Sutton Cellars

This is a great spot for a unique in-​city tasting experience. Friendly folks, industrial vibe, unique wines. Vermouth spritzer… YE-​AH! So awesome!

One of the many shining little jewels of the Dogpatch. This is a great spot to drop by after brunch on sunny weekend afternoons and just relax while absorbing the grungy hip post-​industrial vibe that defines this neighborhood. Sutton Cellars is a quirky, low-​key urban winery, kinda like someone decided to make wine in their garage and share it with people walking by. Carl is friendly, knowledgeable, and has stories to tell! The tastings are cheap, and the flavors are interesting. The signature dry vermouth is refreshing and unique, love it every time.
There are plenty of tables and chairs to lounge around. It never gets too crowded, and you never feel pressured to by anything or get moving. Like most places in the Dogpatch, it’s unpretentious and down-​to-​earth. If you’re feeling frisky, you can get jugs of their «Tuesday night pizza wine» for exactly that purpose. Move along, fancy pants.

Ten dollar wine tasting? Hardly anybody there? Yay.
Three of us split four generous pours and got to try cider, red table wine, vermouth and vin de noix.
We ended up buying 3 bottles of the vin de noix because it was so good.
Overall a pretty nice way to spend a half hour. Highly recommended.

What a cool hidden gem in Dogpatch! Don’t expect anything fancy — décor literally consists of ratty old couches, a school desk, and a tiny counter where the wine tasting happens, which actually make it pretty awesome. That and the fact that it’s only $ 7 for 4 wine tastings! Our favorite was the vermouth with ice and fruit spritz so my friends and I ordered another glass for $ 7 each. I wasn’t a fan of all the tastings, but I guess the point of tasting is to find what you like haha. Our wine server (is there a word for that?) was super cool and funny too.
Only complaint I had was that they charged me the wrong price at first, but they instantly corrected it when I commented on my Square receipt.

Had an amazing tasting here on Sunday. The dry vermouth apéritif was so refreshing and wonderful. It was followed by a dry cider, red blend, and a digestif that tasted like chestnuts. The winemaker was extremely knowledgeable, welcoming, not pushy, and really pleasant. This was such an unexpected treat.

A friend brought me here after raving about Sutton Cellars wine. We had a great time and wonderful wine. It is not your typical winery; low-​key, fun, relaxed environment. Carl Sutton is very passionate about wine making and will take the time to tell you about the individual wines and answer any questions you might have. We had a great time and I would definitely recommend going!

We stumbled onto Sutton Cellars after leaving The Museum of Craft & Design around the corner, an amazing experience that celebrates the creativity of SF. We ended up buying one of almost everything poured at Sutton. (We held back just a little to save something for a return trip.) This was a Sunday afternoon surprise … There’s chalk for drawing on the floor, cozy furniture and free parking. I have to echo the words I read on Unilocal: «This place is naturally, effortlessly cool. Carl the owner is hilarious and friendly. Unique wines and chill atmosphere. Affordable tastings.»

If you want great wine poured by a passionate, hilarious, brilliant, and no-​bullshit winemaker named Carl, then go to here. ASAP. If you play your cards right, you might get a Kronner Burger out of the deal. And don’t forget to get ice cream down the street (after your wine, not before or during). If you leave without the jug blend, you’re a chump. Also consider having an event here… we had my 30^th birthday at Sutton Cellars and everyone had a blast.

This is a find. Not only are the owners friendly and approachable, but the wines are the same. My wife and I purchased two magnums of the nouveau caragnane 2013, and oh! My God! Was this a great wine!!! You will not taste flavors like this elsewhere. The varietal taste jumped out as beautiful violets in a bouquet, and the aroma — the best you will experience — just blew us away. The color was deep purple and the substance was perfect. It was fresh and smooth at the same time. Now you know why the French still produce this beautiful varietal as standard fare in the Languedoc.
This clear and away is the best nouveau in California that I have ever tasted — and maybe the best anywhere. I was in the wine and vineyard business for 15 years in Napa, so I have tasted a few, and none compare. Shhhhhh!!! Don’t tell anybody. Just sneak in and get some.

the place is filthy; the wines are ‘cooked’ or overheated during fermentation or storage; the servers are arrogant. this place belongs in another decade. this location does not meet the standards of a quality california wine-​making operation. this appears to be a ‘garage’ type operation with no professional training or standards. stay away and avoid a stomach-​ache. terrible products.

Great owner, great wine, great price. A+!

I really love Sutton Cellars’ vermouth. It has a clean, refreshing herbal flavor that tastes good both in a cocktail or alome served over ice with a splash of soda. The two red offerings I tried, a carignane and a merlot, weren’t to my taste. The carignane was nice and dry. I could imagine it really popping with food, but not enough to buy some. The merlot was bursting with fruit, but not incredibly complex. Neither was bad, just not particularly remarkable. The vermouth, though is a thing of beauty.

Carl Sutton is a cheat who has stiffed many growers including me. I delivered my crop to him and he did not pay and hid from the 3 servers who tried to serve him small claims papers. Other growers have called me to complain about the same issue.

