At 46, after a life as a chef and sommelier, my palate has gone more selective over the years. It is hard sometimes to really enjoy wine, because my buds have changed so much that what I used to love ten years ago is sometimes something I would not want to drink ever again.
And do not get me wrong, this happens to everybody. Not only our palate changes, but also our personality, our likes and dislikes, and the things we are used to. It is part of growing up and evolution, I guess.
By saying it gets more selective I do not mean anything wrong about the things I do not like now. I mean I became more specific about what I want to drink and eat. And that is exactly why Prohibition Cellars in Woodinville stopped me in my tracks.
Prohibition Cellars, Woodinville, in Short
Prohibition Cellars is a family-owned Washington winery in Woodinville, with a second tasting room in Tacoma, making old-world-style wines with a modern touch. It is owned and operated by Hungarian-born winemaker Sandor Faludi and his wife Sabrina, and it is named after the Prohibition era that shaped American winemaking. For a chef and sommelier working in a crowded wine region, it is one of the few spots that genuinely stands out.
- Where: the heart of Woodinville, Washington, plus a second room — a fiók, Hungarian for branch — in Tacoma.
- Who: winemaker Sandor Faludi, a fellow immigrant with wine in his veins and in his family heritage, and Sabrina Faludi.
- Style: old-world structure, modern fruit, Washington grapes. A lot of attention to detail in the glass and in the service.
- What to try first: Igen, a sparkling Cabernet Franc; Rendezvous Lemberger; and the Sauvignon Blanc.
- Beyond tasting: a real event space for happy hours, concerts and wine-paired dinners.
A Palate That Gets More Selective With the Years
For some years now I still want to discover new flavours, grape varietals, styles and techniques that take me to another level of joy. And yes, some will say “it is only wine”. Not to me.
I can give some examples of wines I have tried that marked my experience, my knowledge and my love for wine: Tenuta del Marchese Antinori, Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella, Tanca Farrà Sella & Mosca Alghero, Turriga Argiolas, and Fools Gold from Adrice Wines, just to mention some.
There is always something new to try, always something different to learn. And when you live in such a crowded wine area, it is hard to find people doing something out of the median. That is when it clicks: a new and different experience happens, and a new wine becomes the one you want to drink as often as you can.
It does not happen every day that you find a new “I love this spot”. But it is great when it does.
Why the Name: Prohibition and the Wineries That Survived It
Prohibition in the US was a big thing. The winery everybody names from that era is Beringer, in Napa Valley: they kept producing right through it on a permit to make wine for religious purposes. That era inspired a great winemaker here in Washington to create a great label and an actual winery called Prohibition Cellars.
Prohibition Cellars is a gorgeous spot in the heart of Woodinville, WA, right in the middle of the wine scene, where there is a lot of competition. But like I said before, finding the one that sticks out is hard. This is one of those cases.
Sandor and Sabrina Faludi, the People Behind the Label
Winemaker Sandor Faludi, a fellow immigrant, from Hungary, has wine in his veins and his family has wine tattooed in their heritage. After getting back into the wine industry for real, and going to school to officially study winemaking, his life changed.
He is married to an American woman, and together they own and operate a great tasting room in Woodinville and a new fiók — sucursal, or branch — in Tacoma, both in Washington. In both you can delight your senses with old-world-style wine with a great modern touch, and definitely a lot of love and passion in the service and the attention to detail that Sandor and Sabrina give their customers, always backed by a great team that makes your experience as a wine lover a much better one.
What to Drink at Prohibition Cellars
There are many great wines at Prohibition Cellars. These are the three I keep going back to.
Igen, a sparkling Cabernet Franc
“Igen” is a delicious sparkling wine made out of Cabernet Franc, also one of my favourite varietals at the moment. Delicious and delicate, yet with a great balanced acidity and very fun bubbles. And, like many times, there is a great story behind that wine. Very worth trying.
Rendezvous Lemberger
A different but delicious approach to old-world wine, with a lot of fresh fruit and a great character that also lets you play with food. Lemberger is not the grape everyone reaches for in Washington, and that is part of why this one works.
Sauvignon Blanc
And of course the Sauvignon Blanc: bright, fresh, great lime and acidity. It went very well this summer, and I am sure the coming summers would love to pair with that gorgeous bottle.
I have not yet tried one I do not like. For sure there will be one or two, but that is also part of the game — no one likes everything all the time from the same hands. Great variety, great flavours, great experiences.
More Than a Tasting Room: Events, Happy Hours and Wine-Paired Dinners
I should also mention that Prohibition Cellars in Woodinville has a great space for events, happy hours, concerts and, of course, wine-paired dinners. That is one of the things I loved about that spot. Sabrina, Sandor and their team care about great wine, but also about great food and the pairings that empower their wines and drive the wine-lover experience higher.
I have experienced great times at Prohibition and I love the way they do things. Nice, neat, clean, with love and passion and, most important, with honesty — respecting the wine and where it comes from, and wanting to show their customers what the same grape does in different places of the world, including our own backyard here in Washington.
The Seasonal Table: Our Wine and Food Collaboration
Visit Prohibition Cellars in Woodinville or Tacoma and you will fall in love with them. I did. That is why we created The Seasonal Table.
It is a great experience where Sandor and Sabrina tell the wine story and I tell the food story. We put our expertise and our experience together, bring our knowledge of food and wine into one room, and build a different custom menu for each season. Wine and food, always a great partnership — and when it is made with love and passion the way we do it, it is a not-to-miss experience once every season.
If you want to know who is cooking, meet the chef here, or see the kind of work we do in events and memories.
Visiting Prohibition Cellars in Woodinville or Tacoma
Go to your favourite winery. Enjoy the ambiance, enjoy the wine, enjoy every detail you find there, appreciate the service and the effort it takes to get from the vine to your glass, and fall in love with that wine you feel at home with.
If that winery happens to be Prohibition Cellars Woodinville, or the Tacoma room, tell Sandor and Sabrina the chef sent you. That is a wine story.
Frequently Asked Questions About Prohibition Cellars
Prohibition Cellars is in the heart of Woodinville, Washington, in the middle of the Woodinville wine scene. They also run a second tasting room, a fiok or branch, in Tacoma, Washington.
Sandor Faludi, a Hungarian-born winemaker who studied winemaking formally after years around wine, owns and operates the winery with his wife Sabrina Faludi and their team.
Three to start with: Igen, a sparkling Cabernet Franc with balanced acidity and fun bubbles; Rendezvous Lemberger, an old-world approach with a lot of fresh fruit; and the Sauvignon Blanc, bright and fresh with great lime and acidity.
The name comes from the Prohibition era in the United States, when almost all commercial winemaking stopped. The best-known survivor is Beringer in Napa Valley, which held a permit to produce wine for religious purposes. That history inspired the label and the winery.
The Seasonal Table is a collaboration between Prohibition Cellars and chef and sommelier Mauricio Sanchez. Sandor and Sabrina tell the wine story, the chef tells the food story, and together they build a custom wine-paired menu for each season.
Want This Kind of Pairing at Your Table?
If a wine-paired dinner is what you are after — at home, at your venue or at your event — that is exactly what we do. Have a look at our catering and wine pairing work, and let us talk about the season you want to taste.
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