REALOGICS SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY ANNOUNCES OPENING OF THE BLEND, A WINE TASTING SHOWROOM IN KIRKLAND, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STE. MICHELLE WINE ESTATES
Progressive Brokerage Firm Explores Unique Retail Concepts to Create Community
Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty (RSIR), along with renowned Washington winemaker Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, recently revealed a new showroom and immersive wine tasting experience space, the Blend by Ste. Michelle. This is the second such social gathering space the innovative real estate brokerage has opened on the fast-growing Eastside of Seattle within the last year—the Blend follows the opening of B•Bar, an all-day coffee bar, restaurant and piano bar that fronts RSIR’s branch office on Old Main Street in Bellevue.
Yesterday, July 1, the Blend was officially debuted during a private ribbon cutting and grand opening event and is now officially open to the public. The timing coincided with the official reopening of Washington per Governor Jay Inslee following 15-months of occupancy regulations due to COVID-19 guidelines. The tasting room now offers a carefully curated and unique selection of wines from the vast Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio of brands. Offerings will change on a monthly basis, allowing regular patrons to continually discover something new as the incredibly knowledgeable Ste. Michelle team shares current favorites and Washington’s finest treasures.
“We at RSIR are delighted to be partnering with Washington’s first and foremost winemakers to bring the Blend to Kirkland,” said Dean Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s exciting as a brokerage to once again innovate and expand the idea of what a real estate firm can be by creating another place for our Eastside community to gather, connect, and of course, enjoy the incredible wines and curated bites offered by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.”
Jones acknowledges that reopening retail operations and especially brokerage offices after the COVID pandemic make take some time to resemble prior occupancy levels, however augmenting with high-profile lifestyle, food and beverage partnerships is attracting brokers and real estate consumers, out of home offices and back to gathering centers.
“Our brokers and their clients are eager to come together and RSIR is blessed to have identified prime, retail locations for each branch location to offer such a venue,” adds Andrea Savage, Vice President of Marketing for RSIR. “We want to create opportunities for conversations that lead to real estate, and according to the warm reception at the Blend, we are on target.”
In addition to collaborating on the retail venue, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE)and RSIR are exploring other marketing alignments such as special closing gift packages, curated wine cellars and special events paired with exclusive real estate opportunities, both in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the Sotheby’s International Realty network. SWME is currently featured on the back cover of Reside Magazine, published by Dow Jones and RSIR.
The Blend space will focus on rotating tasting flights, which will pair wines spotlighting the distinct styles and various growing regions of Washington state with small bites. July flights include Que Syrah, Syrah; July Bright Whites; and Red, White and Brut. Also launching is the Blend’s new wine club, Blend 42, which will allow clientele to receive regular wine shipments that mix and match some of the best offerings from featured wineries across Washington, the nation’s 42nd state.
Aiming to be a warm and welcoming gathering place where anyone can come to expand their knowledge or wine or just enjoy a glass, the Blend provides a sophisticated and yet relaxed atmosphere in which to mingle, spend time with friends, and learn about Ste. Michelle’s vineyards and winemaking process and an accessible (and fun!) way.
In addition to its signature tasting flights, the Blend plans to host special events such as winemaker dinners and terroir-driven experiences, as well as exclusive summer offerings, like prechilled, to-go bags of white, rosé and sparkling wines available for a day out on Lake Washington, one of the area’s most beautiful bodies of water and a quintessential Eastside summer activity.