Top 10: Urban Wineries In America
Think you need a vineyard to make wine? Not exactly. Wineries, long associated with the pastoral tracts of lands on which grapes are grown, are now cropping up in metropolitan areas. Urban winemakers bring in their grapes from wine country, and press them smack in the middle of their beloved cities. Here are ten favorites, in no particular order.
Gruet Winery | Albuquerque, New Mexico
Owned by a family from the Champagne region of France, this winery specializes in sparkling wines made using the traditional Champagne method. Its vineyards, near the town of Truth or Consequences, grow at 4,300 feet above sea level, resulting in crisp, refreshing bubbly. gruetwinery.com
Henke Winery | Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati may be the last place you'd expect to find a winery, but Henke has been around for more than a decade. It gets grapes from California, Indiana, New York and Northern Ohio, as well as a vineyard just 30 miles away. henkewine.com
Enso Winery | Portland, Oregon
Sourcing its grapes from growing regions in three different states – Washington's Horse Heaven Hills, California's Shenandoah Valley and Oregon's Willamette Valley – this small batch winery made 600 cases of wine in 2011 and plans to triple production this year. ensowinery.com
Red Hook Winery | Brooklyn, New York
Cult winemakers Abe Schoener and Robert Foley consulted on this venture that makes use of Long Island grapes. Look for Red Hook wines in local boutiques, restaurants and even on tap at select bars. redhookwinery.com
A Donkey and Goat Winery | Berkeley, California
This natural winery gets its grapes from the Sierra Foothills, Monterey and Mendocino County. The wines are made using wild yeasts, little-to-no-added sulfur and no extra additives. They even stomp the grapes with their feet! donkeyandgoat.com
Times Ten Cellars | Dallas, Texas
With its own vineyard planted in the high desert just outside the city of Alpine—growing mostly Tempranillo and Syrah—this Dallas winery's offerings are available at more than 40 restaurants and retailers in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. timestencellars.com
Bluxome Street Winery | San Francisco, California
A stone's throw from AT&T Park, this operation bills itself the first winery in downtown San Francisco in 100 years. Its grapes are trucked in from vineyards in Sonoma and Russian River Valley. bluxomewinery.com
City Winery | Manhattan, New York
Located in the downtown neighborhood of Tribeca, this winery-slash-live music venue makes wine from California, Oregon and New York State grapes and let patrons do it, too. Invest in your own barrel from $1,800. citywinery.com
Grochau Cellars | Portland, Oregon
Vineyards in Willamette, Columbia Valley and beyond provide the grapes for this Portland winery. Join its members' circle and get access to discounts on wine, free tastings and the occasional vineyard visit. grochaucellars.com
Cadence Winery | Seattle, Washington
This family-owned winery in Seattle owns its own vineyards located in Red Mountain, Washington State's smallest viticultural appellation. Appropriately, Cadence specializes in bold red blends. cadencewinery.com