Vintner’s Collective

Great collective of wines. Join the club its the best only way to go. Tastings are very generous.

This might be the best single stop in Napa. We went there on a night when the staff had time to guide us– four people with divergent tastes– through countless wines from dozens of small producers. It’s in the downtown area, within walking distance of our hotel (The Old World Inn on Jefferson) and near other tasting rooms and restaurants.
They offer wines that you would never find on your own –in a county with 400 wineries. Stevan was patient, friendly and knowledgeable.
Like science fiction (think the Tardis in Doctor Who) it is bigger on the inside.

An urban wine tasting bar. They collect wine from different vineyards and you can taste 6 wines for $ 30. My favorite bottle was unfortunately $ 75 so I did not purchase it.
The best part of Vitner’s Collective is the Asiago crackers they have for you try. Honestly, the most amazing crackers I’ve ever had. So buttery and smooth, I would give them ¹⁰⁄₅ if I could. The man pouring our wine was nice enough to print out the recipe so I can try and make them at home, and also gave us some crackers to go!
Overall, I would come here again for the crackers for sure.

This is a great little place tucked away in a classic building in the middle of downtown Napa. A great find — they specialize in small wineries. The staff is knowledgable and sociable and you will try lots of great wines from the region that you have never heard of. Better still, you’ll likely discover something you can take back to impress your friends.
A must stop on your tour of Napa wine country.

Fabulous experience for me and the girls. Very eclectic crowd of folks. And the wines served were all great. I walked away with a 6 pack. Candice and Stephen are awesome.

While I love the overall *concept* of the Vintner’s Collective, I didn’t love this place. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a 4 star «fan» so I’m giving it the 3 star «A-​OK» rating. Since I’m a long time wine drinker and enthusiast, I’m always searching for my next «secret» wine — wines that are rare or hard to find in stores, wines that nobody has heard of and wines that will excite me. Vintner’s Collective fit the bill in letting me try a big variety of specialized wines.
We walked in and were warmly greeted by the friendly yet slightly ditzy woman behind the tasting bar. She asked us our wine preferences (we’re «professional» wine drinkers at home, ha ha, so we know what we like). She pulled out a large selection of big, bold red wines for us to try. Both well experienced and brand new wine drinkers can benefit from tasting here, so don’t worry if you don’t know the style of wine that you like. This tasting room had a zero snobbery factor which I appreciated. There was also no issue with the two of us sharing one tasting (we don’t do this to be cheap, we do this so we can taste more wine)!
The employees were very, very well educated about each wine that was poured, telling us all about the history and education of each winemaker, lots of agri-​tech info about the vineyards and climate, and even the story behind the labels. I was very impressed. I found a few wines that I enjoyed and I didn’t find the per bottle prices outrageous (most were hovering in the $ 50.00 per bottle range). Nobody pushed the wine club on us, as is the norm at other tasting rooms. Some very yummy cheesy biscuits were on the bar to help with palate cleansing. These were all pleasant elements that made for a positive tasting experience. While she was great at delivering information, we asked repeatedly for glasses of water and never got them (she kept distracting herself).
Now on to the major negative about this place:
The tasting options and fee structure are pretty simple: 3 wines for $ 10 or 6 wines for $ 30. Our hostess poured more than 6 wines for us. Now I understand having to charge tasting fees for a lovely room like this and to cover overhead, but it really, really gets me angry when tasting rooms refuse to refund your tasting fee with a purchase. We left with 4 bottles of wine (close to a $ 400.00 purchase), and the Vintner’s Collective wouldn’t waive the $ 30.00 tasting fee. This always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I had a nice time during my visit and discovered a couple of new gems to add to our cellar. It’s worth checking out if you want to try wines you’ve never heard of or try wines by some of California’s cult winemakers. Note that you have to stand at the bar for your tasting and that you should allow at least an hour if you opt for the 6 wines tasting. Parking is easy on the street out front or in their private lot.

