The new Bella Union winery, which opened in late September in St. Helena, begs to be a background for your next Instagram post. Frilly umbrellas that look like they were plucked from a beach in Nice dot the sprawling outdoor patio, and hallways papered in leafy wallpaper lead to sun-soaked rooms filled with saffron-colored velvet booths. On a recent afternoon, the sound of Ariana Grande crooning about her favorite things floated in the crisp autumn air.
The laid-back vibe starkly contrasts with that of many of the other wineries in Napa Valley, which has earned a reputation for being “bougey and overpriced,” as one Reddit user put it. This is no accident. Kate McManus, VP of marketing at parent company Far Niente Wine Estates, said the company opened Bella Union winery to attract younger consumers, who might be the key to preventing the bottom from falling out of California’s struggling wine industry.
“We wanted to create a space that appeals to the consumers of this generation,” McManus said, “who want to go out and have experiences that are fun, but not as dictated to them in a forced way.”
As one of those “consumers of this generation,” I get it. Growing up in Sacramento with wine-loving parents, I’ve been traveling up and down State Route 29, which runs the length of the Napa Valley, since long before I could drink — or drive. I’ve watched Napa become prohibitively expensive and, in many cases, so stuffy it’s not even fun.
In the ’90s, you could pull off and show up unannounced for a tasting at popular wineries like Cakebread Cellars. I once trailed after my parents when they wandered into Sawyer Cellars only to find owner Charlie Sawyer behind the bar pouring wines. These days, almost every winery requires a reservation, and a tasting of Cakebread’s chardonnays costs $75, slightly below the valley’s $81 tasting-fee average. Far Niente’s single-vineyard focused winery Nickel and Nickel charges $150, while the company’s eponymous winery charges $130. Stag’s Leap’s most basic experience costs $95, and at Opus One, a tasting is $200 — not that you’re likely to nab a reservation.
When combined with the fact that younger Americans are drinking less than previous generations, there’s good reason for Napa wineries — especially old-school ones like Far Niente — to panic.
Of course, Far Niente is far from the first to invest in creating a space that younger people might want to hang out in. Ashes & Diamonds, with its highly Instagrammable midcentury modern tasting room and $45 pizza-and-wine tastings, has been doing it since 2017; Prisoner, despite its problematic branding, has found fans in a younger audience since 2018.
Part of Bella Union’s strategy is to let younger drinkers have more choices. “We wanted customers to be able to come in and create their own journey,” McManus said. So for $45, you can sample three releases with a spread of snacks; for $20 more, you can choose four selections to taste from the winery’s list. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the $175 Jewel Box Tasting gets you into Bella Union’s stunning, glass-encased tasting room for a guided tour of its rarest wines. Bottles, meanwhile, start at just $45 for an easy-drinking white blend of mostly sauvignon blanc and Sémillon or a bright and dry rosé perfect for drinking by the pool.
Most surprising, if you’re the kind of person who likes to fly by the seat of your pants, Bella Union not only accepts but welcomes walk-ins during its daily Social Hour. From 4 to 6 p.m., wines are available by the glass or bottle to be enjoyed at the outdoor bar or on the patio. It’s basically the diametric opposite of a $200 tasting pre-paid months in advance — a real effort to combat Napa’s increasingly fussy status quo. “We don’t want to be a dusty, old brand,” McManus said. “We want to be open and accessible to all types of people.”
With sunglasses on, I posted a selfie on the Bella Union patio, not very subtly showing off how I was spending my Friday afternoon. “Ugh, this is so dreamy,” one friend replied almost immediately. “How is it?” asked another, who’s already a member of Nickel and Nickel.
Both, no surprise, are consumers of my generation.
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