Wine World Warehouse Grand Opening

It is a small world. Wine World, the new grape-inclined superstore brought to you by sommelier David LeClaire (of Seattle Uncorked fame), is not a part of the previously mentioned world.

A dawning 8-foot-tall neon sign rises in the Northwest of Seattle to greet the city, rimming the southbound I-5 corridor and sizing up Mount Rainier from a distance. The building on which the sign sits has been looming in indecision as a dated Office Max and now has been replaced by the 23,000 square foot wine universe known known as Wine World.

Inside the cosmos of LeClaire, two 30-foot tasting bars stand back to back at the epicenter, with an artisan cheese and charcuterie selection on one side and a wine-related gift shop on the other, complete with various brands and shapes of stemware, decanters and charms. A private event space stares out at the city, offers an exclusive tasting bar, a platform for live music, flat screens on pillars and wi-fi for the geekiest of winerds to tweet upon taste.

The aisles of the main store are labeled with pictorial views of their region – Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France and California have their own sections while Germany and Austria are grouped as well as an oddball row for the likes of saki, non-alcoholic, kosher wines and more that one couldn’t find at their neighborhood grocery.

The store’s Web site has been promising to have more than 500 bottles of Washington wine and is boasting to hold the largest Northwest (Washington and Oregon) selection in the world. Which only makes sense given its name.

Beer gets half a wall of dedication but rumor has it LeClaire’s focusing on bringing in nearly 6,000 different bottles of wine, giving the store the title as the largest wine store in the Northwest period. The buzz has it that he has hired staff to roam the floors who endured hours of tasting and knowledge interviews, training and seminars. They will know exactly what you’re looking for before you do.

Don’t worry about the hassle of where to put your car in the notoriously burdensome curbside parking of Wallingford – there’s a 200 car garage to solve your problems with “Wine World Only” slapped out front.

To call Wine World big would be a carnal understatement. Go take on the hype yourself – doors are spread wide seven days a week, from 11am-9pm. The grand opening is tonight from 6-9pm at 400 NE 45th Street in Wallingford, but again, the address is not necessary as you will see the freaking sign from the 520 bridge. Happy shopping!