Sierra Starr's new tasting room opens in September

Sierra Starr Vineyard and Winery will open a new tasting room in downtown Grass Valley with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5.

A grand opening celebration will follow. A private preview and reception will be held for trade representatives and media from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3.

Winemaker and owner Phil Starr will sign bottles.

The celebration will include wine tastings, featuring newly released Gold Medal-winning 2008 “Solstice” Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 “Cosmic Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 “Phil's Selection” Zinfandel and 2006 Old Clone Zinfandel.

Other attractions are hors d'oeuvres, exclusive discounts, live entertainment and a discussion of the restoration of the historic building. The tasting room is the in the former El Dorado Bank space at 124 W. Main St.

Part of the work the Starr family has done in the building's 1,500-square-foot tasting room includes a mural of the Sierra Starr vineyard painted on the wall, a meandering bar and fashionable concrete floors.

Historical ‘watering hole'

The contemporary tasting room blends with its historic setting.

Records indicate the building was built in the 1870s. Evidence indicates the building in the 1920s was home to two different shops, one of which sold cigars.

The address is documented in the book “Images of America: Grass Valley,” by Claudine Chalmers, as being located in “the waterfront” district, where “watering holes stayed open all night and successful ‘madams' capitalized on Grass Valley's frontier spirit.”

Period fire-proofing

Bringing the building back to its origins was Starr's main goal.

Interior restoration revealed a fine example of mid-1800s architecture with brick-and-stone walls on all sides.

Builders fireproofed it in the manner of the time, hoisting dirt into the attic covering the entire ceiling. Markings indicate the dirt was at least a foot deep. This was done in hope that, if the roof caught fire, it would fall onto the dirt and not enter the building. At some point, most of the dirt was removed, but extensive cleaning was required in the latest restoration.

Research has been done into the historic use of color so the present appearance represents the building's Gold Rush roots.

Family-owned

Sierra Starr is a family-owned and operated winery, with the 15-acre vineyard just west of Grass Valley. The family has been cultivating since 1995, and the vineyard produces about 2,800 cases of wine yearly.

The new tasting room at 124 W. Main St., Grass Valley, will be open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Another tasting room is at the vineyard and is open for special events and by reservation.

Kim Crevoiserat is a Grass Valley resident and marketing consultant working with Sierra Starr Vineyard and Winery.

Know & Go

• What: Ribbon cutting and grand opening

• When: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5

• Where: 124 W. Main St., Grass Valley

• More info: (530) 477-8282 or SierraStarr.com; e-mail to SierraStarr@SBCGlobal.net.