Wine by the Bay

In October 2007, Cellar360 opened at Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco with a goal of bringing the best of wine country to wine lovers who lack sufficient time to visit Napa or Sonoma. New owners stripped away modern construction to reveal brick, wood floors, ceilings, columns, and windows in the circa 1864 Woolen Mill Building, and then transformed the space with undulating architectural curves, loads of light and hundreds of beautifully displayed bottles.

But Cellar360 is more than a retail store - it's also a multi-brand tasting and wine education facility in which educators from COPIA/The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, teach classes. Their classroom is a glass-walled room that seats 40-50 people, attached to a full-service stainless steel kitchen with an expansive viewing window. Cellar360 also hosted a wine and chocolate class on February 16.

And tasting is an important part of a visit here. Sample a multi-brand flight of wines at the tasting bar, enjoy a pairing of cheeses and wine, or sip a glass of vino with one of 25 cheeses, soups of the day, salads and sandwiches or dishes such as truffled macaroni and cheeses or brussel sprouts with pancetta, that are available on-site. Then take one of your favorite bottles home to share with friends and family.