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78 WINES&VINES May 2018 TASTING ROOM FOCUS T he city of Napa, Calif., is now a tasting room hub but St. Clair Brown is a rar- ity. Its location on Vallejo Street has a facility for wine and beer production and a tasting room across a narrow street just next to the tracks of the Napa Wine Train. President Laina Brown has 19 years of ex- perience in the industry and met co-owner Elaine St. Clair when the two were working at Domaine Carneros winery. The two went on to manage the direct-to-consumer program at Black Stallion prior to its sale to Delicato Family Vineyards in 2010. Following that deal, Brown and St. Clair decided to strike out independently and founded the winery-brewery the same year. It opened to the public in 2013. St. Clair is both winemaker and master brewer, producing 1,000 cases of mostly Napa Valley wines that range in price from $25 to $95 as well as a range of beers. Adopting a direct-to-consumer business plan, which took a year to create, they chose the urban location because city regulations are less limiting than the notoriously strict Napa County rules, which no longer permit drop-in tasting rooms. They purchased an existing building for production and leased a vacant property to build the tasting room and adja- cent garden. 150 guests on Saturdays Typically, 1,500 to 2,000 visitors stop in every month, peaking from July through October, as in most California wine destinations. Saturdays are busiest, hosting as many as 150 guests. One advantage to the city location is that St. Clair Brown can serve until 8 p.m. Plans for the brewery were delayed until 5 months ago, due to different rules, but eventually the plan won approval thanks to the tasting room's food program, Brown said. Prepared on site, the food program consists of not-so-tiny "small bites", available a la carte at prices from $5 to $18. St. Clair Brown does not buy advertising, but networks personally throughout the valley. Social media and word-of-mouth are the big- gest sources of visitors. Nearby hotels also refer guests, many of whom are within walking distance from the tasting room. The winery hosts live music and art exhibits. Most days the tasting room is staffed with two or three servers. When needed, most new hires are referred by existing staff. "When we need somebody, they come our way," said Brown, who personally handles training for the small core staff to minimize costs and keep the message and culture consistent. She and St. Clair contemplate adding an- other taproom in the middle of the brewery and will also put wines on tap as well for en- vironmental reasons. Currently beer accounts for about one-third of tasting sales. Servers receive bonuses for club sign-ups, and the clubs (including the beer club) now have a total of about 400 members. Servers do not wear uniforms, in order to express themselves more while maintaining a profes- sional look. Supplies and equipment The POS is Square, widely used by small busi- nesses and designed to support the seasonal food program. It's not integrated with the membership tracking system; Brown prefers to have two solid systems that provide the ac- curate data she requires. When the tasting room launched, it started with "high grade crystal" for service, but soon reverted to standard wine and beer glasses. Brown said she prefers something that is both elegant and sturdy, and the tasting room's predominantly outdoor serving areas now have just a quarter of the breakage of the fragile and costly crystal. They're not fancy, but the glasses are pol- ished with microfiber towels for a beautiful finish. A high-temperature Jackson dishwasher cleans flatware and serving plates. —Jane Firstenfeld Urban Winery-Brewery in Downtown Napa St. Clair Brown offers tastings inside a renovated greenhouse and at outside tables in the winery's garden.