Industry veterans Tony Cartlidge and John Hawkins have announced plans to build a self-contained “artisanal village” of purpose-built, limited-production wineries for lease.
According to Wines & Vines, Les Garagistes Napa will include 12 individual winery spaces, ranging in size from 3,500 to 6,500 square feet, located in four buildings surrounding a 16,000-square-foot courtyard. The “village” will be located on Jim Oswalt Way, off Hwy. 29 in American Canyon, and is scheduled to open by August of 2009.
Hawkins told Wines & Vines that one of the benefits of building the “village” in American Canyon is that the city allows wineries to open new tasting rooms. “If you don’t already have one (in Napa) at this point, you’re not going to get it,” he said.
Hawkins said he sees the new development as an opportunity for passionate, quality-oriented winemakers – the kind of vintners we love here at Vinesse – to take their brands to the next level.
“We’re offering winemakers and brand owners an alternative to ‘alternating proprietorship’ facilities, a chance to turn their virtual winery of today into a real brick-sand-mortar winery with a real Napa Valley address, to do their own work and to better control their own wine quality,” he said.
“The other alternative – building your own facility from the ground up – is financially unattainable for most.”
