Purple Smile Provides Another Great Wine Venue for Bellingham

The Purple Smile, located at 1143 11th Street in Bellingham has been up and running for a couple of months and provides local wine enthusiasts with another great venue for sampling and purchasing wines.

Owner Jeff Wicklund has really done a fine job of establishing his shop in the heart of Fairhaven’s business district. Wrapped in warm, earth tones and gentle background music, the shop offers a nice selection of wines from around the world, including the Pacific Northwest. There’s a separate section of late harvest, ice wines and champagnes, with stemware and accessories also available for purchase. Plans are in the works to offer a house wine that will be blend of Syrah, Grenache and Viognier.

One of the best things about the Purple Smile is the large, granite-top tasting bar that features wine tastings from 1:00 to 5:00 pm each Saturday. Wicklund is emphasizing tastings that are hosted by small winemakers, distributors and importers. This is a great opportunity for consumers to chat with people in the industry firsthand while doing a little sampling. He also plans to begin evening tastings beginning in early February that will be open to a limited number of people and require advance reservations.

The Purple Smile is currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and noon to 5:00 pm on Sundays, with hours set to expand this spring. Call 756-0422 for more information.