1919 Wine Cellar provides ‘laid back vibes’ and self-serve wine machines, perfect for connoisseurs and grape dabblers

At Spokane’s newest wine bar, owner Jackie Casey aims to make wine approachable for everyone – as long as they’re 21 or older, of course.

Located on 1919 E. Sprague Ave. – where the bar gets its name – 1919 Wine Cellar officially opened in May, and has since been serving the Sprague Union District with a selection of wines curated by Casey.

“My goal for this place is to just be, like, fun and funky – just laid -back vibes,” said Casey, who also owns two Pinot’s Palette wine and painting locations in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. “I think that a lot of times, people are intimidated by wine, because people make wine very fancy. To me, I think, you (can) just find something that you like, and then you drink it. And you don’t have to really overcomplicate it.”

The wines, many of which are locally sourced, Casey said, are available on tap, straight from the bottle or from one of several self-serve wine dispensers.

So far, these dispensers have been a big hit with customers.

“Most people have never seen the self-service wine machines, so they’ve been having a ton of fun with it,” Casey said.

To use the dispensers, customers can start a tab the way they normally would at any bar, and are then given scan cards, Casey said. These cards not only allow customers open access to the dispensers, but also keeps track of each taste, half- or full -glass option they select.

In addition to being a fun way to sample wines, Casey said, the format of the dispensers is one way 1919 can make wine tasting less intimidating.

“A lot of wines have weird names, so people get nervous to order it from a wine menu,” Casey said. “What’s nice with the wine dispensers is they don’t have to actually order it from a person. They just look at a bottle and they say, ‘Oh, I don’t know what this is, but I’m going to try it. And all I have to do is just press a button.’ ”

The wine available via the dispensers can suit a variety of budgets. The most affordable option is the Misty Cove Sauvignon Blanc at $1.75 for a taste and $7 for a full glass, with the Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon being the most expensive at $18 for a taste and $72 for a full glass.

As a former wine rep, Casey said curating the wine lists – which rotate in new wines every week – has been one of the most fun parts of the job.

“We have so many local wines around here, and so I already know a ton of the wines that I like, especially with all the amazing tasting rooms that we have around the Spokane area,” Casey said. “I don’t buy anything that I don’t like, so I just really like it all.”

If she had to pick a favorite on her list, though, it would be Barrister Winery’s Cabernet Franc, which is made in downtown Spokane.

Outside of wines, 1919 offers a selection of draft beers and both alcoholic and nonalcoholic canned and bottled beverages for those who prefer alternatives.

The journey to opening 1919 began when Casey decided she wanted to relocate Spokane’s Pinot’s Palette facility – which had been downtown since she opened it in 2014 – to somewhere more outside of the downtown area.

“I found this building and fell in love with it. I just love all the big windows,” Casey said. “We have our own parking lot. There’s three big skylights … It’s just really cool.”

Despite her love for the building, the former space of Blue Cat Vintage was too big to serve solely as Pinot’s Palette relocation, Casey said. In an attempt to solve that problem, Casey asked the landlord to divide the space, but he declined.

“I kind of just saw that as my opportunity to open a wine bar, because I’ve always wanted to,” Casey said.

Now, Pinot’s Palette is located just to the right of 1919, making two out of Casey’s three businesses side-by-side.

In addition to the wine dispensers, the newly acquired space has been filled with a variety of furniture from Facebook Marketplace and other local furniture stores, from a yellow church pew to a light-pink couch – Casey’s favorite seating option. Cabinets hold various board games and decks of cards. The goal, Casey said, was to create an environment that was both eclectic and funky while still being cozy.

Born and raised in Montana, Casey said her love for wine began during her time at Montana State University where she would drink riesling and moscato with her roommates. Shortly after graduating, Casey and her husband moved to Oklahoma, where her experience with wine would soon grow, thanks to a post-grad job as a wine rep, Casey said.

Having received a degree in elementary education, the decision to open a Pinot’s Palette once moving to Spokane was not something she said she planned on, but was inspired by a date night with her husband back in Oklahoma.

“It’s just amazing what you can do when someone walks you through a painting step by step,” Casey said. “Literally, they all turn out amazing.”

After 1919’s first official month in business, Casey said a main focus has been incorporating social events, such as trivia nights on Thursdays, and, scheduled to begin in the next couple of weeks, karaoke nights on Saturdays. Live music and bingo are other events Casey said she’d like to host later down the road.

As of now, 1919 does not sell food, but Casey said she plans to introduce “easy food,” such as charcuterie trays and flatbreads, in the next few months.

“We already have so many regulars, so it’s been so fun getting to know people,” Casey said. “I feel like we’ve really been able to build a good rapport with a lot of the community in our short little time.”

Pia Gilbert, a self -proclaimed foodie in the Spokane area, has become one of these regulars.

“I absolutely love that place,” Gilbert said. “I live up the hill from (the bar) and was just really excited to go in and have wine on tap.”

Outside of having wine on tap, some other aspects about 1919 Gilbert loves are the perks that come along with self-service dispensers as well as the wine list Casey curates.

“Jackie’s ability to pick out wines really keeps me coming back,” Gilbert said. “They have a pretty extensive list of wines that normally I wouldn’t be able to try or buy by the bottle, so it’s fun to be able to try a 2-ounce pour or a half-ounce pour, or a glass.”

During 1919’s soft launch in April, Casey was the only employee. Since then, 1919 has some new faces serving up wine behind the bar, including bartender Sara Jackson. Jackson said she has been bartending under Casey for around three years at the Spokane Pinot’s Palette, and now works at both of her businesses.

“Working for a locally woman-owned business is awesome. I just I feel so much pride in it,” Jackson said.

Jackson said she appreciates how Casey has been able to create a “nurturing” wine bar experience for those who may call themselves wine connoisseurs to those who are just beginning.

“It’s not so much, ‘Let’s try these wines and be fancy about it,’ it’s ‘Let’s try these wines and get excited about it,’ ” Jackson said. “The thing about Jackie, too, is she’s really showcasing a lot of local places and introducing some of those things to people that are local who have maybe not seen it. And then she’s not doing it in a way to like price gouge either – she’s doing it so people can try it and enjoy it in a relaxed setting and not feel intimidated to jump into something new.”