A WOOD BAR FOR OUR ROCK EXPERIENCE

This has been a century in the making. The Monterey Cypress that serves as bar top in our new tasting room stood stoically over its native Northern California for over a hundred years. The specific tree was salvaged by Arborica, a specialty sawmill in Marin County. Working with Dave Phinney, the team selected lumber to complement the minimal, raw interior while providing a central feature that emanates natural warmth. Once the beams were air and kiln dried, the sawmill expertly divided the wood into all the counter and cabinet parts, being careful to ensure as little waste as possible — a way to show respect and gratitude to the tree.

From there, the wood enters the skilled hands at Arnold + Egan, third-generation cabinet shop in San Francisco. Since 1936 the family has been creating enduring designs with caring craft.

Across all the Orin Swift wines, Dave Phinney often says his role as winemaker is to not mess up good grapes. The woodworkers at Arnold + Egan applied the same philosophy to the beautiful Monterey Cypress. “It’s aromatic, it smells amazing. The shop smells great all the time when we’re cutting it. It’s just really pretty wood. With the oil, it will look really lively.”

We’re happy to say they didn’t mess it up. The Cypress tree lies at the heart of our tasting room in Downtown St. Helena. It’s the stage for our Rock tasting experience where you may be introduced to some of our favorites like Papillon red wine.

Orin Swift has been a wine brand build on Dave’s vision of uncompromised creativity with no detail left unnoticed when it comes to our labels and our blends. Continuing with this long-standing history, the beautiful bar top featured in our Rock tasting within the new Orin Swift Tasting Room is no exception. Please come see us when you’re planning your next trip to St. Helena and looking for things to do. Be sure to visit our neighbors at Model Baker, Olivier Olive Oil, Woodhouse Chocolates or Martin Design and end with a visit to Orin Swift, we’ll save you a spot at the bar.