"I think overall we'd like it to be a busy, happening place during the day," Wilford said. "Then by 5 or 6 transition into a locals' place, a place where people can hang out."
They plan stay open until 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday to meet that need and are still deciding the hours for the rest of the week. They may be closed Monday and Tuesday and open Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. They plan to be open noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Island Vintners will serve tasting flights, wine by the glass or by the bottle. People can pop in and pick up a bottle or two on their way home for dinner, but the winemakers hope people will also choose to meet friends at the tasting room and stay a while.
The partners are in the process of transforming the 450-square foot former eatery into an intimate gathering spot. They have visions of placing cozy bistro tables in the large windows fronting Winslow Way, and adding a table made out of wine barrels for larger parties. They'll have a tasting bar and likely two wine barrels with glass tabletops in the back for people to stand.
They want to showcase art on their walls from local artists, and eventually hope to offer live entertainment from local musicians.
During the spring and summer months they will take advantage of added outdoor space. A skinny alley on the west side of the building is the perfect spot to tuck a couple tables, Wilford said, and the adjacent deck out back will be a place for friends to gather during the summer.
"It's a small space, but it does have good street exposure," Bianchi said. "The important thing for a small winery is name recognition, putting your face out to the public and your label out to the public."
Merrill and Wilford were working on the space last week, planting cabernet sauvignon vines in a French oak barrel Merrill recently sawed in half. The vines will be placed on each end of the deck so they as they grow they will creep across the railing, up lattice and onto a trellis Merrill hopes to install.
The two have visions of people sitting on the back deck drinking wine and plucking grapes from the vines.
The wines poured will come from the three winemakers, who primarily focus on red wines. The grapes are sourced from Eastern Washington and Oregon, but the winemakers crush, ferment and bottle the wines on the island.
Varietals include Wilford's Pinot Grigio, his recently released Valvano — a Tuscan blend — his Tara Rouge, a Bordeaux blend named after his daughter, a cabernet sauvignon and his Battle Point Red — a red blend that recently won a gold medal at the Northwest Wine Summit. Wilford also has a chardonnay that he'll release in August, but said he'll likely stick to making only one white in the future.
Merrill's wines include merlot, cabernet sauvignon, Semillon and his Theater Edition I White Wine blend and a Red blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Syrah. Merrill created the blends to help raise money for the Bainbridge Performing Arts. He donates 30 percent of the sales of his Theater Edition wines to the organization.
As the newest winemaker to the island, Bianchi is still building his wine cache. He recently released three wines, a Syrah, Sangiovese and a Cuvee, a Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and Malbec. He hopes to have a 2011 Viognier after this year's harvest.
Merrill, Wilford and Wilford's wife Sharon will share pouring duties once the space opens. They all plan to keep their day jobs — Wilford is a bond trader in Seattle, Merrill studies brain waves in Seattle one day a week and makes handcrafted classical guitars in his spare time, and Bianchi is a general contractor.
If things go well in Winslow, they may look to expand off the island.