We are approaching the time that we will hopefully announce both a soft opening and a
grand opening for Local Vines, our tasting room featuring commercially available
Lamorinda AVA wines. We anticipate that construction of the Tasting Room, Winery and
apartments will be completed the end of July. We hope that Germinate Kitchen, a
separate, yet connected, commercial kitchen will be complete by the end of 2024. The
one obstacle yet to be overcome is PG&E. We still do not have a completion date for
their work – the subsurface transformer needed to power the entire building. Until the
transformer, or a suitable interim solution, is in place, we cannot get the final approvals
to open.
For those who plan on offering their wine for tasting and sale, you will need the
following: 1) an O-2 or duplicate O-2 license at 3393 Mt. Diablo Blvd.; 2) a signed Joint
Tasting Room Agreement; and 3) evidence of both your TTB Basic Permit and ABC
license. Several local wineries already have submitted all or parts of these
requirements. You should plan that the O-2 licensing process takes up to six months
and duplicate O-2 licenses up to four months to complete! Please contact Larry Thal or
Bill English if you wish assistance or more information.
The schedule below is tentative; however, may provide some useful timelines:
First meeting of the Local Vines Wine Board –July/August 2024
If you intend on selling wine at Local Vines, please submit two bottles of each varietal
and vintage you wish to sell for approval by an independent wine Board consisting of
wine experts, and Sommeliers, whose expertise we are relying on to ensure that the
wines presented at Local Vines serve to enhance the image and reputation of our AVA.
Each wine offered at Local Vines must reflect well on our AVA. Please provide these to
Larry Thal by the end of June.
Marketing – August/September 2024
We will start a promotional campaign during these months to introduce the public to
Local Vines, our AVA, and our local vineyards and winemakers.
Soft Opening – September 2024
This will be our first event for LWGA members, family and friends.
Grand Opening – October 2024
While the first of these events is anticipated for the month of October, this will be the
first of several openings, each aimed at a different demographic, to introduce Local
Vines.
