Urban Press Winery – A Piece of Wine Country in LA

Last Friday night we went out for a little wine tasting at place called Urban Press Winery and it was fantastic! Tucked right in the heart of downtown Burbank there’s winery that offers all the charm of small town wine country. While still bringing a hip and modern vibe. Keep reading to find out all the details from their private barrel tasting room to the live Blues music, and find out why it’s our new favorite place in Los Angeles!

Urban Press Winery

Hidden Gem

We honestly can say Urban Press Winery is one of the hidden gems here in LA! Situated in the most adorable little walking strip in downtown Burbank. Urban Press Winery is a small local wine bar that sells their own brand! We love supporting local small business and this one is at the top of our list!

Urban Press Winery is more than just your local bar though. It’s ambiance is that of a classy speakeasy, lined with beautiful red brick and stunning chandeliers. The wine is impeccable and the staff is extremely knowledgeable and unbelievably friendly.

Good Vibes

From the moment you walk in you immediately feel as if you are going to have a great night. The somewhat narrow space that used to be a newsstand is divided into two rooms. A well lit tasting bar area with reclaimed wood walls adorned with award winning wine bottles.

And a darker lounge area where you can catch live music on the weekends that is separated by giant wine bottle arch ways of course!

On the left splendid ornate light fixtures illuminate the first room giving it an old hollywood vibe right in the middle of Media city.

On the right wine bottles line the walls from floor to ceiling making you feel as if you are in someones wine cellar about to sample their private reserve.

Over 20 Years Experience

While owner Giovanni D’Andrea’s main goal is to provide Los Angeles with quality wines, he also wants to educate people about the various grapes that can be used to create different varietals of wine.

D’Andrea, who originally hails from Montreal, started making wine about 20 years ago when he moved from Canada to Los Feliz, where he would make craft wines in his garage.

Wine Club

He always had an ambition to own his own winery, but D’Andrea said that purchasing property in Wine Country in Napa and Sonoma counties could limit what kinds of wine he can produce.

So, instead of having his own property in Northern California, D’Andrea contracts with several wineries in that region to produce wine — he provides the grapes, and the wineries take care of the rest.

That recipe has proven to be a success for Urban Press, which opened its doors in November and now has more than 300 members in its wine club.

Live Entertainment

Friday and Saturday nights they have live music! When we were there we were pleasantly surprised to find out that night was blues! Bobby Hurricane Spencer started playing at 8pm and we were digging every moment of it!!!

They have live music every Friday and Saturday nights! You can check out their full event schedule here.

Private Barrel Tasting

After we settled in and found a table it was time to taste some wines!! The bartender took us into the private barrel tasting room and gave us almost full samples of their 2015 merlot straight from the barrel that has yet to be bottled.

Sonoma, Napa & Paso Robles

D’Andrea sources all his grapes from Sonoma, Napa & Paso Robles, and the distillery is in Irwindale St. James where they also produce gin right here in LA! Another reason to absolutely adore these guys!

Best Wine of the Night

Our favorite wine of the night was the Grenache Blanche. Which is surprising because we are big red wine drinkers.

The Grenache Blanche is done in a steel tank oppose to a barrel which makes it very lite. The florals “have life” and the after taste is that of melon and grapefruit. It was lite and buttery with a smooth texture and soft tannins. We will be back just to buy a bottle of this wine alone!

3 reds and a Cheese Platter

After the whites we moved on to 3 reds and a cheese platter.

⁃Which also should be the title of our band-

First was a 2014 Due Vigne – it’s intensely fruited red berry flavors dosed with a bit of cranberry. Perfectly ripened this year.

Second was the 2014 Urban Press Stricia Syrah – A medium to full-bodied wine with flavors of blackberry, mint and black pepper notes.

Third comes from the Tuscany region, a 2012 Urban Press Cabernet Sauvignon⁃Ruby red in color with intense aromas of dried olives and blackberries with underlying mineral and tea-like hints of espresso. Powerful, dusty Cab flavors hit you along with concentrated blackberry fruit flavors on the palate. This by far was our favorite reds of the night! It also paired great with our cheese platter!

By the end of the night we felt as if we had taken a trip up to Northern California with out even leaving the county line which made this one of our new favorite places in LA!

We absolutely LOVED our trip to Urban Press Winery and cant wait to go back! We hope our adventure has inspired you to get out and try some place new!

Let us know in the comments below what you think! We would love to hear if you check this place out as well!!

XO

Callie & Leo