Room for Tasting: The Coolest New Wine Tasting Rooms in California

Tasting wine is as much about the wine as it is the place you taste it in. Got great wine in your glass but a self-indulgent server, and who cares? Sampling Sauvignon Blanc in a run down hut might seem cool, but the ambience wears thin. But great wines in a great setting equals a memorable time. These new tasting rooms in each of the main California wine country destinations combine killer juice with a unique vibe; memorable wines with a visceral appeal. (NOTE: this is an expanded version of an article originally published in The Hollywood Reporter)

Santa Barbara: Riverbench Winery

Just a block from the Pacific Ocean, Riverbench’s tasting room, located in Santa Barbara’s downtown trendy Funk Zone, is best known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But they are also one of the few who make sparkling wine in the area and they offer flights of bubbly, and occasionally Riesling. The brown-shaded tasting room has an entire wall made from the wood of the historic San Ramon Chapel in the Santa Maria Valley built in 1908 (and near to their original tasting room). The wood wall seamlessly blends into the leather benches, giving the feel of rustic chic, with pops of color from accent pillows –it’s a rural setting with sophisticated juice.

Nearby: Head to the Mediterranean influenced restaurant Cadiz for immensely flavorful tapas while you wile the hours away on State St.

Paso Robles: Paso Robles Underground

Though it’s not actually located underground, this hip and funky converted garage co-op is about being under the radar. The four boutique wineries here craft small lots, less than 500 cases each, made by dudes working at Four Vines, Halter Ranch and L’Aventure, located near the Norman Rockwell-ish downtown park. Considered “the next Napa” by uber critic Robert Parker, Paso is best defined by the lush, ripe wines shown here from tiny wineries like Aaron, Edmund August, Clos Solene, and Turtle Rock Vineyards. The space itself feels more college dorm décor, hastily placed curtains and wood planks atop wine barrels, nothing we haven’t seen before. But the minuscule production of these four terrific wineries is why you’re here. You’ll find a predominance of Rhone whites and reds along with Petite Sirah and a Sauvignon/Riesling blend.

Nearby: The steroid and architecture combination known as the Hearst Castle is a mere 30 minutes away at the coast

Napa: Amici Cellars

Located in Calistoga Amici is not a new player but for years they had no tasting room. Winemaker Joel Aiken was with BV for 27 years making Georges de LaTour private reserve, so it’s a safe bet he knows exactly what he’s doing with Cabernet. The yellow hued tasting room on the second floor of the winery seats just 6 to 8 people, keeping it intimate and comfortable, with French doors leading to a balcony for views of the rugged Mayacamas Mountain range. All wine tasting comes with a cheese platter, all the better to go with their heady, intense and sought after Cabernet Sauvignons. To further insure intimacy, Amici is not easy to find - there isn’t a winery sign on the road, you have to know where it is (wink, wink).  Nearby: The coolest art gallery in the area is at The Hess Collection.

Sonoma: Ram's Gate

Most wineries seem to think crowded tasting rooms replete with forgettable local art is what people crave. But at Ram's Gate you feel like you're visiting a friend's weekend house in wine country, albeit designed by an interior designer who has worked with Mandarin Oriental group. You can choose from a variety of areas in which to taste the wines: the pavilion with a view of the pond, on either side of the double-sided outdoor fireplace, inside at the bar, in the library or even at the chef's table and there are various wine and food pairing options. The 30 foot ceilings, exposed beams, weathered wooden walls made of reclaimed snow-fencing from Wyoming, and massive floor-to-ceiling glass walls that open to sweeping vineyard views are in concert with their Pinot Noirs, Chardonnay and quite excellent Syrah – expansive and remarkable. This is not sport tasting, this is a multi-hour experience.

Nearby: You’ll love the Sonoma/Marin Cheese Trail sampling the area’s artisan cheeses.

Monterey: Talbott

Talbott Winery has long been one of the go-to Monterey producers for excessively good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. When owner Robb Talbott opened up a new Carmel Valley tasting room in May he combined two other of his passions: motorcycles and vintage peddle cars. You read that right…peddle cars, as in those tinny things your grandfather peddled round in when he lived in the Old Country. With a stellar collection of motorcycles and peddle cars from France, the U.S. and Germany, the sleek, polished wood toned room is imbued with the wow factor the moment you enter. The wines too are made to wow and Talbott’s Pinots and Chards reign as some of the best; seamless and beautifully seductive in this region known for top quality Pinot and Chard. Therefore to have both is exceptional and an experience you will remember.

Nearby: 17 Mile Drive and the Monterey Bay Aquarium offer diverse experiences.

Sierra Foothills: Andis

The Sierra Foothills, known as gold country due to the 1848 gold discovery, brought the world to California. These days the gold has dissipated but wine has exploded. Grapes have been grown here since the early 1850s and the oldest commercial winery still stands in Coloma. The Andis tasting room puts that old stone building to shame. Sleek, clean lines and a soft color palette like a pastel Italian spot overlooking Lake Como, this pulls you out of history and places you squarely in the 21^st Century. Andis is at the forefront of a resurgence of the region, proving that a gold rush comes in many forms. The flagship Barbera and a racy Semillon are just part of a vast portfolio. Located in the small town of Plymouth just 10 miles from the perennially cute gold mining town of Sutter Creek, Andis is why you need to visit the Foothills.

