Wine. Social lubricant, relaxing release, medical miracle, challenging conundrum. Wine is a mysterious beverage that we seek to understand, love to analyze, and drive to discover. But, isn’t it just rotten grapes! I love watching people discover new flavors they love and uncover the subtle nuances of a carefully crafted creation. Nectar Tasting Room gives you the opportunity to explore 35+ wines from 5 wineries in one location. Located in Downtown Spokane at 120 N. Stevens (across from Sante Restaurant, Sushi.com and Aunties Book Store) Nectar is here for you to explore Washington wine.

March is Washington Wine Month. Come down to Nectar and experience some of the best that Washington wine has to offer.

March 3-6

(Yes, I realize this is in the past, but want to create an archive of events at Nectar)

• Thursday – Check in on Foursquare or Facebook places and save $1 off any glass of wine!
• Friday – Welcome to First Friday at Nectar. This month’s featured artist is Todd Sackmann. His photography provides a unique perspective on Spokane landmarks. Stop by for music from Just JoeKen. Their blend of acoustic blues, rock, classic rock and modern hits make them a Nectar favorite.
  • Join Don Phelps from Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards as he samples two new wines and has come very unique giveaways.
  • Saturday – Join Don Phelps again to taste your choice of 5 of the 8 wines at Nectar. The two new wines, 2007 Cabernet Franc and the unique 2007 Iron Bed Red Blend will amaze you. Music from the incomparable Maxie Ray Mills completes the evening

March 10- 12

• Thursday – SIN (Service Industry Night). If you work in the service industry (restaurant, hotel, bar, etc), stop by for 20% off of glasses and 10% off of all bottles.
• Friday – Music by one of my favorite local artists, Darin Hilderbrand. Darin provides the back drop to a visit from the energetic Cheryl Hodgins from Skylite Cellars. Cheryl comes to Spokane to celebrate the release of their 2008 Malbec. This smooth wine is full of blueberry flavor and a hint of earth and cigar box.
• Saturday – Join Skylite Cellars as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The local parade route goes right in front of Nectar and YOU can reserve your own private table with a view for only $69.95. Your table for four includes a bottle of wine (up to $30) and a special Irish meat and cheese appetizer plate. The parade starts at Noon. Call 509.869.1572 to secure your spot (limited to just 6 tables). Music in the evening from Karrie O’Neil.

March 17 – 19

• Thursday – Always a fun way to relax. We’re open from 2-9pm. Come by for a glass of wine. We have free wifi (for your work meetings) and meat & cheese appetizer plates to curb your appetite before dinner.
• Friday – Soulful and sweet sounds from Olivia Kintzele. Olivia’s voice is mystifying and unique. You’ve got to hear her.
• Saturday – Come enjoy Coeur d’Alene Olive Oil Company and wine at Nectar Tasting Room from Noon – 5pm. CDAOO has some amazing flavor infused olive oils that will have your taste buds begging you for more. Stay the evening for music with Colleen Rice. Don’t forget “The Final Sip” from 9-10pm – Spokane’s favorite wine party.

March 24 – 26

• Thursday – Check in on Foursquare or Facebook places and save $1 off any glass of wine.
• Friday – Your last chance to see the photography of Todd Sackmann. Music by Fawnell Gresham. Fawnell’s original acoustic folk is a mellow way to end the month.
• Saturday – New wine tasting: Taste the four new wines introduced at Nectar over the last month for only $5. Enjoy music from one of our Nectar regulars, Michael Dwyer and stay for The Final SIP. Buy a bottle during the final sip and get your FEE WAVED (one night only).

On The Radar

April is Jazz Awareness Month (J.A.M.) and Nectar is a proud supporter! Join us each Friday night for amazing local jazz music.

April brings you by the amazingly talented art from Cecile Charles. Cecile has worked on some brand new pieces just to show at Nectar. You’ll be glad you came by.

ValenWine weekend is quickly approaching. While many dread the Hallmark holiday of February 14, it is a dedicated day of the year for all the hopeless romantics to celebrate love…even if it’s just the hope of finding love some day. Tired of the same old flowers and a card, last minute Valentine’s gift? Get ready for something special, romantic and memorable.

The Spokane Winery Association has announced their first annual ValenWine Weekend. In the spirit of love, all 18 wineries of the Spokane Winery Association will host a special celebration of wine tasting with Valentine’s sweets. All 18 wineries will feature miniature heart cookies from the Rocket Bakery. Create some new memories Saturday and Sunday (February 12-13) from 11AM – 5PM; tasting fees may apply. (CLICK HERE to download a map).

Nectar Tasting Room is excited to be joining with the 18 SWA wineries to celebrate this special day. The tasting room will have five stations of chocolate and wine pairings from Pixie Dust Chocolates along with a custom ValenWine label and flowers from Just Roses Plus. A limited edition Nectar Romance Package includes flowers, chocolates and an amazing wine with a custom label (pictured below) where you can write your own romantic note to that special someone.  Quantities are limited to 36 and are available for pre-order for just $49. Call 509.869.1572 to pre-order.

