The queer-owned urban winery that launched on Broadway in late 2016 is pouring its last glass on Capitol Hill this Friday.

Aluel Cellars co-owners Alex Oh and Samuel Hilbert announced they will close their tasting room at 801 E Thomas St. on July 10, after deciding not to renew the lease. The couple opened the space on the street level of the E Thomas development just off Broadway.

Their Queen Anne and Ballard tasting rooms, including the Ballard location at 1528 NW Market St., will remain open.

"For the past five years I've worked to improve the business climate in Capitol Hill because I believed in this neighborhood's recovery," Hilbert wrote in the closure announcement.

"Despite encouraging signs, rising costs, public safety challenges, and lower foot traffic have made it impossible for this location to succeed financially."

The business name combines the couple's first names.

Aluel participated in the Greater Seattle Business Association's Capitol Hill safety roundtable in March 2026 and was listed in GSBA documents among businesses that consulted on the City-SPD Collective Bargaining Agreement, supporting expansion of the CARE Team.

The GSBA's 2025 safety report documented concerns from Broadway-corridor businesses about property crime, vandalism, and break-ins.

Aluel is the second wine-related closure on Capitol Hill in 2026, according to CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News. Wine bar Light Sleeper exited Chophouse Row earlier this year to make way for Sea'd In, a new restaurant from entrepreneur Heong Soon Park.

In the announcement, Oh and Hilbert said they plan to return to Capitol Hill for pop-ups and events. Aluel bottles are also available at La Cha-Bliss on 12th Ave. The winery's 2014 Coat of Arms was named the No. 1 wine in the Pacific Northwest by Wine Press NW in 2018.

Capitol Hill still has a deep bench of wine spots: Otherworld Wine Bar on Pike/Pine, La Dive on E Pike, Nomadic Wine Dispensary on North Broadway, Flight Wine + Chocolate at 13th and Pike, La Cha-Bliss on 12th Ave, The Shop Agora on 15th Ave E (in its 15th year), and European Vine Selections on 15th Ave E, which has been open more than 50 years.

Seattle community week ahead

Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 12 | Ballard 52nd Annual Ballard Music & Seafoodfest. Free admission. Friday 5–11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Main stage near 22nd Ave NW and Ballard Ave. Organizers expect more than 75,000 attendees over the weekend. Sunday includes the Ballard Farmers Market and the annual lutefisk eating contest. Street closures begin 6 a.m. Friday on Ballard Avenue NW (between NW Market Street and Vernon Place NW) and 22nd Avenue NW (between NW Market Street and Shilshole Avenue NW). Streets reopen by 1:30 a.m. Monday, July 13.

Friday, July 10 | Capitol Hill Aluel Cellars final day at 801 E Thomas St. Last chance to visit the original tasting room before it closes.

Coming up: Friday, July 17 – Sunday, July 19 | Magnolia (Discovery Park) 37th Annual Indian Days Powwow, Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, 5011 Bernie Whitebear Way. Hosted by United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. Friday 4–10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Grand Entry: Friday 7 p.m., Saturday noon and 7 p.m., Sunday noon. Saturday evening features a Women's Golden Age Special sponsored by Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone, dedicated in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives, followed by an MMIWR Blanket Dance.