Matías Kúsulas (L) and Michael Ruhland, Valo and Massalto

Valo and Massalto, two wineries owned by Matías Kúsulas and Michael Ruhland, have opened a tasting room in Tacoma. The tasting room officially opened October 11^th.

“The more I dug into it and looked at it, I was very impressed with what was happening around [Tacoma],” says Ruhland. “It seemed like all the wineries over here were doing really well.”

The tasting room is located on North Proctor Street. It is 1,251 square feet with large windows. The building is two stories, with offices upstairs. It’s a high foot-traffic area, with a Starbucks on one side and a reclaimed clothing store on the other.

“It’s a gem of a neighborhood,” says Ruhland. “While we were doing the build out, there were days even in the middle of the week where I could see hundreds of people walking right in front of my door.”

Ruhland says that the tasting room has an industrial feel. “We have concrete bars in there, very simplistic, very modern,” he says. The artwork is the Massalto labels. Ruhland, meanwhile, made the wood tables in the tasting room.

The full portfolio of Valo and Massalto wines are available. Wines are offered as tastings, glass pours, and by the bottle. In terms of food, the tasting room offers flat breads, cheese, charcuterie, and light snacks. Ruhland, who is a chef, does monthly wine dinners and writes a new menu every month.

Ruhland and Kúsulas, who serves as winemaker, met in 2016 while working at the same winery in New Zealand. That fall, they both ended up working in Walla Walla Valley. Over the next year and a half, they became better friends and talked about starting a winery together.

Valo had its first vintage in 2018 and offers what Kúsulas describes as more “traditional” wines. Most of the fruit comes from Connor Lee Vineyard. Massalto, meanwhile, is somewhat of a playground, with less conventional offerings such as a Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin Blanc blend. Fruit for the Massalto wines comes from Lawrence Vineyards.

Since arriving in Washington, Kúsulas, who also serves as winemaker at Gård Vintners, has proven himself to be one of the most talented winemakers in the state. (Read a recent profile here.) He is also a skilled grower, working as viticulturalist at Lawrence Vineyards. The Valo and Massalto wines are of exceptional quality and are worth seeking out.

Ruhland and Kúsulas opened their first tasting room for the two brands in October of 2020. They opened a second tasting room in Ellensburg in the summer of 2024.

Tacoma is gaining traction as a winery tasting room location. Dahlman Cellars has a tasting room in the city. Browne Family opened a tasting room there in 2020. (The Valo and Massalto tasting room is very close to Browne Family.) Structure Cellars opened a tasting room in Tacoma in 2023. Overall, it’s part of a trend of wineries exploring areas for tasting rooms outside of the confines of Woodinville and Seattle.

Image courtesy of Valo and Massalto. 

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