The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Maria Joell has taken her knowledge of wine from the vinyard to a retail store in Cathlamet.

Her family has had a vineyard near Benton City for 20 years, and they operated a vineyard for 10 years, producing wines from a variety of red and pinot gris grapes. When the family sold the operation, she began looking for a place to establish a retirement home. Two brothers had visited Cathlamet and told her of the area, and she came for a visit.

"I met the people here and really liked the area," she said.

She began looking for a location and settled on a space in the Scarborough Building, opening onto Broadway Street. She opened her shop last week. In it, one can find a range of wine from around the Northwest and hot spots around the world.

"I lean toward wines of the Pacific Northwest," she said Monday, "but there are wines from a lot of other areas as well. One sparkling wine comes from New Mexico. There are some from France, and others from Australia and Chile.

"I try to keep them moderately priced."

A potter, Joell is interested in local artworks and wants to contact local artists and display their works in the store.

The Wine Shop is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.