B Cellars new Oakville location almost ready

Come spring B Cellars will begin planting a new vineyard in Oakville and in the summer it will vacate its Calistoga location and move into the new winery on Oakville Cross Road.

We are well under way with construction, said Duffy Keys, co-founder and principal. We are about 70 percent complete on the cave excavation. We are targeting mid-June of this year to be operational.

In addition to the existing vines there, B Cellars is adding about six acres of vineyard and will end up with seven to eight of the almost 12 acres planted to predominantly cabernet sauvignon, some cabernet franc and possibly some merlot, Keys said. Continuing to oversee the winemaking is Kirk Venge.

The new location includes a hospitality house that will bring to fruition the vision B Cellars planned for all along, Keys said.

The intent for B Cellars has always been to present our wines in a food-centric manner, he said.

The uncertainty of the winerys current location on the Silver Rose property, along with permitting complications, prohibited B Cellars from accomplishing its food and wine pairings dream.

The look and feel of the project will blend in with the other wineries and buildings on Oakville Cross Road; agrarian with a contemporary twist. The exterior will include rippled steel with a finish made to look like rust, so that the building looks like its been there. There will be a fair bit of glass and a corner of the winemaking facility that reveals the wine tanks inside.

We want to give people a chance to see what goes on behind closed doors, he said.

The hospitality house will include a demonstration kitchen where B Bites of amuse bouche and flatbreads will be prepared to complement the wines being poured that day. The open-concept room is intended to be relaxing, encouraging guests to linger.

The room will have a living room/kitchen environment because, as Keys said, Where do we always end up when we go into somebodys home? The kitchen.

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B Cellars new Oakville location almost ready