Among the East Bay’s most popular metropolitan wineries is closing its doors for good.Rock Wall White wine Co. will serve its final puts of Zinfandel, champagne and Chardonnay on Feb. 27. The 14-year-old winery won’t vacate its centers in the decommissioned Naval Air Base Alameda until June 30, nevertheless, so consumers– including Kamala Harris, a verified member of Rock Wall’s red wine club– can continue to pick up white wine up until then. Multiple elements caused the decision to shut down, stated president and winemaker Shauna Rosenblum, numerous of them associated to COVID-19 company closures. “If the pandemic had actually not happened, we would be in a various position,” she said.
Since opening in 2008, the winery has actually been a dynamic social destination, with an
active wine club and huge, blowout occasions like its annual Hallowine event. It bears little resemblance to Napa and Sonoma’s pastoral estates, and Rosenblum produces its red wine in stretching, 20,000-square-foot aircraft hangars. Visitors taste white wine on a large patio at the edge of Alameda island, with continuous views of the San Francisco skyline.< picture class =" image delayed threeTwo "data-width =" 2048" data-height=" 1365" data-progressive =" true" data-component=
” picture “> Rochelle Robinson, center left, hangs out with her child, Zeke, at the Rock Wall tasting room.Paul Kuroda/Special toThe Chronicle 2019 The winery was a 2nd act for the
Rosenblum family, who have been components of the East Bay winemaking scene for years. In the late 1970s, Shauna’s daddy Kent Rosenblum established Rosenblum Cellars, a prominent Zinfandel manufacturer. A previous veterinarian, he helped popularize a style of abundant, ripe Zin, frequently made from historic vineyards. After selling the brand name to spirits corporation Diageo in 2008, Kent Rosenblum partnered with his child, then 25 years of ages, to release the Alameda winery. The Rosenblum Cellars special of old-vine Zinfandel stayed a focus at Rock Wall, though Rosenblum likewise branched out into styles that her father hadn’t dealt with, specifically after his death in 2018. She now makes more gewurztraminer than red. Champagne-method champagne, something Rosenblum Cellars never made, represents the largest share of Rock Wall’s production now. Rosenblum has a penchant for lesser-known Italian grape varieties like Ciliegiolo, Teroldego and Fiano. The area where the winery lies has ended up being a haven for white wine, beer and spirits producers. Its next-door neighbors include Dashe Cellars, Alamanc Beer Co., Urban Legend Cellars, Faction Brewing, St. George Spirits and Hangar One Vodka.
Shauna Rosenblum smells the scents from a tank of white wine at her winery, situated in a previous naval airplane hangar in Alameda.Paul Kuroda/Special to TheChronicle 2019 Things were working out, Rosenblum stated,
up until March 2020, when the tasting space needed to close. During the 12 months that Rock Wall was entirely closed, the business lost a large share of its earnings from tasting space sales. It likewise affected membership to the red wine club, one of whose primary benefits is free and affordable tastings.” Wine club members started dropping like flies,” Rosenblum stated. Nearby counties like Napa and Sonoma enabled wineries to open rather than Alameda County did, Rosenblum kept in mind. Another issue was the winery’s inability to host weddings and large occasions, which had actually represented a major part of its earnings. That was due not just to the pandemic however likewise to the weakening condition of the buildings, which Rock Wall leases from the city of Alameda, stated Rosenblum.” Our structure used to be a paint booth for the Navy to paint airplanes,” she stated. Rusting metal motors on the roof have caused leaks and falling ceiling tiles. Rock Wall needed to cancel all of its planned weddings; Rosenblum would not state the number of. After closing the tasting room, Rosenblum and her personnel of 7 fulltime and 10 parttime workers will spend the next few months clearing out of the aircraft garages. She hopes to sell the majority of the business ‘devices to other wineries. Rock Wall’s wine bottles were etched with the view that could
be seen from the tasting room.Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle She searched for other locations where Rock Wall may move, but couldn’t find anything that worked. She pointed to the fact that the brand name
is so carefully connected to its area. The view of the San Francisco horizon from the tasting space is printed on the bottles, and the name Rock Wall refers to a protective border developed around the bay throughout World War II, still visible from the winery’s structures.” Never say never,” Rosenblum said when asked about a future life for Rock Wall, but she has no immediate strategies to restore it. She plans to take an expert break after the June closure, spend more time with her daughter and figure out what’s next for herself. Reviewing the last 14 years, Rosenblum stated she takes pride in the neighborhood she cultivated and the manner in which Rock Wall provided an unfussy kind of city winery that made wine feel accessible, inclusive and fun.” We wanted to press the boundaries of what was’ normal’ in the white wine market, “Rosenblum said.” And we did. “Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior red wine critic. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Esther_mobley