Mark Ryan Winery

Terrible customer service and overly pretentious. You’re not in Napa!
We showed up to the downtown tasting room at 4:50pm on Saturday, December 26, 2015. Posted tasting hours ended at 6pm. We were very excited to taste and buy, as we had heard great things about Mark Ryan Wines. Much to our disappointment, the door was locked. Thinking this had to have been a mistake, I knocked on the door, as its glass and I could see two employees at the front desk. The woman with brown shorter hair (like a bob) came and opened the door and said very rudely «we’re closed» to which I replied, «but your door says you close at 6.» Her reply with attitude, «we’re under winter hours, come back tomorrow» and she points to the door as if it says something different than closing at 6pm. Guess what? It says 6pm closing on Saturdays during the winter (or any other time of year, for that matter). Friends had already warned me this place had terrible customer service and was really pretentious, but great wine, so I was willing to give it a chance. I will not be going back tomorrow or ever again with the absolutely rude reception we received today.

Don’t say your open on Saturday and put up a post it that you are on «errands» and then not show up ALL DAY (multiple check ins by foot in the rain and a phone call to verify that you will not be showing up at all)! You could at least set realistic expectations. Henry Earl Estates received all of your business today– they did phenomenally! There are so many fantastic options in Walla Walla — I will not try to frequent your establishment again on principal.

Delicious wines, and very friendly service. They obviously know what they are doing there.
My husband, daughter and I toured a bunch of the wineries last weekend while in Walla Walla, and Mark Ryan was one that really stood out to me as having some of the best wines. My favorite being the Numbskull GSM. So good! We ended up purchasing a few bottles to take home with us. Can’t wait for the perfect time to open them.

Mark Ryan has long been one of my favorite winemakers. The tasting room in Walla Walla is really well designed. A not too small space that is pleasant and inviting. The wines, of course are the star. Definitely a must stop while you are on the tasting rounds!

A beautiful modern, yet comfortable tasting room located on main street Walla Walla. I knew the name Mark Ryan sounded familiar, and then when I went inside I realized that I knew why, this was the guy everyone was talking about in Kirkland years ago when I lived there, who was self-​taught and had started distilling wine in his garage. People questioned if he was a genius or crazy. Obviously, he was a genius, because all of his wine is powerhouse phenomenal, and while some is expensive others are more affordable. I didn’t taste one mediocre thing here. He has two labels — Mark Ryan which is meant to be more of a cellar wine, and BTR (Board Track Racer) geared towards drinking now. I loved the motorcycle themes (obviously a passion of the owner) that appear throughout. My favorite of the tasting was the 2012 Suicide Shift, followed by the 2011 Dead Horse, 2013 Vincent Rose, and 2012 Viognier.
This was a high quality wine experience, without any pretentiousness, very approachable and relatable. The person serving wine was very friendly and knowledgeable. When I go back home to visit, I am excited to check out Mark Ryan’s main tasting room in Woodinville.

My wife and I stopped in at Mark Ryan while doing a quick tasting of a few of the downtown wineries in Walla Walla. The tasting room is clean and simple with rock themed décor (the musical kind). The woman who ran the tastings was approachable and knowledgeable of the wines. They had a Viognier that was nice, but we’re not as into whites. The rest of their line-​up is deep, bold, flavorful reds with nice balance. We had bought a few bottles from a couple of the other wineries, but we thought all the wines here were so good that we joined the wine club in addition to picking up at least one of each of the reds.

Lip smackingly delicious wine in a sophisticated yet low-​key venue, fans of big reds and of Mark Ryan (and executive winemaker Mark Ryan McNeilly) will not be disappointed in this cozy little storefront tasting room on Main Street in Walla Walla, and if they are, it may be that what they are disappointed to find, is that the specific wine they came in for is already sold out for the year.
For those who keep an eye out for the ubiquitous motorcycle on their more widely distributed reds, and covet the white labeled bottles of the even bolder Red Mountain reds, you’ll want to make time to head over to their downtown Walla Walla tasting room. Its a swank set up, a modern take on a NY apartment coupled with a rustic NW wine country feel.
The manager running the tasting room was informative and their tasting room set up, with a front and back room, proved friendly and felt easy going. Sold as the «place where the big fruit lives» here at the tasting room you can try several Red Mountain wines to determine if you want to leave the more democratic motorbike labels behind and make an investment in a bigger inky, unctuous wine.
The Wine Enthusiast named Mark Ryan Winery one of the new «Cult Wineries» of Washington State, but it seems like the jig is up, since so many have tried and liked his reds now, that its a little like saying Arcade Fire is an up and coming group after winning a Grammy. The word is out, yes, but its still a pretty cool find and there are some things to buy here that you won’t find out and about in large quantities. Try a line up of divine reds that include: «Dead Horse» (a Bordeaux-​style blend), Crazy Mary (a now sold out Morvedre), the «Lonely Heart» Cabernet Sauvignon, a «Wild Eyed» Syrah, and «The Dissident» (a Bordeaux-​style blend, current vintage running mighty low at the time of our recent visit.) Vrooom!

A welcome addition to Main Street in Walla Walla. Red Mountain at its finest! Friendly tasting room staff and great atmosphere. Highly recommended.