Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/197178
Actually, a need to accommodate more guests was paramount in the minds of Alex and Alison Sokol Blosser, siblings and copresidents of the winery founded by their parents in 1971. On some summer days they had to turn people away from the cozy 1978 tasting room, designed in the rustic Northwest style by the late John Storrs, which could hold just 35 people. Capacity for the interior of the new tasting room is 179 people, and because 35% of the structure is covered outdoors, even more guests can be served. On a perfect Saturday in July, just a few weeks after the opening, 432 guests were accommodated at the tasting room, according to Michael Kelly Brown, Sokol Blosser's director of consumer sales and marketing. Brown, who came to work at the winery six years ago after a career of managing, designing and opening restaurants in Portland, was an integral part of the tasting room design team. Many of the innovations came from his search for more efficient ways of performing mundane but essential duties, such as keeping a ready supply of clean glassware, keeping track of wine flights, and storing large amounts of wine out of the public eye. AT A GLANCE Oregon's first winery tasting room in 1978. + In summer 2013, it debuted an innovative new tasting room with a modern design. + The space was designed to experience? We wanted to look at what other folks were doing, and California seemed to be a natural place to look because we were familiar with Oregon." STARTING FROM SCRATCH When the decision was made about two years ago to build an entirely new tasting room, Brown stepped up his research, assisted in part by founding partner Bill Blosser, who now lives in Sonoma. Brown took nearly 4,000 photographs and asked at least that many questions. The California wineries were all happy to share informa- offer eight different guest experiences. + Hidden efficiencies were built into each room to enhance the customer experience without distracting from the beauty of the facility. V I N EYA R D & WINE RY M ANAGEM ENT tion, at some places going so far as to invite Brown to step behind the bar and try out their POS and reservations systems. Among his favorites were Darioush and Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa Valley, and St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma County. He credits those wineries with inspiring some of the innovative features in Sokol Blosser's new tasting room. In particular, Robert Sinskey's way of creating comfortable spaces for guests was the impetus for Cloepfil's design of a series of smaller rooms. The Front Porch area provides a dramatic space for seated tastings. + Sokol Blosser opened 108 Brown tied his regular attendance at Northern California's Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium to his research. About three years ago he began taking Sokol Blosser's hospitality manager with him to the conference, and the two visited Napa and Sonoma county tasting rooms. At first, they and the Sokol Blossers were interested in getting ideas for upgrading the existing tasting room. "It started with a focus on that," Brown said. "How could we use the space that we had, gain efficiencies and improve the guest | Nov - Dec 2013 At Sokol Blosser there is a Main Room, with a bar, fireplace and leather lounge chairs. Smaller spaces include the Kitchen Table, a butcher block table inside the professional kitchen, where wine and cheese pairings are enjoyed; the Farm Table, just outside the kitchen, where catered lunches are served; the Front Porch (with tableside service) and the Terrace, both outdoor spaces; the Library, where wine geeks can refer to online resources while sampling library wines; and the Cellar Lounge and the Secret Garden, areas that are exclusive to wine club members. Prices range from $15 for a tastw w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m