If you’re planning a trip to Napa Valley sometime this year, try to free up a few hours for a visit to the V Marketplace.
A festival-style center once known as “Vintage 1870,” V Marketplace offers upscale specialty shops, galleries and restaurants, a wine tasting cellar, and Napa Valley’s original hot air balloon company, all housed within and around the historic Groezinger Winery complex.
Meandering cobblestone walkways, scenic views and lush picnic gardens surround the property. Special events and entertainment are scheduled year-round.
The V Marketplace complex was originally built in 1870 by German-born vintner Gottlieb Groezinger. One of the largest winemaking facilities of its day, the Groezinger Winery and family home occupied more than half of the 23-acre family estate. It included a massive brick winery, a brandy distillery, a steam power plant, creamery, brick stables and barns, and a two-story estate mansion to the north of the property. The property was sold by the Groezinger family in 1889, but remained an operating winery under successive owners until 1955.
Hosting a handful of specialty shops and two small cafes, the buildings were reopened in 1968 as the Vintage 1870 specialty shop complex. Over the past decades, and under subsequent ownership, the buildings have undergone continuing restoration to carefully blend the character and charm of yesteryear with the richness of the present day.
The center now welcomes more than half a million visitors from around the globe through its doors each year.
- Located at 6525 Washington St. in Yountville, V Marketplace is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
