{"id":3210,"date":"2017-11-03T19:14:32","date_gmt":"2017-11-04T02:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danthewineguy.com\/?p=3210"},"modified":"2017-12-10T11:34:15","modified_gmt":"2017-12-10T18:34:15","slug":"hellams-vineyard-offers-a-great-selection-of-wines-from-france-italy-and-boutique-washington-wineries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/?p=3210","title":{"rendered":"Hellam’s Vineyard Offers a Great Selection of Wines from France, Italy, and Boutique Washington Wineries"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in the November, 2017 issue of Bellingham Alive Magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Picture an \u201caverage\u201d wine shop owner and you might envision a bespectacled, somewhat snobby old man who essentially turned his personal bottle collecting hobby into a 9-to-5 entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Hellam of Hellam\u2019s Vineyard, a wine shop and wine bar in LaConner, couldn\u2019t be further from that stereotype. He\u2019s a rare mix of someone who acquired both technical knowledge and practical experience within the wine industry before he started his business.<\/p>\n

Today he operates a successful retail outlet where well-seasoned wineophiles, casual wine drinkers, and out-of-town visitors can stop in, taste wine, have a nosh, and purchase a variety of affordable bottles in an unpretentious atmosphere.<\/p>\n

GETTING FROM THERE TO HERE<\/p>\n

A Washington native who grew up in Issaquah, Hellam earned a hospitality-focused bachelor\u2019s degree at Washington State University before eventually making the jump to the wine industry. He cites an old high school friend, Scott Moeller (currently the winemaker at Novelty Hill-Januik Wineries in Woodinville), as a major perpetrator in getting him \u201cbit by the wine bug.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moeller connected Hellam with Chinook Winery in Prosser, where he worked his first crush in 2002. \u201cI was only making $10 an hour (there) and never happier,\u201d he recalls with a laugh. From there he worked primarily in wine chemistry as a lab tech at the WSU Research Station in Prosser, and then as a self-described \u201cbusiness operations manager\/events coordinator\/harvest worker\u201d at Kestrel Vintners, also in Prosser.<\/p>\n

When Kestrel winemaker C.R. Sandidge moved on to the Chelan area in 2004, Hellam says, \u201cI was at a crossroads at that point in time. Do I go to work for another winery; do I start my own label? Or maybe do I do a bottle shop, because I had all this knowledge and information that I felt could help explain wine to customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer came later that year when his parents, who had retired to Anacortes, came upon an available space in nearby LaConner that, coincidentally, had previously been occupied by a wine shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey called me\u2026and said there was a \u2018for rent\u2019 sign in the window. That was my a-ha moment,\u201d Hellam says. He and his wife, Paige, took the plunge and signed a lease for the space in October of 2004.<\/p>\n

\"null\"As for deciding on a wine shop called \u201cHellam\u2019s Vineyard\u201d when there wasn\u2019t a grape vine in sight, Hellam credits his dad with suggesting the name. He said, \u201cYou don\u2019t have rows of vines but you have rows of bottles. I told him that was the cheesiest thing I ever heard, but I love it. So that\u2019s what we went with.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHALLENGES AND SPECIALTIES<\/p>\n

The Hellams have gradually expanded their space from 400 to 2,500 square feet, including a deck with outdoor seating overlooking the Swinomish Channel. But things haven\u2019t always been smooth sailing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little scary during the recession. LaConner was like a ghost town. But I knew this was a special location\u2026and our customers really rallied when they knew we needed their support.\u201d Today that support includes a wine club of about 350, many who have been members for five to 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s also a beer club and a cider club, too,\u201d Hellam says. \u201cAll of our members get detailed notes on each bottle; food pairing recommendations, cellaring advice, history of the winery or brewery, (and so on).\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever the information gatherer, Hellam spearheads tours to France, Spain or Italy each year. \u201cThe tours are really unique because they\u2019re not with a tour company, they\u2019re with wine importers. So when we do these trips we\u2019re going behind-the-scenes to these little boutique, small, family-owned and operated properties where customers can order wines that are shipped to Seattle and no one has to pay shipping charges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Italian selection at the wine store is strong, and that\u2019s by virtue of us doing 14 tours to Italy. The majority of wines we have are from wineries we\u2019ve been to.\u201d Hellam also feels that the store carries a good selection of French wines and excels at featuring a great variety of Northwest boutique wineries.<\/p>\n

And what gives Hellam\u2019s Vineyard that special edge over an \u2018ordinary\u2019 wine shop? \u201cYou can come to Hellam\u2019s and learn about a bottle of wine rather than (me) just trying to sell the most expensive bottle. It\u2019s a different approach, but anyone can pick up a bottle and say \u2018this is good.\u2019 It\u2019s important to me to say why it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hellam\u2019s Vineyard is located at 109 1st Street in LaConner and open seven days a week from 11:30 am to 6:30 pm (Closed Tuesdays from October through February). More information: (360) 466-1758 or hellamsvineyard.com.<\/p>\n

Recommendations currently available at Hellam\u2019s:<\/p>\n

Motorosso 2015 Red Blend <\/strong>(about $12) \u2013 This \u201ckitchen sink\u201d Sangiovese-based blend with a somewhat tacky label makes a great middle-of-the-week red wine.<\/p>\n

Saint Hilaire 2015 Blanquette de Limoux Brut<\/strong> (about $17) and Edmond Thery L\u2019Or Brut Chardonnay <\/strong>(about $20) \u2013 The Saint Hilaire is an exceptional value and Hellam says the L\u2019Or is like having a \u201cparty in a bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pertinace 2014 Nebbiolo<\/strong> (about $22) \u2013 One of Hellam\u2019s favorite varietals, this one is great with wild mushroom risotto or rack of lamb and it beats a Barbaresco at twice the price.<\/p>\n

Lost River Winery 2013 Massif<\/strong> (about $30) \u2013 This Washington Malbec\/Syrah blend practically demands a contemplative mood, a cigar, and a good book.<\/p>\n

Five Star Cellars 2012 Quinque Astrum<\/strong> (about $33) \u2013 A Washington super-Tuscan that Hellam feels resembles more of an Old World-style blend than a Walla Walla fruit bomb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in the November, 2017 issue of Bellingham Alive Magazine Picture an \u201caverage\u201d wine shop owner and you might envision a bespectacled, somewhat snobby old man who essentially turned his personal bottle collecting hobby into a 9-to-5 entrepreneurship. Jeff Hellam of Hellam\u2019s Vineyard, a wine shop and wine bar in LaConner, couldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3210"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3343,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3210\/revisions\/3343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}