This is a very nice tasting room. The host was friendly and knowledgeable and there was just a good vibe. The kind of tasting room I would visit for happy hour and hang out.
The best wine I tasted was the 2010 Allobroges. Don't be shy to ask for the pronunciation. This is a great red and I am kicking myself for not buying a bottle.
The Riesling is also very good. This is probably one of my top 5 favorite Rieslings. And, since it was 95 degrees out the day I went tasting, so  a bottle came home with me and did not last long.
A must stop on your wine tasting tour through Yakima.
Lovely space in Yakima. Gilbert cellars has a modern minimalist decor but still feels warm and inviting. The pourer I met (Lincoln) was friendly and knowledgable, and being the only customer at the time, was very sociable and willing to engage in conversation about the wine, the AVA (American Viticultural Association region), the history of Gilbert Cellars, and more. The interior felt cool while I was there and it took me a while to warm up, so I kept my jacket on most of the time.
$5 for tasting the flight of 5 wines. The pourer said that the combination of pours roughly equals one glass of wine. In the pre-selected flight I tried: Reisling, Allobroges (Medium Rhone inspired blend), Syrah, Left, Bank (Bordeaux inspired blend), and Cabernet Sauvignon. Additionally, for $1 / pour, other wines can be sampled. I tried the Pinot Noir, 2009 Reserve, and Tempranillo Port.
Each of their wines was delicious in its own way. I took home bottles of both the Allobroges and Left Bank blends, though I wanted to walk away with more including the Reserve and Tempranillo Port, and would have been happy to have any of the single varietals as well! The $5 tasting fee was waived since I purchased wine.
From the time they open (around 11am) until 4pm they serve a tapas menu only. I tried and would recommend the bacon-wrapped dates (stuffed with bleu cheese) as well as the baguette with cheese. I think I may have had a chevre from Tieton Farm & Creamery. After 4pm Gilbert Cellars has an expanded food menu.
Wine and how it appeals or does not to a person is highly subjective and can depend on many factors that are not in control of the grape grower, wine maker, or even the pourer. What one person would die for, another will despise. I loved their wines, and if you decide to visit, I hope you will too.
On a recent trip out to visit my husband (he is in school), we decided to head downtown Yakima to check out Gilbert Cellars. Â The atmosphere inside is great, feels like you aren't in eastern washington! Â The bartender was very fun, relatively knowledgeable, and extremely conversational. Â We tasted wines for a very fair fee and I don't think there was a single one we didn't like. Â They were all delicious. Â Look, I am no expert, but I know what I like and what type of drinkability I like, and I liked their wine. Â We left with a couple bottles, and we will for sure be back!
Review Source:We visited this tasting room in 2010, and it was our first stop on our return to Yakima in 2012. Excellent wines, served in a bistro environment. Tapas are available, but we opted just to taste wines for a modest fee. Every wine was well made, but the reds (all 2009's and a 2010 Syrah) will need a more time in bottle to open up and show at their best. The winemaker happened to be there, and we had a most intersting and informative conversation with him. Highly recommended for those who are serious about serious wines.
Review Source:My husband and I enjoyed our tastings and the information presented by our wine "guide." She did a great job of talking about the region, the grapes, and the land as well as answering our questions.
They do charge for tasting but that amount is deducted from the price of a bottle should you purchase and I think that's fair. We liked a couple of their wines and bought a bottle. Probably would have been more but there's only so much room in the suitcase!
Tasting rooms in the city just aren't as much fun and interesting as tasting rooms at the actual winery. Â I felt like I was just at an ordinary bar and did not get much of an education and feel for the wines.
The bartender was pleasant enough but I don't feel like he had any sort of passion or interest in the wines and frankly, after tasting them, we didn't either.
The bar and seating is very nicely appointed but the wines and the tasting experience was unremarkable.
This is "How CoreyG Got His Groove Back".
What brought me here is "SALSA THURSDAYS", but what keeps me coming back is the big-city style, lovely libations, and of course, "SALSA THURSDAYS". Â Situated on the corner of Front & Yakima Ave is a true gem. Â
:::::  UPSTAIRS:  The Tasting Room  :::::
Here you have a long list of excellent wines to choose from Gilbert Cellars.  And if you are not in the mood for vino, there is a noice selection of bottled ales (I especially like how they have brews from nearby Yakima Craft Brewing Company [<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/yakima-craft-brewing-company-yakima%5D">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>.  And they also have Chimay--and you might know I'm a sucker for ales from Belgium). Â
Although I've not tried any, I've seen some tasty-looking tapas and deserts being prepared (and eaten) by the staff here. Â
The pourers have always been super nice and helpful.
