford to run a tasting room on their own. We were inspired by the regional tasting rooms in Europe, where wines of each area's independent producers are featured in a central, tourist-friendly location — like at the castles in Montalcino and Barolo."
 

A VIEW OF THE ROOM The Tasting Room, 1924 Post Alley, Seattle; open daily, noon to 8; 206-770-WINE (9463); www.winesofwashington.com. Member Wineries: Apex Cellars, Camaraderie Cellars, Harlequin Wine Cellars, JM Cellars, Wilridge Winery and Wineglass Cellars. Secret Tip: On "Industry Mondays" anyone who buys, sells or retails wine qualifies for a special discount. Special Events: The room can accommodate up to 50 people for a sit-down event, 100 for a reception.

The Tasting Room is their wine library and castle. In December 2002, it opened in a funky/cozy space that formerly housed an antique store, just north of Kell's Irish Restaurant & Pub. A stack of empty wine barrels anchors the far end, with a couple of bistro tables set against it. Pallets of wine clutter the floor.

There's a big drawing table for kids, another table offering wine books and accessories for sale, and a 20-foot, copper-topped tasting counter filling half of one long wall. The Tasting Room is staffed by Doak, assistant Kris Middleton and wine educator Dieter Schafer, who ensure that you will find a friendly and knowledgeable presence whenever you visit.

"We want to be a place where people can come in and taste wines while relaxing," explains Doak. "It's no Starbucks," she quickly adds. The goal is to make it comfy, but not so totally plush that no one ever leaves. Coming soon: outdoor seating, which will create a small picnic area right on Post Alley, where purchased wines can be opened and tasted.

Food offerings are spare and to the point: a cheese plate ($8), a Salumi cured-meat plate ($6), and a selection of chocolate truffles ($10). But clearly, wine is the star of the show here, and The Tasting Room's six member wineries offer a complete range of Washington styles and flavors, enough to justify several visits.

Wines are sold by the taste (1 ounce), the glass (4 ounces), and the bottle. Prices are comparable to other retail outlets. What makes The Tasting Room unique is the opportunity to taste wines from a group of wineries, to meet the winemakers, and to purchase rare, older vintages or special bottles not generally available.

Almost any time you choose to drop in you will find something interesting happening. Weekdays are especially nice; that's when the regulars show up. On a Monday or Tuesday, the Market is a bit quieter and more relaxed, and there is more time to ask questions and find a good seat at the counter. On Sundays a winemaker is always present, and on Mondays Schafer does guided, themed tastings on topics such as "Seven Brilliant Blends" and "Cabernets With Class."

Recent statistics from the Wine Market Council confirm that only one adult in four in the U.S. is a wine drinker. Though the number of vines, wines and wineries in Washington continues to grow (with roughly 275 wineries in the state), the sheer number of wine drinkers has not changed dramatically.

The Tasting Room, by making a variety of wines accessible, by offering small sips, expert guidance and a nonthreatening atmosphere, may be the most effective way of reaching out to newcomers and making them comfortable.

Each member winery offers a wide selection of wines by the glass and even more wines for sale by the bottle. There is something for every taste. Among recent samplings were an excellent dry riesling from Apex Cellars, a chardonnay from Wineglass Cellars and a blended Jester's Red from Harlequin. Harlequin's lush, fruity 2002 chenin blanc ($4.50) is a great summer sip, as is the Corral Creek Vineyard pinot noir from Wilridge ($5.50).

Want to try a do-it-yourself vertical tasting? Four vintages of Camaraderie Cellars' lovely red Bordeaux blend, Grâce, are available by the glass or by the ounce. For under $10 you can sip your way through 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001, vintages considered to be some of the best in recent memory.

Fans of big, bruiser reds will find plenty of goodies to choose from. JM Cellars pours its merlot and Tre Fanciulli by the glass ($8); Harlequin and Wilridge offer pairs of single-vineyard syrahs ($5.50 to $9), Wineglass is still pouring its incredible 1999 cabs ($5.50 and $8), and Apex has Klipsun Vineyard cabernet ($15) and two vintages of the Brian Carter Solesce red blend ($10 and $15).

Beveridge says he would like to see more co-ops, but it's very difficult to negotiate the state liquor-board approval process and manage the accounting requirements. "If I was not a lawyer by day, we would never have been able to get the Tasting Room off the ground."

Let us all raise a glass and give thanks that he is — and they did.