If you are looking for some delicious natural wine in an unfussy environment, look no further than 5th street Berkeley. In a great piece from Vogue today, author Kristin Tice Studeman writes about the wine warehouse club: "these small, urban operations are run out of graffitied warehouses—a stark contrast to some of the glamorous, high design estates of Napa or Sonoma. Inside tends to be equally unfussy, with a mix of people (ages 20 to 40-something) in jeans and T-shirts hanging out and drinking wine."
Along with traditional California wines like Chardonnay and Zinfadel, Berkeley's wine scene gives consumers a chance to try other smaller grapes that have been growing in California for over a century such as Carignan. After some research I learned that the Carignan variety, is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterranean and obviously, California. For years it has been a substantial producer in jug wine production in California's Central Valley and in recent years, has been reborn as a flagship grape for wineries all over.
These Berkeley storefronts are delivering consumers a totally different wine experience - an unusual location for tasting, with different grapes in an urban environment. Really looking forward to checking out Windchaser Wine Co. and Donley & Goat next time I am in the East Bay!
https://www.vogue.com/article/berkeley-california-street-natural-wine-oasis
Thanks for sharing, Jake! These wineries look like they truly fit the vibe of Berkeley. It makes sense that the home of the farm-to-table movement would embrace wine in their own way as well. I can definitely see this becoming an up and coming spot for wine tourism, as Chez Panisse brings foodies from all corners of the world to Berkeley. Of course, being highlighted by Vogue won't hurt. I'd love to check out these wineries too!
ReplyDeleteThis is super cool! I agree with Daisy's comment above that this wine warehouse idea matches Berkeley's vibe. I tried to see if this movement is happening in other cities across the country but had a hard time finding any other examples.
ReplyDeleteWhat it does remind me of is the craft brewery experience. When I was living in Seattle, my friends and I would often frequent these tiny breweries throughout the city - many of these breweries are completely unassuming with cement floors and limited to no decoration of the inside of the building. I found there to be such an ease of hanging out at these breweries so I am excited to see this type of experience / feeling start to creep into the wine world.