MacPhail Wines closes tasting room in Sebastopol's The Barlow

MacPhail Wines closed its tasting room in The Barlow in Sebastopol after operating in the high-end shopping, food and beverage district for five years and surviving February’s flood of the 12-acre complex.

The winery, part of Napa-?based the Hess Collection, shut the tasting room on Dec. 14. It was noted for its small batch offerings of pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as a tower of Radio Flyer wagons installed inside the space.

“As of right now our plan is to sell our wines online and host pop-ups,” the winery said on its Instagram page.

The closure leaves only two wineries in the shopping complex, located in the heart of the popular Russian River Valley wine region. They are Pax Wines and wine club member-?only Kosta Browne.

Next spring there will be another winery entrant. The Region will be opening a unique wine venue next door to Golden State Cider. The space will feature a weekly rotating winery from 25 participating small winemakers in Sonoma County. Those vintners typically do not have the financial resources to open an individual tasting room.

The other part of The Region tasting salon will have 52 wines on tap from those producers for sale in sizes from a 1-ounce sample to the typical 5-ounce pour, said founder Johan Eide, who thinks the experience will be more welcoming than traditional tasting rooms.

“We wanted to do something new. ... It’s approachable,” said Eide, who operates a patent legal practice in Petaluma. “I want it to be a hub for small producers in Sonoma County.”

The shopping-and-dining complex has largely recovered since the deluge early in the year, causing the closure of six businesses. In addition, nine tenants have sued owner Barney Aldridge for damages.

Before The Region starts pouring local wines, Acre Pizza will open at the end of January. The Petaluma-based coffee purveyor will offer New York-style pizza with a crust baked from an organic, fermented dough, owner Steve Decosse said. Acre takes over the space previously occupied by Village Bakery, which closed there after the flood.

Red Bird Bakery also will use part of that space. Acre had originally thought it would use Red Bird’s dough products for its pizza, but decided to go with its own recipe after working with a consultant, Decosse said. The pizza place will have gluten-free and vegan options, and it’s working on delivery for nearby brewpubs in the complex.

The Barlow also has secured a tenant for the space previously occupied by Zazu Kitchen & Farm, which was one of the county’s most high-profile restaurants. Barlow spokeswoman Annie Taylor said she could not yet reveal the name of the tenant that will lease the 3,600-square-foot restaurant space.