One of my favorite features of the Tasting Room is the huge photograph of Gilbert Peak behind the bar. Â I get lost in that snow-covered peak whenever I'm cooling off from dancing and ordering a drink.
:::::  DOWNSTAIRS:  Where Magic Happens  :::::
The Yakima Salsa Dance Company and Gilbert Cellars started up SALSA THURSDAYS a few months ago, and already it's a total hit (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yakimamagazine.com%2F2011%2F07%2F08%2Fsalsa-thursdays%2F&s=4d2e19293306e868c20a195089d77429b5eaa4e3dcd4d9640891b620c520e873" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.yakimamagazin…</a>)!
Take a walk downstairs and get your dance on. Â Cover is only $5, and if you get there by 7:30 you can take a free salsa lesson. Â Then from 8-11pm DJ David takes over and plays some salsa, merengue, bachata, and cumbia. Â This has already become one of the best places to go for salsa dancing in eastern Washington. Â The music's great, the people are awesome, and the vibe is chill for everyone from beginners to advanced dancers. Â It's all good and fun. Â And when I was starting to get sad about lack of places to go dancing, Gilbert Cellars and the Yakima Salsa Dance Co. saved the day!
There is local art adorning the walls, a few fans (it does get super hot down here sometimes, so dress and prep accordingly), and ice water (but if you want something cool, go upstairs and grab a glass of white, or a brew!).
Oh Gilbert Cellars, you rock the salsa and I love you. Every Thursday night there are free salsa lessons downstairs at 7 PM (or is it 7:30?), and for a mere five dollars, you can dance until 11 PM. Not only that, but the place is filled with all levels of dancers including several instructors, and all it takes is a quick lesson and you're on your way to shakin' it like a polaroid picture. Most of the dancers are part of the Yakima/Ellensburg/TriCities salsa trifecta, and are a friendly bunch. Everyone is easy going, and sometimes it's fun to just sit back and watch the experienced dancers make salsa look like love rolled in sexy sprinkles and dipped in chocolate. Highly recommended.
Review Source:The Bacon wrapped dates are a must, really. There isn't a whole lot of food on the menu other then two paninis and cheese plates, but those are good. Some local wine and local beer, and even French press coffee. The outdoor space is good when the sun starts to set when it is cooler out. You can do some interesting local people watching, good yakima characters. Overall, went here twice on a winery trip in eastern Washington and was pleased with laid back but more classy nature to the place (for Yakima).
Review Source:Nice space and good wine. I'm a fan of the Estate Syrah and was happy to join their discount club for that alone. Service has been spotty. At times it seems that chatting with the regulars takes priority over prompt service for all. I don't think they're doing it intentionally, but it can still be annoying.
The fifth star is reserved for when I get blown away by a place in Yakima. This place has good wine and ambiance, but it's always been completely dead during the week. Hard to understand when Bob's Keg and Cork, Second Street B&G, and others in the area have solid weekday crowds. Maybe the action is downstairs and I'll come back to add that final star later...
This seemed like a cool place - the pourer was nice I guess but he was very stiff and stuffy with us and then as soon as he turned to the couple next to us he started sipping his frappucino and gossiping about some club he was going to and his favorite TV show (The Office). It made us feel a little uncomfortable - we're very laidback people. No need to be uptight with us. They had mentioned that there was "underground" music there but he said it was only on Fridays. I asked if there was somewhere nearby with good music - he directed us to the sportsbar down the street with a huge electric sign of a man swining a rifle around. Um.....No. The wines were decent. Looked like they had good food, but no one offered us a menu or anything. We left feeling kind of rushed, and underwhelmed.
Review Source:Wines were good, but they were very stingy when we asked to try something that wasn't on the red wine and chocolate weekend tasting list, even though they had it open and chilled already (and we weren't asking for upper end). Â In fact, I asked "are you tasting any whites?" Â And they repeated like automatons "we are tasting red wine and chocolate this weekend"...the other person said "well, for $5, we'd be glad to taste whites.
This would be a 2-star ranking if their malbec and cab franc weren't so tasty. Â Not impressed with the service. Â I'm sure we would have bought the white if they would have tasted it. Â As it is, we left with 2 bottles and probably won't come back.
We stopped here on the way home to Seattle. Â Very nice place, modern architecture, nice selection of little bites of food to eat. Â We did the wine tasting and enjoyed it. Â The wine tasting is 5.00 and you can pay 3.00 more and add the fancy wines. Â One nice thing, if you buy a bottle of wine the 5.00 goes toward the purchase. Â We all did the 8.00 tasting and got four whites and four reds to taste. Â We all liked all of the wines and we each bought a bottle to take home.
Review Source:
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