Urban |

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

When you think about going to a winery, inevitably there is a mental image of a bucolic excursion. But what if the winery isn’t in the countryside? What if it is in the suburbs, or even, (gasp!) in the city? Does that mean it is now less a winery? After all, they aren’t claiming to be a vineyard.

It has become one of those throwaway comments. “Oh, you like that wine?, but they don’t grow the grapes…”

Generally speaking, I think that English is a very descriptive language. It is German (language of the people) overlaid with Latin (classical learning) and French (court language). That means for every basic word there are three words to fill that space (think house=abode=manse). But when it comes to wine there are more vocabulary words in French. No doubt because wine is such an essential part of their life.

I think the better word for those wineries that take grapes from else where and make wine from them exists in French: négociant: a merchant who buys grapes and ferments them, buys half-fermented grapes and finishes the wine or buys finished wine and sells it under its own name. Are these urban wineries “REAL”? Absolutely.

So check in your town to see if there is a winery. And tell us about it!

Check out the wineries in these cities:

San Francisco:
Treasure Island Wines
Crush Pad
Harrington Wine

New York City:
Brooklyn Oenology
City Winery
Bridge Urban Vineyards

Los Angeles:
San Antonio Winery
Moraga Vineyards
Malibu Hills Vineyard

Seattle:
Cadence Winery
Fall Line Winery

Cincinnati:
Henke Winery

Chicago:
Lynfred Winery
Wild Blossom Wines
Cooper’s Hawk Winery