Winery, developer create space in Napa for small-scale brands

NAPA – A boutique vintner and commercial property developer are looking to establish a custom winemaking center for small-scale brands in a south Napa business park.

A newly completed 33,500-square-foot light-industrial building in Napa Valley Gateway Business Park called PHEZpark now houses Spelletich Cellars as well as several wine-related businesses, including a winery-supply shop and a UPS Store relocating from elsewhere in Napa.

“What Casey and I are trying to do in this space is create room for other family wineries with barrel storage in suites and winemaking in my space,” said winemaker Barbara Spelletich, referring to PHEZ LLC Managing Partner Casey Escher. “In Europe it’s called a wine co-op and is common.”

Depending on how further negotiations go with county of Napa planning staff, winemaking clients may be able to move barrels between the winery and their suites by internal passageways or externally.

Timothy and Barbara Spelletich moved the Spelletich Cellars winery from an industrial building shared with the Robert Craig Winery tasting room at 880 Vallejo St. near Napa’s downtown to 7,300 square feet in PHEZpark at 425 Gateway Road W. The whole building is bonded for production of 60,000 gallons a year, or about 25,000 cases. The couple produces 1,500 cases of their brand, first launched in 1994.

Currently, Ms. Spelletich, whose career started in imports and distribution and included winemaking at St. Clement in St. Helena, has six winemaking clients, with half of them producing enough wine to fill a barrel or two. The basic fee is $35 a case at the time of harvest. A real estate charge is possible for winemakers wanting to operate under the alternating-proprietor permit.

The PHEZpark facility still has suites available. The Spelletiches are discussing opportunities with PHEZ to replicate the wine center concept elsewhere in Napa Valley. Ms. Spelletich is in talks with county planning staff about a tiny tasting room in the building for clients to use.

“Urban wineries,” which are located inside cities or business parks, have sprung up in clusters in northwest Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, south of Sonoma and around Napa. The high cost of rural land plus wastewater-management requirements have spurred vintners to lease industrial space for winemaking or arrange for custom winemaking, which increasingly is being offered at dedicated North Coast facilities for clients large and small.

For details, contact the Spelletiches at 707-363-0790, visit www.spellwine.com or call Mr. Escher at 707-963-0123.