ACTIVITY: D.I.Y. Wine in Pasadena

There’s more to wine than just drinking it at D’Vine Wine of California, a microwinery and wine bar tucked away on the second floor of Pasadena’s Paseo Colorado mall. Open since late 2006, this is the first local outpost for a Canadian-born company that has taken root in Texas and Colorado. The Tuscan-themed shop offers wines by the glass—all made in-house from purchased grape juice—but also lets customers play winemaker for a day. The friendly staff explains the process from blending to bottle: You select what kind of wine you’d like, they help pick the appropriate grape juice that they have shipped in from around the world, and then they take care of the fermentation, aging, and bottling, all right there. After a few weeks, customers can walk out with their own signature blend and custom-designed labels. It might not win any Wine Spectator awards, but it’s fun for groups. The store can be booked for winemaking and release parties as well as general tastings; it holds about 30 people. —Lesley Balla
Posted 04.12.07
Photo: BizBash