Sip City Wines Grand Opening Continues Through Saturday

As you read this, Sip City Wines is already two days into its four-day grand opening extravaganza, but there's still plenty more time to take advantage of great deals, sample tasty foods and win prizes through Saturday.

Hasn't Sip City Wines been in Enumclaw for a while now, you ask? Why yes, though it came under new management just this January.  New owners Kristen and John Damazio have quietly molded the local wine shop into one that fits their vision as "the before and after" place to be in downtown Enumclaw.

Let's start with the 'before': Sip City's new tapas menu features delectable appetizers such as artichoke dip, mixed olives, Tuscan flatbread and Beecher's cheese curds for anywhere from $3.50 to $9.50 a plate. Then there's the fancy charcuterie (meat and cheese platters) offerings that include pate, prosciutto and three kinds of salami as well as French brie, gruyere and smoked gouda.

When we stopped in to visit Thursday afternoon, several soups were also on the menu including tomato basil raviolini, pasta fagioli and gluten-free roasted red pepper bisque. ($3.50 for a cup; $5.50 for a bowl)

And the 'after': the shop is carrying dessert from nearby The Pie Goddess and offering a variety of dessert wines and ports to accompany the sweet treats, said John.

For both occasions, there's the wine, of course. The Damazios have expanded the wine list offerings to include eight varieties of reds and whites including favorite labels like Airfield, Lone Birch, Kestrel and Novelty Hill. The beer offerings are also decidedly Seattle-centric, including several from the Georgetown Brewing Company.

Tasting menus are also being changed up more frequently, said John, and because the shop is now open Sundays, that's the day for Sangria Sundays plus mimosas.

Into the next few months, John said customers could expect to see rooftop seating with live music available as early as this summer.

Many of the foods, wines and amenities already mentioned have always been a part of Sip City Wines, he said, but the couple has clearly put their personal touch on each facet of the shop. John says he wants Sip City Wines to have that "Cheers" feel where when regular customers enter, everyone does indeed know your name.

They have been faithful customers of Sip City for three years, he said, and when they learned the previous owner was looking to sell, "we didn't want it to change," he said. "This is our spot."

Grand Opening Specials

All wines and beers by the glass on the regular menu are $5 and $3 each, respectively, during the specials that occur both Friday and Saturday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Prizes and drawings are happening each day and customers are invited to guess the number of wine corks in a container where the winner receives a $300 bottle of Armond champagne.

Wine bottles are 15 percent off and gift items 20 percent off too.