So much to say about this place. Where do I begin?
Let’s start with the honest downside: on a scale of wine, especially at over $ 20 a bottle, it’s not all that remarkable. I can get comparable wine for $ 8 at Trader Joe’s. On the one hand, it’s pretty neat that they offer a straight carignane wine – on the other hand, it’s usually a mixing grape because it’s not that well balanced, and you can tell when you sip it. I’m not a rose drinker, and their rose doesn’t persuade me to feel otherwise.
But then there are just so many damn upsides, let me tell you!
While the wine is unremarkable, their specialty drinks are brilliant. They’ve been producing a floral vermouth for a while that is just fantastic. I love it straight, and I love it mixed into cocktails. Just the right about of sweet, a great bouquet, and a pretty color. Their newest specialty offering – vin de noix – a red wine flavored with green walnuts and fortified with brandy is SO GOOD. I had a sample at a tasting several months before it was released, and I’ve been stalking them for a while waiting for it. The second it was released, I went to get some and I am so excited. I can’t wait to drink it, reduce some into a syrup to pour over vanilla ice cream, and then drink more of it.
They also offer an in-​house blend, which is a mystery combination of the wines they have on hand (we like to hypothesize as we taste). This is sold in refillable bottles, in 1 liter, 1.5 liter, and 3 liter sizes (if I recall correctly).
WINE GROWLERS.
Do you need anything else to sell you?
FINE THEN. If that’s how you’re going to be… Then go and do a tasting! It’s only $ 5, and the proprietor is a hell of awesome guy. He remembers us when we come back, greets us, and makes great conversation. He really knows his wine, and he knows the scene. You’ll have a great time, learn quite a bit, and drink some good wines. You can’t lose.

Talk about serendipity – my bestest brunch girlfriend and I peeked in here on our way to brunch today, attracted by the large, gourd-​shaped wine cylinders flanking the places’ shelves. And what a delight! Lovely, balanced reds of the drink-​with-​dinner ilk rather than slam-​you-​over-​the-​head reds. Our host was an amazing presenter of his personally crafted wines, proud as anything (as he should be!) of his progeny. Okay so I’ve never had an inroad to vermouth, only drinking it as the rinse of a glass to a good «martini» (which, apparently, isn’t really a martini but a kangaroo), but this vermouth was amazing – light, fragrant, nutty without being sweet. On top of this, the wines were truly wonderful – understated yet sophisticated.

A winery that has been in the Dogpatch for a number of years, Sutton Cellars is one of a growing number of small, artisinal winemakers located in the warehouses of the Dogpatch District in San Francisco.
Located just down the block from Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous, Sutton Cellars opens its doors for a few hours on most weekends for tastings and sometimes good eats if a food truck or cart happens to come by. While a destination in its own right, this is a fantastic place to stop in if you happen to be the neighborhood for some of Olivier’s meats, ice cream, or lunch at Piccino or Just for You.
Carl Sutton, winemaker and usually at the helm of the small tasting bar, is a fan of Carignane. If you haven’t heard of it, do not fret. Once the most widely planted grape in California (thanks Carl for dropping the knowledge), Carignane has taken a backseat to the now more popular Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot grapes, although it is still heavily used as a blending grape, dropping a few percent of juice into the bottle to provide some balance, color, and overall balance to a wine. This is an extremely accessible, drink-​me-​now grape and I am happy to see Sutton Cellars giving it a front-​row seat in their vintage version, the rose, and (probably, because he will not disclose the contents) the blended jug wine.
The what? Yes, that’s correct, Sutton makes a fairly large batch of blended wine, which they sell in refillable jugs available at the winery. If you are familiar with growlers at breweries, this is basically the same thing but with wine. The wine is good, very drinkable, and basically a perfect weeknight wine available in either 1, 2, or 4 liter versions.
But Sutton is not only wine. Possibly their flagship is a botanical vermouth. A wonderfully balanced dry vermouth that is as good on its own as it is a part of a cocktail. For a «dry» vermouth, I would say this is a bit on the sweet… well, floral, side. I find it can work almost as well as a dry vermouth as a sweet vermouth replacement. With my bottle, I have already made some fantastic negronis that went down so well, I had to hurriedly open up a bottle of wine, lest I continue drinking gin, campari, and Sutton vermouth all night.
And vermouth is not the only branching out Sutton is making. They have a couple more wonderfully unique fortified wines available or in the works.

Carl Sutton has created an amazing concept winery in the heart of the Dogpatch. We just bought some of his Jug wine for a house party we had. It is always a new blend and unique in flavor. Carl is also an amazing spokesman for his wines. We picked up the wine after emailing him and he was willing to taste a bunch of his other creations. He is open and forthright about his philosophy of wine making, and that makes the experience all the more unique.
We particularly enjoyed his sparkling rose and his cider. This is definitely a culinary highlight of the Mission Bay/​Potrero/​South Beach area of town. You have to check it out!

Good wine at great prices!
Love their monthly events w/​food vendors!

So, here’s the deal. To get on the Jug Sunday list, visit the Sutton Cellars website, use the generic e-​mail address to be added to the list, and wait for the next announcement. Otherwise, you can taste the wines by appointment. When I went to the last Jug Sunday, the tasting fee was $ 5.
The wines are all very fairly priced (mostly under $ 20) and well-​made. My favorites were the carignan and the jug wine (always ideal when you like the «entry-​level» wine).
Go check it out. Well worth a visit, if you’re at all interested in wine.

I’m not sure if this is a temporary spot or the new location for Sutton Cellars but I do know that I was here yesterday for Jug Sunday, where Carl Sutton himself was pouring from his stash. My compadres and I tried mostly everything he had, but I was particularly struck by the syrah. That said, the jug wine at $ 48 for 4 liters is a steal, and perfect for a boozy picnic or general all-​around good time.
On their site, it says, «The goal at Sutton Cellars is to coax wines of subtlety from the vineyard striving for lower alcohol, higher acid and less oak than is the commercial norm in California winemaking.» I think ol’ Sutton’s done just that.
Note: Sutton is not open all the time, more a warehouse space sort of place, so it’s best to call for an appointment.