It's a Sunday afternoon and slow going at the Nimbus Winery building near Highway 50 and Hazel Avenue. The Old Spaghetti Factory, usually overflowing with bargain pasta and hungry hordes, is unusually empty. The main noises coming from this complex are video game blasts from the arcade.
But after the holiday rat race, the mellow pace feels good. And hey, what's this? It's an actual wine facility and tasting room in the Nimbus Winery, just across the hall from the Old Spaghetti Factory.
So it's time to take a seat at Vintner's Cellar Custom Winery, just two months in business, which offers both wine tasting and the chance to make your own custom wine. The room still has a "new car smell" freshness to it, with wood furnishings and shiny marble on the bar.
The price for five tastes is $8; after checking the wine list, you write down your five choices on a slip of paper and pass it to the bartender.
Vintner's Cellar Custom Winery is part of a Canadian-based franchise, with grapes from California, Chile, Italy and Australia. So after you taste one of these wines, Vintner's Cellar offers a chance to tweak the wine to your personal taste preference.
Say you want more tannins in that Old Crossing cabernet sauvignon or a little more sweetness in the Nimbus Rain riesling. Vintner's Cellar can modify the wine for you and slap a custom label on the bottle. Family pets are a popular label image, so Fido, this merlot's for you.
But here's the catch: These wines start as grape juice or concentrate shipped to Vintner's Cellar in plastic containers. Water needs to be added to some of these lots, and once yeast is added, the fermentation process begins. Orders are placed in batches of 25 to 30 bottles, and the process takes six to eight weeks.
The taste of these wines leans to the sweet side, and the Vortex viognier even has a butterscotch aftertaste. Vintner's Cellar also offers fruit wines, which contain additional fruit juice. The Midnight Cherry (pinot noir with black cherry) tasted something like a melted Popsicle.
Vintner's Cellar also offers a small food menu and live music on the weekends. But right now, a chunk of its customers are business folks looking to get clients a personalized gift.
Because instead of wining and dining a client, why not just give him or her a personalized bottle of wine? Or you can at least stop at Vintner's Cellar before hitting that power lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory.
Call Bee food and wine writer Chris Macias, (916) 321-1253.
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