Sneak Peek: City Winery

NEW YORK, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, New York wine lovers can enjoy the art of winemaking in their own backyard -- literally -- with the opening of City Winery (143 Varick Street) in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. Thanks to founder and CEO, Michael Dorf, oenophiles can now stomp, ferment and bottle their own barrels of Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay in the heart of New York City.

The 21,000-square-foot space blends a wine bar and event space with a fully operational winery that will house 300 barrels; 200 barrels are allocated for full or fractional private ownership. City Winery will import grapes from noted wine regions in California, Oregon, Washington State, New York, Chile and Argentina, enabling barrel owners and visitors to participate in the full winemaking experience: crushing, pressing, fermenting, barrel tasting, bottling and labeling. Guidance will come from City Winery's Master Winemaker David Lecomte, who hails from France's Rhone Valley and was previously a winemaker at Herzog Wine Cellars in California.

In addition to barrel ownership, City Winery will offer winemaking classes, workshops, tastings and special dinners. Its top-flight wine bar will be staffed with knowledgeable sommeliers pouring from one of the most varied wine lists in New York City, with more than 50 wines available by the glass. To complement the wines, Murray's Cheese Shop will host a special cheese bar with a full-time expert to create appropriate food and wine pairings with cheese and charcuterie from their facility in Greenwich Village.

City Winery will also be a world-class venue for events and special occasions, surrounded by steel vats, oak barrels and the mystique of a winery. It will accommodate up to 225 people seated, 400 people standing, as well as smaller parties in its private dining rooms and wine caves. In keeping with his renowned success in opening and operating New York's famed Knitting Factory from 1987 to 2002, Michael Dorf has included a stage and state-of-the-art Meyer sound system, providing a platform for events, top musical acts and performances to enjoy while sipping wine.

City Winery is scheduled to open in fall 2008. For more information, call 212-608-0555 or visit www.citywinery.com.