Sip, sip, horray! What a gem of a spot. Popped in on an early Friday evening, were immediately greeted by the manager and a few other staff. Such cheery, talkative folks. As for the wine, on point! Rarely do I leave a tasting having really enjoyed every. single. wine. Personal favorite was the Esmerelda Pinot. So tempting to take «one of each», but no, that wouldn’t do… I ended up joining the club. Best decision ever. Can’t wait for my inaugural shipment, and of course another visit to the lovely folks (especially Candace and Ben!) who served up some wonderful wine and conversation.

Vinter’s Collective is downtown Napa’s hidden diamond — if you want good wine every time, look no further. It’s the place Napa’s wine lovers go to buy wine. If you want to get a great bottle for a special occasion, tell the staff, and they’ll guide you with questions to get just what you need. The building is historic. The asiago crackers made daily by The Model Bakery exclusively for VC are fantastic. It can get crowded because, well, the wine is that good. The vintners of Vintner’s Collective are a group outstanding winemakers who make wine for larger labels but can’t afford big, fancy tasting rooms of their own; what they sell at VC is their own passion projects, and it shows in the quality of their wines.

Totally know how to make you feel unwelcome. Maybe it’s the unspoken dress code, maybe it’s cuz we didn’t order t expensive tasting. But defo no southern hospitality here.

My son and I stopped in for a mid day tasting. We were greeted by Candice and she set us up with the tasting session. Garret also stopped in and we had a great time chatting and drinking with both of them. No rush and very casual atmosphere. This was our best tasting experience of the week! Wonderful people.

On April 17, 2015, I hosted a group of twenty executives at Vintner’s Collective in downtown Napa. It’s a very historic brick building conveniently located within walking distance of Oxbow Market.
Candice and Stephan were outstanding. They poured a great selection of boutique wines and provided insights into the wineries. Our group enjoyed the catered gourmet food and really enjoyed the upstairs, large outdoor deck. Feedback from the attendees was that Vintner’s Collective was a wonderful venue to enjoy local wines and network indoors and on the deck. Additionally, toward the end of the tasting when several members shared they enjoyed desert wines, Stephan went into their collection and located a bottle to meet their needs. They really appreciated the VIP hospitality. Thanks for a great visit. I look forward to booking additional tastings at Vintner’s Collective and sincerely appreciate your flexibility and accommodating our group’s requests. The private space upstairs was very enjoyable.
Michael Naumann, Proprietor
VIP Vineyard Tours

Cheesy biscuit crackers. One of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. Tastings, $ 10 for two whites and a red. $ 30 for 6 with more reds. The gent gave me 3 reds for $ 15 when I mentioned whites are not really my cup o vino. Wines were good, most on the pricey end of what I will generally will pay per bottle. Pours were a bit… shallow, but he did give us a bonus taste so it kind of evens out. They have a patio we were hoping to relax on and enjoy a glass, but were informed its mainly for events. Boo. Go for the CRACKers!

Vintners collective was a great way to start our day in Napa. Don’t be fooled by the current scaffolding on the exterior– they are open and the inside is pristine as they recover from the earthquake. One of the oldest buildings and it’s got charm because of it.
The wine selections are a nice mix of different wine makers and vineyards. It’s kind of nice to try some smaller wines while the person pouring knows much about the providers.
Extra win: they have these Asiago crackers that are apparently made daily. Couldn’t resist having a few more than I probably should have.

Stefan gave us and our friends his honest opinions on pairings, certain vintages, etc. We are all relatively new to wine, and he was very knowledgeable and friendly. We visited shortly after the Napa earthquake, and the experience was great. Wide variety of vineyards, and a good balance of red and white varieties. Ask for the wine pairing lesson!

We ALWAYS make VC our first stop when visiting Napa. Nick and Adam are awesome, and so is the wine selection. You know the Lego movie song? Everything is awesome! Yep. that’s what plays when I think of VC.
Our faves are Krupp, Longfellow, and Mi Sueno.
They have fun member events. We had a blast at the Mi Sueno party with the taco/​burrito food truck. It was really great to meet the wine maker and tell him in person how much we enjoy his wines.
As of today, 1÷5÷15, they are open even though it doesn’t look like it. Enter through the back! Don’t let the damage from the earthquake steer you away. It’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?

