A new wine bar is taking shape on one of Walla Walla's busiest tasting-room blocks. Bloc46, located at 127 E. Main St., is preparing to open with a rotating selection of Pacific Northwest wines inside a roughly 100-year-old building that owners Kurt and Kristin Jensen have been renovating, according to the owners' social media.
The couple filed a new liquor license application with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board on August 12, seeking privileges under License No. 448143 for “Tavern - Beer/Wine,” “Beer/Wine Rest,” “Off Premises,” and “Direct Shipment Receiver” designations, according to a public notice from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. As reported by WhatNow, Kurt and Kristin Jensen operate Bloc46 and have given the storefront a new exterior sign and patio as part of the renovation.
Notably, a “Tavern - Beer/Wine” license permits an establishment to serve beer and wine for on-premises consumption to patrons 21 and older without requiring food service, per rules described by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. That may explain why Bloc46 has not yet shared whether it will offer food, a detail the WhatNow report also notes remains undisclosed alongside the bar's full wine list and opening date.
Northwest Natives Building a Relaxed Wine Spot
The report describes Kurt and Kristin Jensen as Northwest natives who moved to Walla Walla after raising their two daughters and finishing their careers in the Seattle area. Their interest in wine inspired the venture, and the plan is to create a relaxed space where guests can explore different wines, the same account states. Bloc46 says it will provide opening updates on Instagram as renovations continue.
The Main Street space carries its own history in Walla Walla's wine scene. The storefront most recently housed Bontzu Cellars, a family-owned boutique winery tasting room that poured Rhone and Bordeaux-style wines and hosted live music events through late 2025, according to Visit Walla Walla. Before that, the address served as the tasting room for Fort Walla Walla Cellars, a boutique winery founded in the mid-1980s by winemaker Jim Moyer and Cliff Kontos, per WineCompass.
Joining a Crowded Downtown Wine Corridor
Bloc46 already appears in the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance's official directory as an affiliate partner member, placing it alongside other local wine and tourism businesses. It will be entering a dense field: historic downtown Walla Walla features more than 30 wine tasting rooms and bars clustered within a few walkable blocks along Main Street and Second Avenue, according to Visit Walla Walla.
That density reflects the scale of the industry behind it. Washington's wine sector generated $10.56 billion in total economic activity in 2025 and directly and indirectly supported 51,411 jobs statewide, per figures from WineAmerica. As of May 2026, the state ranks as the nation's second-largest wine producer, home to 985 licensed wineries and 35,000 acres of wine grapes spread across 21 American Viticultural Areas, according to the Washington State Wine Commission.
Downtown Walla Walla's Main Street corridor has its own accolades to lean on, having earned the Great American Main Street award from the National Main Street Center and a top ranking from Sunset Magazine as the “Best Main Street in the West,” per Visit Walla Walla. Growth in urban tasting rooms like Bloc46 traces in part to a 2017 change in state law, House Bill 1038, which allowed wineries to operate up to five tasting room locations statewide and fueled the rise of downtown wine hubs, according to Tasting Room Magazine.
For now, key details remain unsettled. Bloc46 has not shared its full wine list, has not announced an opening date, and has not said whether it will serve food, per the original WhatNow report. The Jensens say updates will come through the bar's Instagram account as the renovation moves toward completion.
