Valley News

3/24/2006
Suisun Valley Committee wants wine tasting room
By Barry Eberling - Daily Republic

FAIRFIELD – Establishing a Suisun Valley wine tasting room could be the next step in efforts to attract tourists to the local farming area and give local wines a higher profile.

The Suisun Valley Fund Advisory Committee on Wednesday approved seeking proposals from parties who would operate a tasting room. The committee would offer assistance. Two candidate sites are Rockville Corner and Mankas Corner, both small commercial pockets in the valley.

'"There is a general. con­sensus that if Suisun Valley is to remain agricultural, an expansion of grape growing, wines production and the development of additional wineries offer the single best chance for success, “ said the paper seeking proposals.

A wine-tasting room would allow more growers to market Suisun Valley wines in the valley. Another proposal is to develop a full scale wine processing facility. The goal is to get Suisun Valley wines and grapes recognized as premium product, the paper said.

"Not only will the grower's label be branded, but also Su­isun Valley itself will attain no­toriety as a place of interest and tourism," it said.           

Suisun Valley is a farming area with particularly fertile­ soils west of Fairfield. The val­ley is vulnerable to growth pressures because of its prox­imity to the city and interstate 80. In recent years, more and more farmers have said they are having trouble making money farming their land.

Fairfield and the Solano Irrigation District in 2002 estab­lished the Suisun Valley fund to promote agriculture in the val­ley. The agencies contribute $100,000 annually. The fund has done such things as create a Suisun Valley Web page and put a Suisun Valley panel on the new "Welcome to Fairfield" sign along I-80.

The fund advisory commit­tee wants a tasting- room that would feature 10 to 12 Suisun Valley wine labels. The committee could offer help in such areas as preparing a business plan, rent, site selection, lease negotiations, getting permits, and marketing.

Responses to the request for­qualifications to establish the wine tasting room are due by 5 p.m. April 28 at Fairfield City Hall, 1000 Webster St. For more information, contact Napoleon Britt at nbritt@ci.fairfield.ca.us or 428-7743.

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