Love Garrett & Vintner’s Collective. What a wonderful harvest party! Generous pours of Krupp, Parallel, D Cubed, and Roy… Playful menu, delightful ambiance, and fun dancing… Adam and the crew were great as usual!

We walked out of the napa bistro (our favorite spot for a good lamb burger in napa) and stumbled upon this gem! It wa my girlfriends moms birthday and we wanted to give her a little slice of her own heaven (which is wine or course)
So we strolled on in and the owner AJ was so awesome he let us try his best selection
Of wine and we even got along he ended up waving our wine tasting few which led to us buying 5 bottles. Whatever you can’t ever have too much good wine!
He told us all about how he has named labels after his two children the maxwell reserve which we tried to buy but unfortunately they were sold out, and the bottle named after his 2 year old which was still in barrels. How sweet is that?! Anyway after we got to chatting for awhile he told us he sells wine to the napa valley bistro for almost COST so you can get a bottle of his solamente there for like $ 72 bucks such a steal !
Overall AJ and his staff are what made the experience incredible, this is definitely our new spot. I do not go many places that really shock me with their quality and customer service this is one of them !

AWESOME place! The owners/​workers are super friendly and interactive. I love that their tastings all come from small wineries that don’t do tastings themselves. We tried roughly 5 – 6 of them and all were amazing. The proprietary blend from Tournes (sp? I forget what it’s called) was my absolute favorite. $ 75 a bottle but it was good. My boyfriend ended purchasing a Pinot noir by Aciens that he really liked. Another guy at a different winery told us that’s the best Pinot noir in all of napa.

A couple people recommended we to Vintner’s Collective to try a larger variety of wine, so we came here on a Sunday morning to check it out. We got there a minute before opening and another party joined us in the wait at exactly 11, and the doors were open relatively on time. We were introduced to Vintner’s and the idea behind it, and then we asked for 2 tastings, one of reds and the other of mostly whites (there were 4 of us and we wanted to try as much as possible, but they explained that there probably wouldn’t be enough for a full set of all whites).
So there were the two groups of us that quickly grew to 4, and one guy who had to manage all of us (there was space for our 4 groups at the counter but weirdly there are no hooks in the building, apparently because they make it look bad? We had our jackets hanging from everywhere because it was pouring rain outside… would have been nice to have hooks). He quickly forgot that we wanted to try some whites and started us with some reds, and we didn’t really want to go back to whites after that. He also didn’t seem too careful about the sediment in the glass from the wine, but when we asked him to rinse it out he did give us a new one. Overall he didn’t seem too friendly and the experience could have been better, given that there were so few groups there and it started out with just 2 groups for the fist 15 minutes.
But overall, it was really neat to try the different kinds of wines and there were some good ones.

A lesson in customer service and salesmanship…
I called a few days in advance to ask about a specific wine and if it was being poured over the weekend. Adam told us to «just come and [he’ll] help us out». His casual tone made me look forward to the visit.
Day of… arrived around 1pm and it was fairly busy for its size and capacity. Adam was unavailable (at lunch) but was returning soon, so I chose to wait. We finally meet and after a short period of small talk, jumped into the tasting.
Mistake #1: I came only to try one vintner and specifically one wine (Krupp Brothers Stagecoach Cab aka Veraison). I thought I made that pretty clear. But I guess not cause Adam started to pour all kinds of other wines (#1 pinot, #2 syrah, #3 red blend, etc). I don’t think I got served the one I wanted till #4 or #5.
Solution #1: Be attentive to the customer’s needs and wants.
Mistake #2: Education is important in tasting and collecting wine. But it’s not that vital to enjoy it. I don’t know if it was arrogance or just awkward «customer experience» but Adam just bombarded us with his extensive knowledge of the wines they served. Name dropping left and right… like we know or even cared who the winemaker was of a brand/​label that I didn’t even care to sample.
Solution #2: Don’t over-​educate your customers. They will not be impressed. Instead they will feel alienated and talked down to.
I think the business concept of Vintner’s Collective is fantastic. Representing small vineyards and offering a distribution channel for them is wonderful. But if customers are turned off by their service or arrogance, then I encourage the wineries to do it themselves in order to preserve their brand and quality control.
TIP: $ 25 per tasting (6 pours)