Jordan Koplowitz and Christy Wyble found success in the Seattle food scene with Blotto, a popular pizza joint named by the New York Times as one of Seattle’s 25 best restaurants. But when the landlord told them the building was going to be sold, Koplowitz and Wyble decided to act on an idea they’d long been considering to move out of the city and back to Koplowitz’s hometown of Bellingham.
And, luckily for all of us, they’ve added a new business to the Herald Building: Starla’s, a natural wine bar and bottle shop serving wines by the glass or bottle, beer and cider, and hearty snacks.
“We’re completely obsessed with natural wine, and we do a lot of research via drinking,” Koplowitz jokes, adding, “we wanted to make a place that felt approachable and casual and fun.”
Photograph by Anne Godenham
For anyone who’s unsure what natural wine is, exactly, Wyble defines it as “wine that is unadulterated, unfined, unfiltered, all native yeast, [and] all made from small producers who are mainly farming their own fruit and farming it organically, regeneratively, sustainably.”
Koplowitz is quick to add that they’re not the arbiters of what ‘counts’ as natural wine, but they’re very selective in the wines they sell and serve at Starla’s.
“The majority of our wines are zero sulfur added, no additions, no filtering, no fining, only native yeast used, and only from small producers making not that much wine,” he says.
The vibe at Starla’s is laid-back, the décor casually pretty. Customers can order a glass or two to try different wines, but for the best value (especially if you’re with a friend or two) Koplowitz recommends going for a bottle.
“We have many wines on the wall that are under $50 to drink in-house, and it’s five glasses of wine per bottle,” he says. “And so, a $50 bottle of wine is $10 per glass, which is our cheapest glass [price], and you’re getting maybe a bottle that is a little bit rarer or a little bit more special.”
Whether you go for a glass or grab a bottle to drink in house or take home, Starla’s has you covered! 1149 N. State St., Bellingham, starlastavern.com
