June 7, 2016 – Stuck in traffic on Highway One on your way to or from Carmel? Don’t panic. Get ready to detour to the warehouse district of Marina and partake in an Urban Wine Experience.
Beginning on July 2 three local wineries—Comanche Cellars, Cima Collina and Sinecure Wine—welcome you to step into their very cool cellar and try some of their truly handcrafted small production wines. It beats sitting out in the heat.
Known as the Urban Wine Row, they’ll be tasting every Saturday from noon to 5pm from July 2 on at a facility located conveniently off of Highway One in the Marina Business Park, home to the wineries’ warehouse winemaking operation.
Tastings are $15 per person, and include three tastes at each winery. Picnic facilities are also available, so you’re invited to make an afternoon of it.
Each brand represents small lot, hands on wines with very limited distribution, primarily produced from local Monterey County fruit. All three brands explore new and interesting varietals of the region, including Tempranillo, Grenache, Riesling and Mourvedre, in addition to the traditional, highly acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The low key wine tasting experience will give all three wineries the chance to showcase their products in a very unassuming atmosphere, where the tasting is truly about the wines.
Cima Collina has been producing wine in the Marina warehouse location since its first release back in 2005. Comanche Cellars and Sinecure Wine began making their wines at the facility in 2009.
“With a small production, it is often hard to get in front of the consumer. This is a great way to share our story, process and most current vintages,” comments Paul Gokey, owner/winemaker of Sinecure Wine.
“Sinecure” means an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income. This is clearly a tongue-in-cheek reference to the extraordinary amount of effort (and expense) that is required to make even the smallest amount of commercial wine, usually resulting in little or no income whatsoever.
Inspired by Doug Meador, Sinecure produces mostly red wines, sourced from the Meador Vineyard in Monterey and the Stokes Farm in Lodi. They offer Tempranillo, Grenache, Mourvedre and Merlot, along with a GSM blend. They also make some whites as well.
Comanche Cellars is a perfect example of a hobby run completely amok. Michael Simons named the tiny (under 1k cases) winery after Comanche, his horse when he was ten years old. Comanche’s shoes are on each bottle of wine. Simons has been looking for a place to pour his wines for several years and is delighted to be teaming up with Cima Collina and Sinecure to form the Urban Wine Row.
“Most of our customers are only able to enjoy our wines when we pour at local events. This is a much more personal experience. We are thrilled to be a part of it,” adds Michael Simons, owner/winemaker of Comanche Cellars, a tiny brand making kickass wines like Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Graciano and Bastardo. Comanche also makes three outstanding Pinot Noirs: one from the Char Eva Vineyard in Arroyo Seco, one from the Santa Lucia Highlands and one from the Saveria Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
“It’s a perfect stop for visitors coming down for the weekend, to taste a bit of Monterey wine before continuing on to other activities,” comments Annette Hoff Danzer, Winemaker at Cima Collina. “We recently had our Staves & Steel event on site, and visitors were excited to explore a new hidden gem, tucked away in the business section of Marina.”
Mark your calendars for their kickoff event, from noon til 4pm on Saturday, July 2.
It will feature a BBQ to benefit Best Buddies International, which raises awareness of and provides support for intellectually disabled children and young adults. The $15 event ticket includes a Tri-Tip sandwich, salad and cookie.
This fundraiser lunch is hosted by Team Cima Collina, who will be riding up to 100 miles this fall to benefit Best Buddies. Team Cima Collina will host a ride Saturday morning in Marina on July 2, along the Monterey Bay bike trail, finishing at the Urban Wine Row by noon. More details on the event and fundraiser will be posted at urbanwinerow.com
Urban Wine Row is located in the Marina Business Park, 3344 Paul Davis Drive, Marina, CA 93933. For more information on the Urban Wine Row and the July 2nd kick off opening, please visit the website: www.urbanwinerow.com or email urbanwinerow@gmail.com
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