Wrap up your wine tasting with some soulful acoustic sounds from local musicians starting at 6pm on Friday and Saturday.

Break out of the routine and uninspired Valentine’s gifts and give the gift of ValenWine with Spokane Wineries and Nectar Tasting Room this year!

Have you ever used Groupon? Today is the day you should start! If you are a wine lover and live in the Spokane / Coeur d’Alene area, skipping today’s sipping treat means a whole year of lost savings, or should I say lost sipping!

>> http://www.groupon.com/spokane-coeur-dalene/ <<

>> http://www.groupon.com/spokane-coeur-dalene/ <<

Here is How It Works

A Club Nectar membership is an entire year of wine savings. The more you and your friends love wine, the more your membership keeps giving. Club Nectar members receive the following:

$1 Off All Glass Pours

• Every time you come in you’ll receive $1 off your “by the glass” purchases. We don’t over inflate our prices either. You’re not paying $8 a glass for Sutter Homes White Zin. We have glass pours ranging from $4 – $14 (with most being $5-$7)

Complimentary Tasting Bar Flights

• Every weekend we select five wines to be featured at the tasting bar. Visitors can experience these wines for just $5. Club Nectar members take the flight for free. We don’t even charge for your baggage! Come in 52 weekends of the year and you could save over $250!

10% Off All Bottle Purchases

• We all could save a little coin now and then. Most places make you buy 6 or more to start saving on wine. Buy today’s GROUPON and you’ll be saving on every bottle you purchase whether you stay and enjoy it or take it home. Buy more wine, save more $$.

15% Off All Case Purchases

• Find a wine you love or maybe you just have a big weekend planned? Buy in bulk of 12 bottles or more and save a total of 15%. Cha-ching!

½ Price Entry to “The Final Sip”

• Every Saturday night you can join our after-hours sample party for just $5 (regularly $10). The wine we opened over the weekend won’t keep till the next time we’re open, so you’re invited to save it from being dumped down the drain. Visitors will get access to all the bottles that are still open, with a sample of between 6-8 wines. This is a great way to wrap up the weekend and experience some new juice.

Invitation to Special Events and Release Parties

• Everyone wants to be cool. Now, you can be part of the club. Receive exclusive invitations to preview new wines, have dinner with the wine makers, or get invited to the party.

Regular price for Club Nectar is $75 per year. YOU can enjoy a year of ‘wine-ing’ at Spokane’s newest wine spot for just $35. What are you waiting for?

We Need Your Help

If you haven’t already clicked over to the GROUPON page to scoop up this amazing deal, we could use your help with two things!

• Join the club! We would love to see you all year long
• Spread the word! Share this post on Facebook and Twitter to let all your wine loving friends in on this great deal

Sample Savings

For those having trouble with the math, let me give you an example of how quickly you can save…

 Total Savings of $83

As you can see, it didn’t take long to save with Club Nectar. All this person bought was 15 bottles of wine and they stopped by a few times during the year to enjoy life with friends!

Three months ago I announced the biggest journey of my life. This little wine blog social media experiment has grown from a branding initiative to three businesses. On October 4, we agreed to lease 2000 square feet at 120 N. Stevens in downtown Spokane. After several construction delays and an ever ballooning budget we are finally gearing up to open. I plan to write a detailed post about the lessons I’ve learned along the way, but for today I wanted to provide you the final progress report on construction and announce the grand opening. The next video you see will hopefully be of the completed space just before we open.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your support. Your Facebook shares and re-tweets have been a marketing force that blows me away. Due to the nature of the upcoming few weeks, I’ll be continuing to lean on your support. This blog will always be a space for wine news, wine reviews, social media information, and wine fun but the next few weeks I hope you’ll bare with a Nectar Tasting Room focus

THE GRAND OPENING OF NECTAR TASTING ROOM

You are all invited to the grand opening of Nectar Tasting Room on Friday, January 7. Each of the wine makers from the five participating wineries will be on hand to meet you, talk about their wines, and help you share in their passions. Friday and Saturday come by from Noon – 9pm and enjoy live music, catered food from Sante Restaurant and Charcuterie, incredible art from Northwest artist Stacey Wells (Rock and Roll Reflections) and amazing wine specials. This is going to be a perfect way to kick off the new year and celebrate a great new addition to the downtown core.

Be on the lookout next Wednesday (12/29) for a very cool promotion and a killer deal on our annual membership plan, Club Nectar.

