06/30/2026
❤️ After another beautiful Pride weekend, I want to share something deeply personal and hard to write.
Pride has always been one of my favorite weekends of the year at our Capitol Hill tasting room. Watching wine club members, longtime friends, neighbors, and first-time visitors fill the space every year reminds me exactly why we opened our doors just off Broadway. Capitol Hill has meant so much to me, not only as the home of our first tasting room, but as the heart of Seattle's q***r community.
This year's Pride was our last at this location.
After 10 years, we've made the difficult decision not to renew our lease.
🏙️ Why we're closing
We didn't reach it lightly. For the past five years, I've worked to be part of conversations about improving the business climate in Capitol Hill because I believed in this neighborhood's recovery. Despite encouraging signs this past year, dramatically rising operating costs, ongoing public safety challenges, and foot traffic well below pre-pandemic levels have made it impossible for this location to succeed financially.
As heartbreaking as that is, it lets us pour our energy into strengthening our Queen Anne and Ballard tasting rooms and making the best wines we can.
💙 Thank you
This is where Aluel Cellars began. It's where friendships formed, celebrations were shared, and so many of you became part of our story.
I can't fully put into words how grateful I am to everyone who has walked through these doors over the last decade. Whether you came to an event, joined our wine club, stopped in for a single glass, or recommended us to a friend, you helped build something truly special.
📍 We're not leaving Capitol Hill
The good news: we aren't leaving Capitol Hill.
You'll still find our wines at several wonderful neighborhood spots, including La Cha-Bliss Wines, Nomadic Wine Dispensary, and Chandelier Lounge. I hope you'll keep supporting them, along with all the small businesses that make Capitol Hill what it is. A thriving neighborhood depends on people choosing to shop local.
We're also planning regular pop-up events around Capitol Hill so our members and friends can keep enjoying Aluel wines in the neighborhood. More on those soon.
🥂 Come raise one last glass with us
Before we close these doors, I'd love to see many of you one last time.
Our remaining dates at Capitol Hill:
• July 3 & July 10: Our final evenings of regular service.
• August 16: Our farewell party. We're bringing back one of our favorite themed celebrations for one last night on Broadway. Details soon on our website and Instagram.
❤️ Thank you.
Thank you for believing in Aluel Cellars these past ten years. This chapter is ending, but our story isn't. We'll keep making wines we're proud of, creating welcoming spaces in Queen Anne and Ballard, and finding new ways to stay connected with Capitol Hill.
I hope you'll stop by over the next few weeks so we can raise one more glass together.
— Samuel
