Cedar River Cellars Handcrafts Wine in Renton

Cedar River Cellars is a true neighborhood winery. After all, winemakers Heather and Micah Nasarow, work from their Renton Highlands home garage. The couple built their venture on the premise of being a local business providing true Northwest wines, with a neighborhood feel.

On Saturday, Cedar River Cellars will hold its inaugural tasting of two 2009 wines and one 2010 wine at from 1-5 p.m.

The Nasarows have two small children, and big ambitions. The couple said that they wanted a formal release party to share with their family and friends, but also the public.

The winemakers say that want to be the wine that you reach for first because you want to support a local business. They unapologetically  describe their wine as having enough versatility to pair with pizza, a favorite Italian dish, or with upscale cuisine such as duck.

Many of the most successful entrepreneurs started in their garage, Micah says. 

“Just look at Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak,” he said.

Micah said that he went back and forth for quite some time on whether or not to open the winery, until a buddy of his said, “Just do it.”

By day, the Nasarow’s have other jobs. He is a software engineer at a consulting firm. She is a barista at on Sunset Blvd.

Micah has a degree in food science and technology, and minored in Chemistry. Good academic training for going into the wine business, for sure, but he also has significant skills in sensory training. 

He participated in beer panels with Anheuser-Busch, and was a brewing chemist for Nor'Wester Brewing Company in Portland, served as a beer judge, and also worked as a sensory representative for Starbucks.

Before having children, Heather worked in marketing for Starbucks as a sales representative.  Also, great training for owning her own business. In 2010, she went back to Starbucks as a barista on a part-time schedule.

The Bella Bella Syrah and Ava’s Crush Cabernet Sauvignon will be available to taste and purchase this weekend. Their V.N.A. vigonier will also be available to taste and pre-order. All selections are priced at $20 per bottle.

“The event is a perfect fit for Vino,” said Rick McMaster, owner. “We like supporting local wineries, so this event is a win-win.”

Both red wines are named for their daughters, Ava, age 4, and Isabella, age 2.

Bella Bella is a fruit forward wine with a light smokey nose, and hints of baking spice and bittersweet chocolate. Ava’s Crush is a black currant wine with a full mouth feel and medium acidity.  It is comprised of 80% Cabernet and 20% Merlot.

Cedar River Cellars purchases its grapes primarily from two growers in Eastern Washington, Portteus Vineyars and Burgress Vineyards in the Columbia Valley.

The idea for the winery was born several years ago, as the couple prepared for their wedding. They wanted to give their wedding guests a special take-away gift. So they purchased a wine kit, made a “Marriage Malbec” for their guests. Several more kits, and a lot of grapes later, they decided to get serious about the wine making process.

The couple is serious about their business and doing everything themselves.

“When we say handcrafted, we mean handcrafted,” Micah said. “The crush pad is in our driveway, we own our own equipment, the label is designed by us, the picture on the label was taken by us, and we fill the bottles ourselves.”

Prior to opening the winery, the couple held sensory tastings when they didn’t have wine to sell geared at the twenty-something crowd, just to find out what type of wines they liked.

Research was key in their preparation for opening the winery. Unlike many small businesses, they had a website and Facebook page ready to go even before the wine was ready.

Current distribution of the wine has been by friends, family, and word-of-mouth. They have pre-sold about 10 cases.  , a local wine shop, currently carries Cedar River Cellars. 

“We want the community to know that we are here as a local resource,” Micah said.  "Our winery is not a cliche of passion, and we are not burned-out executives. We love the process of making the wine and putting our name on something that we can share with people. "