I got there at ten on a Saturday in early November, when the sky was doing that flat pewter thing it does all winter in Spokane. The old brick garage on Washington Street had its doors cracked, a space heater humming somewhere inside, and already two people sitting on barstools with glasses of red in front of them. It was barely morning. I didn’t feel bad about it at all.
Barrister Winery has been operating out of this converted 1908 auto garage since 2001, and the space still looks exactly like what it is — industrial bones, high ceilings, rough concrete floors — but the bottles stacked against the walls and the long wood bar soften it into something that feels genuinely comfortable rather than curated. No Edison bulbs trying too hard. No branded stemware. Just a room that knows what it is.
The two guys who started Barrister, Greg Lipsker and Michael White, are actual lawyers by profession, which is a fun fact that surfaces on every tour. What matters more is that they source almost all their fruit from Washington’s Columbia Valley and Horse Heaven Hills, and they make wines that are denser and more serious than a lot of what you’d find at the glossier tasting rooms across town. The Cabernet Sauvignon is the headliner — dark, structured, with enough tannin to suggest it wants food — but I keep going back to the Merlot, which drinks richer than it has any right to for the price.
Tastings run around $15 for a flight of five or six pours, which is reasonable for Spokane and genuinely reasonable compared to anywhere with a view and a waiting list. You can also just order a glass and sit. I did that for a while. A dog came in. Nobody seemed surprised.
The garage opens onto a small outdoor area that gets used in warmer months, and on nice weekends you’ll find a loose crowd of regulars spilling out. But honestly I prefer it on a cold weekday or a gray Saturday morning when it’s quieter and the light coming through the high windows is doing something interesting. It has the feeling of a place that isn’t performing for you.
They do release events a few times a year that draw bigger crowds — their reds sell out faster than most people expect — so if you’re serious about buying a case of the Cab or the Syrah, it’s worth checking their mailing list rather than assuming you can walk in and load up. For casual visitors, though, the regular tasting room stock is solid and the staff will tell you honestly what’s drinking well right now versus what should sit another year.
Parking on Washington Street is usually fine on weekends, and the South Hill location puts it about ten minutes from downtown without any of the parking headaches you get near the falls. The neighborhood itself — quiet streets, old houses, a few other small businesses nearby — feels like a good reason to wander a bit after you’ve had your two glasses and decided you need to think about it before buying a case.
I did buy a case. I always do.
