What makes an urban winery an urban winery?

The previous entry was for the beer crowd. Today’s is for the wine set.

First of all, yes, there is such a thing as an urban winery, like the Signal Hill Winery with downtown locations in Cape Town, South Africa, and Beaune and Bordeaux in France. The primary advantage? According to winemaker Jean-Vincent of Signal Hill, being at a regional center without a committed vineyard allows him to select only the best grapes from the best microclimates.

However the upcoming NYC City Winery (in the fall) will go to town on defining the ‘urban’ in urban wineries:

Events. With a room for events that seat 200, 400 standing, or more private rooms, the winery will host concerts, art showings and parties that match music with wine and food pairings.

Participation. Because it’s in the middle of the city, City Winery is allowing residents to take part in its wine production, choosing their own grapes, then crushing, fermenting, and bottling and labeling their own bottles. 200 of the 300 annual barrels will be sold at $5000 each plus materials expenses.

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