Nearby: Head to the regions only dining destination, Taste in Plymouth. Visit historic Coloma where gold was discovered on the banks of the American River in 1948, setting off a worldwide stampeded to California.

Mendocino: Phillips Hill

Phillips Hill in the Anderson Valley integrates history and the cool factor with their all-wood open air tasting room, an antique apple dryer building. Come again? Apples and hops were the main draw in this Valley back in the day, not wine grapes. Being so remote the apple crop needed to be dried prior to interminable shipping to parts unknown. Now, no one dries out at Phillips Hill in their upstairs apple dryer tasting room. It’s mainly Pinot Noir here and a crisp little Gewürztraminer served in this tree-house wine pad. Surrounded by old, verdant green trees, you might lose a sense of time here, everyone else does. That’s the beauty of Phillips Hill - small, remote and still undiscovered.

Nearby: The nation’s first certified organic brew pub, The Ukiah Brewing Co. in Ukiah will give your wine palate a break with beer and grass fed beef.

For other alcohol and booze related info including reviews of wine, spirits and beers, visit my other blog BOOZEHOUNDZ

Alsace in America: Mendocino Memories

So, what if there were a wine festival which was unpretentious, fun, not the least bit crowded, where international winemakers and their wines congregated together, all set in beautiful surroundings and was, well, just way cool? Well there is. The International Alsace Varietals Festival arrives each February in Mendocino (slightly north of Sonoma), and with it, a die-hard contention of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris enthusiasts. And we’re not talking flabby sweet wines which taste like packets of Equal mixed with water. We’re talking serious non-sweet, semi-sweet and luscious sweet white wines which will literally change your mind about what a white wine can be. There has long been a belief that these kinds of wines are simplistic and that “serious wine drinkers drink red,” but that is nothing more than a short-sighted, myopic view, plagued by insecurity. All wines, white, sweet, red and bubbly, have a place on your table.

Life is not all Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, it can be, but frankly, aromatic white wines should be part of what you are drinking on a regular basis. This is a small conference but it packs a mighty punch. It begins with a technical conference; a kind of wine-geeky gathering of detailed, though interesting, information on these wines with about 100 people. This is followed by a grand tasting, with winemakers on hand to pour and talk about their wines. And this is the inherent beauty of this particular festival; it’s small, accessible and dedicated to, not to a wide variety of wines, but a focused presentation of a select few, which gives you the chance to really hone your understanding of these varieties. The technical conference also presents unique one-of-a-kind opportunities. For 2012, the New Zealand Riesling Challenge allowed attendees to sample 12 different iterations of Riesling, made by 12 different winemakers from New Zealand who each made Riesling from grapes from a single vineyard. Given there were so few cases produced, and the majority of those were kept inside the country, this was a rare and very cool chance to taste how 12 people interpret one wine made from one plot of land.

Fresh made pizza is at the Festival

But Mendocino is not just aromatic whites. Many of the wineries which line Highway 128 are making some killer juice. Foursight Wines, located in Boonville, is a prime example of this. Making Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Pinot Noir, their bottle prices range from $20 to $46 and since this is a family-owned operation, one of the family always staffs the small tasting room. They are fourth-generation farmers, producing fewer than 2,000 cases of wine, and the tasting room sits on the site of an old farm house when this land used to be a sheep ranch. Probably an anomaly for the region in terms of aromatic whites, they don’t often produce one. Owner Kristy Charles and her husband Joe Webb started by making wine for themselves at first, just one barrel actually, sharing it with their friends, then slowly expanded to a commercial venture. They are the first tasting room in Boonville and a highly recommended stop. The tasting fee is a mere $5.

Kristy Charles at Foursight Wines

Up the road, just passed the blink-and-you-miss-it town of Philo in what is called the “deep end” of the Anderson Valley (a cooler more fog-laden area) Handley Cellars has been making wine for three decades here. Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir are their strong suits and with diurnal swings of 50 degrees (the extreme highs and lows of a daily temperature flux) there is a clear acidity in their wines which is crucial for wines which work well with food. I was fortunate enough to taste 10 year-old Rieslings with co-winemaker Kristen Barnhisel, and I mention this because the Rieslings held up stunningly well. They make 12,000 cases a year, using a dedication to a restrained style of wine. These are not big alcohol bombs, but, true to the region, are delicate wines, both whites and reds. I also barrel tasted through several Pinot Noirs. Their bottle prices range from $15 up to $52. Both Handley and Foursight farm their vineyards as certified organic and are definitely worth a visit when you head to the Anderson Valley.

Kristen Barnhisel of Handley Cellars

For additional info on the Mendocino wine region, get a paperback copy, or download an e-book copy of my travel book, “California Wine Country.” Copies are available nationwide, and at: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-California-Wine-Country-Handbooks/dp/1598805959

www.AVWine.com

www.FourSightWines.com

www.HandleyCellars.com

Fresh shucked oysters are always a hit at the Alsace Festival