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San Francisco Bay Area Wine Tasting Articles
The Joy of Bay Area Urban Wineries
By Peter Cunningham
Urban Wineries are “neighborhood wineries.” They are minutes away by car or public transport, and neighbors visit frequently, spontaneously or by plan. A wine bar, with lunch and dinner options and small plates, and optional wine tasting keep the crowds coming back. With this combination, customers enjoy lingering and immersing in the urban winery experience. Meals can be prepared in a kitchen on site, or in food trucks. Self-service food offerings are no problem. Rosenblum Winery added a selection of high quality charcuterie and other light food at their tasting room in Oakland’s Jack London Square. Rock Wall’s site has a kitchen and food trucks to meet the demand of the crowds, others have food trucks only. Groups, families and singles tell me regularly words to the effect, “what could be better than finishing a hectic day with a good meal and some good wine and a great view.” In other words, food and wine connect people to place.
Wine tastings are most appreciated when conducted in an area separate from the wine bar because the tasting curator needs the full attention of the audience. Urban Wineries are full of tales and history Customers revel in stories of management’s taming the industrial site to create the Urban Winery experience. What a great background for information on how the great wines are made.
Entertainment should include headliners and themed parties to attract crowds so people can mingle. Touring entertainers can be brought in to provide variety. Music, readings / poetry slams, art exhibits, comedy nights are all popular. Winery SF and Bluxome Street Winery are worth visiting to see the entertainment in action. An additional attraction is the availability of space to rent in the winery for events they host. People hosting parties say they like to introduce their friends to the winery, and share the experience. Rock Wall, and other venues, I know of enlist volunteers who help with Crush and Bottling. Working on the processes that create the wines they drink gives real satisfaction. At several smaller Urban Wineries, friends and family try their hand at making their own wines, typically about 25 to 50 cases.
These experiences contribute to the enjoyment, and attract and keep a crowd. Urban Wineries have broken the pattern of travel to Napa and Sonoma. Napa Tourism Board reports that 90% of the visitors at the wineries in Napa and Sonoma are Bay Area residents, and visitor numbers are down.
Recently I visited several wineries in Napa. Some are moving their tasting rooms to Napa city center from the countryside. The new tasting rooms are offering meals and entertainment, some offer hotel accommodation. This is in an effort to regain some customers who have adopted Urban Wineries as their destination of choice.
Bay Area Urban Wineries in the Bay Area that should become your go to destination include: Rock Wall Wine Company, R&B Cellars, Rosenblum Cellars, Urban Legend Cellars, Winery SF, Bluxome Street Winery, to name a few.
Peter Cunningham
LOCAL GUIDE
Peter Cunningham is a successful organizer and manager of Urban Winery Operations, Customer Experience Programs for Urban Wineries and Retail Customer experience in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Upcoming Bay Area Urban Winery Events
Is there a better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with family & friends with a barbecue and great wine? Join us for our Fourth of July Barbecue & Wine Tasting at Winemaker Studios on our large outdoor courtyard along the San Francisco Bay Waterfront with safe social distancing and a complementary bottle of hand sanitizer for your table. Join us for Barbecue Chicken, Ribs and more accompanied with our award winning wines. Tables are limited, so reserve your table today!
Fourth of July Barbecue & Wine Tasting
July 4th – 12pm-5pm @ Winemaker Studios
Click Here to Reserve a Bocce Ball Court
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In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be open on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at Winemaker Studios for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
• Free Hand Sanitizer with every Table Reservation: Each table will be given their own bottle of hand sanitizer to use with their social group during their visit and to take home to continue to be safe afterwards.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
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Winemaker Studios, 448 Clipper Cove Way, San Francisco, CA 94130
Google Map: https://g.page/winemakerstudios?share
*FREE parking and Muni conveniently located a block away! Uber and Lyft easily accessible (usually under 8 minute wait).
DIRECTIONS
1. Take the Bay Bridge to the Treasure Island exit (Note: the exit is on the LEFT side of the road if coming from San Francisco).
2. When you arrive on the island, continue down the causeway until the second Stop Sign and turn RIGHT along the south shore along the waterfront.
3. Continue along the waterfront until the road curves LEFT (at Avenue D) and follow this road 1 block until the Stop Sign.
4. At the Stop Sign, turn RIGHT onto California Avenue.
5. Go straight on California Avenue 1 block and make a RIGHT into the next street/driveway (Avenue G) and Winemaker Studios will be on the Right by the Bocce Ball courts where you will see the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge and Sottomarino Winery tasting rooms.
If you are using Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps, please search for “The Winery SF” versus the actual address, as the address sometimes gets interpreted incorrectly and sends you to a different address. We are located across the Parking Lot from The Winery SF.
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
We are officially reopening and we are so excited to welcome back all our wine tasters!
In accordance with local and state guidelines, the VIE Winery, Sol Rouge Winery, and Sottomarino Winery Tasting Rooms at Winemaker Studios on Treasure Island in San Francisco will be re-opening on Saturdays & Sundays from 12:00pm to 5:00pm beginning June 13th and will be open on weekends going forward as usual.
To ensure your safety and convenience, we will be implementing the following rules:
• Outdoor Table Service Only – with Six Feet Social Distancing: Only outdoor table service with six feet social distancing and all sanitizing routines will be allowed for the time being. Although the tasting bar will not be available for walk-ups, we do have a large number of outside tables available for groups of up to 6 people maximum (in accordance with the state guidelines).
• Food Will Be Available for Purchase: We’ve partnered with our chef, Sarun Kao who provides food for our events, to provide a full food menu along with our wine tasting menu. This is part of the re-opening requirements by the local authorities but has been requested by wine taster for years. We are so excited to be finally serving food at The Winery SF for our guests. Click here to view this week’s menu.
• Face Masks are Required upon Entrance: In accordance local and state requirements, you must have a mask on upon arrival, so please bring your mask!
• Reservations Highly Recommended: In accordance with the local and state regulations, advanced tasting reservations are highly suggested. Although we have a large 3000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard, we have a limited number of tables and reservations will supersede walk ups, so reservations are highly suggested. We’ve launched a new on-line reservation system, so Click Here to Make a Reservation.
Since we will be one of the few venues in San Francisco with a large enough outdoor area with seating to re-open under the current safe distancing guidelines, we expect to be very busy, so please book your reservation early. There is no cost for the table, but there is a minimum spend of $15 per person for the first hour. It is an additional $5 spend per person for each additional half hour.
To reserve a table, please use our on-line reservation system by clicking here:
VIE Winery Tasting Room Reservations
Sol Rouge Tasting Room Reservations
Sottomarino Tasting Room Reservations
Please email or call us with any questions. We can’t wait to serve you!
Helping Wine Lovers Find Great Places to Taste and Experience Wine