Thanks for being part of the journey, the fun is about to begin. Enjoy life with friends, drink happy!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NECTAR TASTING ROOM OPENS WITH 30 WINES 5 WINERIES IN 1 LOCATION

NectarWineBlog.com has grown from an online idea to a brick and mortar business. Nectar Tasting Room opens Friday, January 7 and showcases five wineries from across Washington State. Occupying the first floor of the 1889 Building on the corner of Main and Stevens, Nectar Tasting Room is the satellite location for Anelare Winery, Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards, Northwest Cellars, Skylite Cellars, and Terra Blanca Winery. Visitors can experience a weekly tasting bar flight, and wines are available in 2 or 5 ounce pours and by the bottle. Nectar Tasting Room is the first local businesses to incorporate the use of Apple iPads as their wine menu. “Our goal is to provide visitors with a unique tasting experience where they can learn about wine and about each of the five wineries at the space,” says owner Josh Wade. The iPad menu can remember the wines you tasted so on return visits you can easily recall what you liked and didn’t like.

Nectar Tasting Room is open Thursday, Noon – 7pm and Friday – Saturday, Noon – 9pm. A fun “after hours” party, Saturday from 9 – 10pm, called The Final Sip, gives guests the opportunity to taste through any of the wines that are open. “For $10 you can come by and enjoy 5-8 wines that are already open. We don’t want to dump it down the drain. It’s a great way to share the wine,” says Josh.  With the opening of Nectar Tasting Room at 120 N. Stevens, 25 wineries now have a presence in Spokane.

As you read this, I should be celebrating the grand opening of Nectar Tasting Room. We should be celebrating with the Downtown Partnership by joining in the December First Friday event. We should be featuring amazing art from artist Stacey Wells. Music should be filling the room, and hundreds of wine lovers would be flowing through the doors for peek at the modern wine bar / wine tasting room vibe. Spokane residents would be meeting five new wineries. Instead, we sit pretty much in the same position as the last update (which was published November 10).

November 10, Spokane heard my plea as work and progress were halted in the name of bureaucracy. After a great collaborative meeting with city planners, compromise was reached, and plans were submitted. Three weeks have gone by and very little work has been done as we sit and wait for plan approval. Today I stand in the tasting room and it looks as if nothing has changed since we last talked. An update from the city indicates that permits should be issued in the next few days. Since there is very little to do, things should progress quickly once we have the city’s blessing.

One thing that has changed over the last month of delays has been my checking account. Carrying the overhead for an additional month without any revenue has proven to be quite the financial burden. It’s one thing to budget the expected costs and even build in excess expenses, but carrying everything (along with the added expenses) for 30+ more days is adding about 10% to my total opening costs. Since I have nothing to really “show” you (although the video does show progress in the downstairs bathrooms, and the chaos that is main area), I thought I give my best visual description through text.

Overall:

As you approach, you see the great sign featuring the three businesses in the building. Nectar Tasting Room, as the primary tenant, is listed on the top with LaunchPadINW second and the COPS shop (which occupies the second floor) being on the bottom. Window vinyl, mirroring the purple branding, is in each window bay. Each window showcases one of the five wineries. As you enter on the corner of Main and Stevens, you step onto a black ceramic tile and then onto the beautiful ebony hard wood floors. Scanning the space you notice the warm tan, and cool blue walls covered in modern art and photography. A 16’ bar spans the length of the entire back brick wall.

Overhead the exposed silver duct work accents the tall 14’ ceilings. In the center of the room, three modern chandeliers center the space. Their medusa-like arms are a modern juxtaposition to the traditional brick walls. Under each chandelier is a circular tasting table with crackle glass top that reflect the light. Along the West wall of windows four stainless steel tables are highlighted with spot pendant lights. A bench seat spans ½ the East wall with an additional four tables for sitting and enjoying life with friends.

The Bar:

As you approach the bar you notice the lighted crackle glass top that expands 16 feet. Two tall shelving towers frame the brick on the back bar. A large TV is in the center showcasing pictures from the five wineries. Tall vertical racks display wine. The menu boast 30+ wines, all available as a 2 ounce splash, 5 ounce sip, or stay and enjoy the whole bottle. For $5 (refundable with purchase), you decide to enjoy today’s five wine tasting bar flight.

The Soft Seating:

Off in the Southeast corner is a cozy area with two couches, two chairs, a coffee table, and some cool overhead lighting. This area is occupied most of the evening.

On the North end of the space a guitarist is strumming out tunes from Jack Johnson, John Mayer, and more.

Well, there you have it. There is the vision of what has been ordered and how things will look in just a few weeks. Some of the things I wanted to do will have to wait until the first quarter of 2011 as revenue starts flowing. Keep your eyes here as we hope to announce our soft and grand opening over the next few days. Thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you very soon sipping on a glass or three of wine.

Drink happy!

UPDATE

It’s official. On Friday we receivd word that our building plans were approved and that the permits have been issued. The city was able to review the full plan in less than 3 weeks (normally 4-6 week review time). Thanks to everyone who provided their support and insight.

With this news, I would anticipate that electrical, plumbing and new duct work will be completed this week and flooring and restrooms finished next week. This would leave the week before Christmas to touch up, decorate, install, final prep, etc etc etc. Looks like we’ll have a soft opening in 2010 after all!!