MAUMEE, Ohio — This weekend marks the grand opening for Urban Pine Winery located on Briafield Blvd. in Maumee. Wine lovers have been clamoring for a place that specializes in their drink of choice, but at Urban Pine, they're getting so much more.
"The excitement for this place is pretty overwhelming," said owner and winemaker, Jen McAlear. "People are really excited to get in and see the space and try the wine.”
Urban Pine isn't your usual restaurant or bar experience.
The local, family-owned business makes their own wine by having crushed grapes from all over the world shipped to them. Then, they process and ferment the grapes into wine.
"You can make some of the finest wines from all over the world. A lot of crushed grapes come here on-site and we literally make everything in vats," she said.
Normally in the wine making process, grapes are picked off vineyards and crushed.
That wine is made at the vineyard.
At Urban Pine Winery, they're receiving grapes from California and all the way from Australia.
They can make the wine without the added cost of maintaining a vineyard, resulting in a more health conscience bottle.
"It's similar to cooking at home versus eating out, " explained McAlear. "When you eat out or when you buy a bottle off a grocery store shelf, you don't exactly know all the ingredients that went into it. But here when we're making the wine, we control the things, so we can put less additives in."
Urban Pine plans to host a number of different wine experiences, like tastings and pairings, in the near future.
Their goal is to turn the concept of making wine into something more approachable.
Urban wine also serves food; appetizers, salads, sandwiches and desserts.
And if wine isn't your thing, you can get a craft beer on tap.
Check out their wine and food menu here.
Urban Pine is open from noon until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and noon until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. They are closed on Sunday and Monday.