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p The days of cookie-cutter winery tasting rooms, all withstand-up bars, standard pours and a clutch of wine-relatedtchotchkes, are over. /p p The latest in tasting roomsbring more energy, life and relevance to the experience. They canbe wine lounges, or community culturalspaces. /p p Take Garagiste Healdsburg, for example, abonded micro-winery in downtown Healdsburg. This partnershipbetween two wineries invites visitors to peek behind the curtain tolearn how wine is made and sit on the patio to order box lunchesfor delivery from nearby restaurants. /p p Duringharvest, Garagiste co-owners Alan Baker and Serena Lourie will takethe curious back into the winery to taste grapes at varying sugarlevels, going so far as to freeze wine at different stages ofdevelopment for visitors to sample at other times of the year aswell. /p p In addition to being able to buy wine bythe glass or by the bottle, lounges like Garagiste offer a placefor pals to meet and hear music, meet a local author or artist orjust relax on the post-modern couches. /p p Foodfigures prominently in all of these new spaces, from artisan salumiand cheeses to more thoughtful fare made specifically to highlightthe wines — like the options being featured right now atLongboard Vineyards' Surf Lounge, complete with gnarly surf movieson permanent rotation. /p p On the other side of thespectrum is the new Vin Couture Lounge, where the focus is onsit-down tastings and custom flights designed around a diverseselection of wines. At JCB Tasting Room, an elegant setting servesto showcase the wines, pinot noirs and chardonnays from Burgundy aswell as the Russian RiverValley. /p p CF114 Garagiste Healdsburg: /CF A working micro-winery and tasting room shared betweentwo brands: Cartograph, which focuses on making two small-lot,single-vineyard pinot noirs and one gewurztraminer, and Stark Wine,which makes Dry Creek Valley syrah, as well as viognier from theSierra Foothills and a Russian River Valleychardonnay. /p p In addition to providing menus fromAffronti, Costeaux Bakery and Oakville Grocery so tasters can orderfood, the winery partners also curate author readings, live musicand community gatherings, keeping the space hopping on Fridaynights. /p p A new artist installation opens thisFriday. /p p Open Thursday through Sunday noon to 7p.m. Monday to Wednesday by appointment. 439 Healdsburg Ave,431-8023, garagistehb.com. /p p CF114 JCBTasting Room: /CF French wine mogul Jean-Charles Boisset'schic salon gives visitors an opportunity to try pinot noirs andchardonnays from California and Burgundy in one place, pouredaround a custom-made, marble-top communal table and Philippe Starckchairs beneath a Marie Antoinettechandelier. /p p From this charming, stylish spaceBoisset features custom barware, including specially designed spitbuckets. Sit back and enjoy dozens of French wines and Californiaselections from Boisset's own JCB Collection, featuring wines froma trio of Northern California appellations. /p p Opendaily 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for wine tasting flights and bottlepurchases; wine bar open Thursday through Saturday 5:30 to 9 p.m.for wines by the glass. 320 Center St., 473-9707,jeancharlesboisset.com. /p p CF114 LongboardVineyards: /CF Longboard does tastings of current releases,single-vineyard and limited-release wines as well as eveningglasses of wine at what it calls its Surf Lounge. But it isparticularly beloved for its Sip & Savor food and winepairings, with a choice of three different themes: The CheeseMonger (artisan cheeses from the Healdsburg Cheese Shop, olives andFrench bread with several wines; $29), The BBQ Master (a fullspread of Kansas BBQ served buffet style; $43) and The ProvincialConnoisseur (traditional Provencal lunch from RestaurantCharcuterie; $39). /p p Prices include wine and allrequire advance reservations. Leather couches and surf movies onthe big-screen TV round out the comfy vibe. /p p Opendaily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (will stay open later if you ask nicely). 5Fitch St., 433-3473,longboardvineyards.com. /p p CF114 PortalupiWine Company: /CF A husband- and wife-run winery inspired byItaly, Portalupi pours vermentino, pinot noir, barbera, twozinfandels, a port and jug wines sold in milkbottles. /p p Co-owner and winemaker Tim Borges willsit down with groups for private tastings and education sessions,where the wine comes with artisan cheeses and Italian salumi ($25).They also make infused olive oils andvinegar. /p p Open daily 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 107North St., 395-0960,portalupiwine.com. /p p CF114 ThumbprintCellars: /CF From its stylish, comfortable tasting loungeright on the Plaza, Thumbprint makes a range of wines and offersdaily wine-and-food pairing flights with charcuterie and artisancheese. They're often led by co-owner and winemaker ScottLindstrom-Dake. /p p The wines include a range ofrefreshing whites and hearty reds with provocative names (Arousal,Four Play, Three Some), as well as tworos. /p p Open daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 102 MathesonSt., 433-2393,thumbprintcellars.com. /p p CF114 Topel Wines: /CF Topel's got the stand-up tasting bar, but also offersprivate, sit-down tastings in a smaller room with co-owners Mark orDonnis NO1 CQ NO Topel. The wines include syrah,cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and a Meritage, sourced from thefamily's estate in the hills outside of Hopland, as well as fromseveral Napa Valley vineyards. /p p Open daily 11 a.m.to 7 p.m. 125 Matheson St., 433-4116,topelwines.com. /p p CF114 Vin CoutureLounge: /CF Introducing the couture concept to the wineworld — high-quality, low-production — Vin Couturefeatures a rotation of wines from Landy Family Vineyards, ChateauFelice, C. Donatiello Winery, Donum Estate, Talty Vineyards,Pfendler Estate and Stone Edge Farm Vineyards (with others comingsoon) at reserved, sit-down tastings, where all flights arecustomized for the customer and paired with smallplates. /p p With live music Fridays and eventuallySaturdays, the lounge, upstairs from an art gallery, isparticularly popular during its Swirl after Six nights, Thursday toSunday starting at 6 p.m., when custom flights are available aswell as wines by the glass or bottle. There are small plates ofsuch delights as lamb sliders, pulled-pork bruschetta andendive-filled beets and goat cheese, in addition to smaller snacksalong the lines of spiced nuts, truffle-oil popcorn and parmesanchips. /p p Open Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 11p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call ahead or book a reservationonline. 320 Healdsburg Ave., 431-8161,vincouturelounge.com. NO1 /p p Virginie Booneis a freelance wine writer based in Sonoma County. She can bereached at virginieboone@yahoo.com. /p. I am an expert from cosmeticpackagingcontainer.com, while we provides the quality product, such as PET Cosmetic Bottles Manufacturer , Cosmetic Cream Jars Manufacturer, Lip Balm Containers,and more.
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