Garage East Wine Bar [March 2021]

So, when I first read out about Garage East Wine Bar I thought it was a little far to drive to taste wine. It was all the way down in Gilbert, a little over an hour away. However, I do so love going to new places and trying new wines that I somehow convinced Shawn to make the trip with me. I’m sure we also had plans to get lunch, and Shawn [usually] humors me and my adventurous wine seeking spirit!! I also thought, solely based on the name, that the theme would be about garages and/or cars and car parts.

Little did I know… and I apologize for making you think from the ending of last week’s blog that this may be the case. I honestly did not understand the meaning behind the name until I started writing this week!! The name “Garage East” comes from French word “garagiste” [pronounced “garage east”] from the 1990’s. Basically it was a whole movement when winemakers were making wine in small spaces in Bordeaux, France, like garages!! It was looked upon as a little rebellious and the name stuck. Now it is applied to small wineries and bars even if they are not literally in a garage.

The first time we went, it was just Shawn and me. It was a great time, at an adorable little "garage" like structure, and I just loved the way they served the tasting. Take a look at the photo below, totally cute right!? The second time we went, was to meet up with my girl Krissy Hays [a.k.a. Eggs!! IYKYK] who I met on an assignment at Valleywise. She lives in that area and was trying to pack up to leave for an assignment somewhere else and I wanted to see her one more time for she left. We met close by so she could slip out and meet us for lunch!!  

Garage East was founded by Brian Ruffentines [a former firefighter] and his wife, Megan in 2016. They started their wine journey by following this motto… “the best way to learn about wine is.. to drink it!! [I agree... Haha!!] They spent a lot of time at a friend’s winery and decided they wanted to take a foray into the winery business for themselves. They soon joined forces with another couple, Todd and Kelly Bostock, who are the winemakers of the quartet. They produce about a dozen traditional style wines including a couple of red blends. One of these blends even won Best Red Wine in AZ!!

They make a blended breakfast “spritz” [a spritz/spritzer is a light and refreshing alcoholic drink made by mixing wine with a carbonated mixer, such as soda water or club soda.] from scratch, right here at the winery. I did not taste it since I am not a big fan of carbonated drinks. All of the grapes used for their wines are grown right here in AZ. They get them from Todd’s Vineyards in Sonoita and Wilcox. They also use some white grapes from Merkin Vineyards. All of their wines are served on tap, which means it is ready for immediate use from a dispensing system.

This is great, because if you don’t have time to come in, take a seat, and drink some wine, they can fill up a bottle from the tap and send it with you to go!! However, I highly recommend taking the time to come in for a tasting so you can try something delicious from the menu. If you check out the photo below, this is just one example of the yumminess that can be found here. Holy charcuterie board, Batman!! LOL So, even though Garage East may be a little out of the way but it is worth the trip!!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy... you are not gonna want to miss out on next week's installment of Wine with Wixy!! I'm so excited to tell you about the "Water To Wine" excursion I was able to participate in [twice] that ended at a wine tasting at Alcantara Vineyard!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!