COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food, & the Arts has unveiled plans to open a wine bar that will feature the largest by-the-glass wine-tasting room on the West Coast, as well as a casual dining bistro.
The creation of the new wine bar and bistro dining area is part of the institution’s reorganization, which aims to strengthen COPIA while continuing to build on the organization’s rich heritage in wine, food, art and culture.
The late Robert Mondavi played a key role in developing and funding the center.
The new bistro serves healthy garden-inspired fare in a casual setting. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, it offers guests and the local community an affordable, sophisticated dining option, with all menu items priced under $20. A variety of wine- and food-focused magazines from around the world are available in the bistro for purchase.
Starting in mid-June, the new tasting room and wine bar will offer more than 500 wines by the glass, making it the largest on the West Coast. In addition, the wine bar will include space to highlight regional wineries, providing smaller winemakers and wineries with a unique opportunity to pour their wines and interact with COPIA visitors.
The new tasting room and wine bar will be developed by and include programming from COPIA’s distinguished wine education faculty.
“The new bistro and wine bar are the first steps in COPIA’s transformation of the campus and visitor experience,” said Garry McGuire Jr., COPIA President and CEO. “COPIA is committed to developing innovative educational and hospitality offerings that make our 12-acre campus a vital and differentiated must-see attraction for visitors and the local community.”
In addition, COPIA is committed to enhancing its culinary offerings at Julia’s Kitchen restaurant. As part of this commitment, COPIA will bring operations of the restaurant in-house and will end its relationship with Patina Restaurant Group. While COPIA searches for a distinguished culinary partner to help guide content and programming, Julia’s Kitchen will remain open and focused on its original “garden to table” philosophy.
By July, a major renovation — including a new garden entrance and a private dining room accommodating up to 24 guests — will provide an enhanced setting for guests to enjoy, McGuire added.
