A new winery with a catchy name made a splash in the regional wine scene last fall with the opening of its downtown Spokane tasting room, and hopes to continue putting its best fruit forward.
"Part of what makes us special is that we don't use grapes in our wine, just fruit," says Two Winey Bitches co-owner Margaret Walser. "The other part is that we plant and grow all of our fruit ourselves."
That fruit comes from Willow Wind Organic Farm, which Walser and her husband, Steve, operate 13 miles north of Reardan. In addition to various fruits used for the winery's products, the 635-acre farm also produces vegetables, wheat and hay.
"The farm has been in operation for about 50 years, but the winery was a more recent addition," says Margaret. "With all farming there are fluctuations in the markets, and in 2013 we had an excess of blueberries, so we decided to try making wine with them as a way of generating additional income."
Walser got together with her friend Linda Bjork, who had some winemaking experience, and they made 23 gallons of blueberry wine, which turned out surprisingly well.
"From there, we gathered all the supplies we needed to produce larger batches, and we got big relatively fast," says Margaret. "We still do almost everything by hand, so it's a big job, but it's a labor of love."
The winery takes its name from a joke Steve made about Margaret and Linda's dogs, who often lounged nearby when the duo got together to make and taste their wine.
The Walser's daughter Eleacia is also involved, as assistant vintner alongside her mother and general manager for Two Winey Bitches' tasting room.
The Walsers converted a 5,000-square-foot production building on the farm, formerly used to pack potatoes, into a winemaking space in 2014.
The winery is small, producing a little more than 2,000 gallons, or about 5,000 cases, annually. While they could expand production or buy fruit from outside the farm, Eleacia says being able to grow it themselves helps maintain quality and consistency.
"We need our fruit to be ripe enough for processing, and ripe fruit doesn't usually transfer well because it's soft," she explains. "Expansion is something that could happen, but that would be a long-term plan. I think for now it's nice to be small and feel that ownership of every batch and bottle we create."
Eleacia describes the winemaking process as similar to that of grape wines, starting with freshly hand-picked fruits that are first cleaned, then mixed with water, sugar and yeast. After testing, each batch is aged for one year. Then, the wine goes through a round of tasting and testing before being bottled, and is aged for an additional year to let flavors develop further.
The Walsers use few sulfites, a type of preservative, in their production process.
"We use a small amount of sulfites in the beginning of our process to kill any wild yeast present," says Margaret. "Other than that, we keep it simple, filtering minimally and preserving as much of the natural fruit flavors as we can."
These natural processes may contribute to their wines' seeming lack of a hangover effect.
"It could be due to our production processes, or the fact that our fruits are organic with no added chemicals, and our water at the farm comes from an artesian well," adds Margaret. "It could be a combination of all of those things — we don't know for certain."
Two Winey Bitches' wines range in color from deep purple reds (cabernet sauvignon made with blueberries) to pink (Rainer rose made from Rainier cherries), to white (strawberry and rhubarb or peach). Each fruit can be made into varieties ranging from extra dry to sweet dessert wines.
"In many ways the final flavors are similar to grape wines, in that they depend on the growing season and how the fruit develops, as well as how long the wine is aged," says Eleacia.
The winery's Pity Party Cherry, she adds, is probably its most popular bottle because of its drinkability: "It's not too dry and not too sweet, and it's just a really fun and mellow wine."
In an effort to share its wine with a larger audience, Two Winey Bitches' owners decided to open a tasting room in west downtown Spokane.
The space's rustic-chic interior, designed by Margaret, makes use of reclaimed materials from the farm including wood and tin from an old barn, and a bar-top crafted from a fallen acacia tree. Other décor includes old fire doors from a neighboring building, locally made stained glass in the upper windows, and artwork from area artists that rotates monthly.
The tasting room's menu includes a "flight and bite" option ($15) that pairs three different 2-ounce pours with small appetizers. Other food options include a grazing board ($18-$36) with meats, cheeses and chocolates, plus a variety of hot sandwiches ($9-$14), meatballs and marinara ($9), and flatbreads ($10) including vegetarian and vegan options.
Looking ahead, Margaret says they plan to add a patio for more outdoor seating and hope to work with the city and nearby small businesses to host events that increase foot traffic in downtown's west end.
"It's a lovely area with some great small businesses, and I think we could work together on some fun events that would further enhance it," she says. ♦
Two Winey Bitches • 107 S. Madison St. • Open Wed-Sat 1 pm-close, Sun 11 am-4 pm • twowineybitches.net • 509-808-2526