L’ Entrata [March 2023]

Do y’all know the phrase "right under your nose"? It means that something is in plain sight or directly in front of you, and yet you fail to notice it. Well, that perfectly describes L’Entrata, and that is the name of the place... in its entirety, no wine bar or winery or anything having to do with wine behind it!! So, I think you can see why I may have overlooked it. There is nothing really to indicate what it is, just the name on the side of the building. Unless you speak Italian and know that the meaning of L'Entrata is entrance, but even then it could mean the entrance to anything!! HA!!

The Italian phrase translates to mean a physical entrance, a door or gate or opening or admission, or the act of entering. [again, nothing about wine.] Haha! I think I’ve made my point here. I’m pretty sure I saw the cute little patio, [seen above] along with the corks, and it made me curious enough to look at things more closely. [I later found out that they had a take one or leave one system for the wine corks... super cool!!] Now that I think about it, the people sitting outside on the patio drinking wine may have also given me clue. When we went inside, there was standing room only!!

The place was packed... turns out it was wine club pick-up day!! It was great!! I have learned that the owners, Seattle natives Jay and Maria Toupin, chose L’Entrata’s name to convey a dual meaning. First, it’s to welcome everyone into a world of wine, then they had the letters designed to symbolically represent a place where "home meets here." They had a lot of wine choices and really good food. The decor was easy on the eyes, kind of elegant, and I really do enjoy me an outside patio. They opened in October of 2021, and it was a big to-do, a lot of excitement surrounding the opening since it would be the first place like this in the Anthem area.

They had a weekend full of activities with live music, games, and chances to win 20% off your wine purchases. You can see in the photo above, with me and my girl Katrina [whom you’ve met a couple of times] that I have come back several times, bringing some of my best wine friends with me. L’Entrata is such a one of a kind unique treat; it’s a bottle shop with wine tastings, yummy charcuterie boards, [seen below] and different types of entertainment. They even have weekend brunch with bottomless mimosas! People were coming from all over the place to visit.

I definitely have to agree with their statement that “L’Entrata is not just a destination – it’s a lifestyle.” Maria said that the journey has been a lot more fun than she anticipated. After COVID, people were just ready to get back out and connect again. They helped this along by keeping TVs out of their establishment and placing conversation cards all around the bar, a fun way to get strangers to talk and get to know each other a little bit. Ok… I am not sure why I snapped this picture below of my girl Amy Hollander eating just one single olive, but we have laughed and laughed over it for years!! LOL

Unfortunately [and I know y’all know by now when I start out this way that more than likely the place has gone out of business] L’Entrata officially announced its permanent closure in February of 2024. They cited unsuccessful lease negotiations as the reason. I'm more then sad whenever we lose a good one, and this one was so close to me!!

Next week Wine with Wixy will be exploring something new, Trevors Liquors... yes, it is a liquor store, but do not judge it just yet!! You will have to come back to see why this place has made it into my prestigious wine blog...

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