Located in a large “garage-style” space with a huge overhead door that opens to bring in the outdoors, Tamarack Cellars was a pleasant stop on our recent wine tasting tour. Founded in 1998 by Ron and Jamie Coleman, Tamarack’s goal was to make consistent, hand-crafted wines at a reasonable price. Judging from our recent visit,I would say that they have done just that.
On the afternoon we visited, Boone poured for us. Casual in a ball cap, shorts and tennis shoes, he was no nonsense but still friendly and personable and VERY knowledgeable about the wine he was pouring.
Two noteworthy tastes were the Firehouse Red at $16 / bottle. This is a terrific “Tuesday Wine”. Since our tasting I have found this wine on several restaurant menus and have not been disappointed. The other wine that we all gravitated toward was Spicebox. As the name suggests, a very spicy wine made with a mix of Grenache, Mouvedre and Counoise (a new varietal for me).
I would definitely recommend a stop at Tamarack Cellars on your Walla Walla wine tasting. Be sure to look for Maisie, their very own wine dog.