Local nightlife sees shift to mellower wine bars

Like a wine lover’s palate, life after dark in Fresno is changing as some 20- and 30-somethings trade the rowdy bar scene for buttery chardonnay and earthy syrah sipped in a calmer, quieter setting.

The wine bar — sometimes called the “anti-bar”– is catching on with Millennials.

They’re the generation that spends the most on nightlife, and increasingly they’re spending their money on wine and wine bars.

Movies such as “Sideways” have made wine accessible to the public. Reports of the health benefits of wine are gaining attention. And a shedding of the snobby attitude that once turned consumers off are all contributing to an increased interest in wine, experts said.

You can see it in the Pinot Wine Bar and Bistro, the newest wine bar in Fresno, which opened in the former Palomino’s restaurant at 805 E. Olive Ave. in December.

“This is an alternative to a sports bar,” said owner Daniel Renteria.

It’s a place where a couple on a date can hear one another speak. Friends can sample wine and small plates of food — or taste a flight of three wines for $10 — before or after a show at 2nd Space Theatre or Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater. And TVs blaring football games are noticeably absent.

“Every other day someone will tell me, ‘Thank you for not having the TV on,’ ” Renteria said.

Wine bars offer a safer environment than a regular bar.

The owner of Vino & Friends, at Shepherd Avenue and Champlain Drive, said he sees plenty of first dates — including people who meet online — at Vino & Friends.

“We have a lot of women who are comfortable coming in here and sitting by themselves,” said Chuck Van Fleet, who co-owns the business with his wife, Jen.

The women are less likely to get hit on while sitting alone, said Sean Dunn, who owns Water 2 Wine, a combination wine bar, winery and wine store in Old Town Clovis.

And even if they do get hit on, it’s not going to be by somebody who has had five shots of tequila and won’t take no for an answer, he said.

“It’s more mellow,” said Kirsten Bernhoft, 29, who recently moved to Lodi but still visits Vino & Friends monthly. “It’s just got a great atmosphere. I really enjoy it versus going to a bar and being around people taking shots and stuff.”

Travis Moore, 35, of Fresno, said he and his wife stop in for a quick bite and a glass of wine with their 6-month-old daughter — something they can’t do at a regular bar. He sees other people in their mid-20s and 30s drawn to wine bars, too, he said.

“It’s the hot thing to do,” he said.

Many, such as the 8-year-old J. Sorrenti Wine Bar inside the Sierra Nut House on Blackstone Avenue, attract professionals of all ages.

Owner JoAnn Sorrenti describes it as a Cheers-style wine bar with lots of regulars who aren’t afraid to chat with newcomers.

“If you’re new there, they always include you,” she said, adding that they’ll often share their own bottle of wine with a stranger.

Vino & Friends, open since 2006 as a wine shop and tasting room, became a true wine bar and expanded last summer after customers started requesting food.

The change involved a move to a space more than twice as big in the same shopping center.

Now it’s getting ready to expand again. The plan is to add a room for special events, such as tastings with winemakers, rehearsal dinners and bridal showers. The room means regular business won’t be interrupted by a special event.

It’s not just the atmosphere, but the wine itself that’s driving the shift, said Joe Joralemon, Fresno State winery’s marketing assistant and an enology student.

Americans now drink more wine than the French, taking that title in 2010, according to The Wine Institute.

In Fresno County, wineries are growing and becoming better known, and “with that sparks a lot of local interest in wine,” Joralemon said.

“It’s not about special occasions anymore. It’s an everyday thing.”

Wine bars offer an opportunity to learn about wine similar to wine tasting at a winery, Moore said.

“It’s not just, ‘OK, I’m going out to have a drink,’ ” he said. ” ‘I could actually learn something here and make it a part of my life when I go home. ‘ “

Along the way, other wine bars have opened, too.

The Tasting Room opened near Palm and Nees avenues, sometimes getting customers as they wait for tables at nearby Eureka! Burger. Bella Vino Cellar in Fig Garden Village has live music on Friday nights and customers can order food from nearby Elbow Room and the Patio Cafe.

More wine bars are emerging inside restaurants too, such as the Cracked Pepper Bistro, Trelio and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Even Starbucks is testing a wine bar concept inside a few of its coffee shops on the East Coast.

And Millennials are speeding the trend along.

Mostly in their 20s and early 30s, Millennials are embracing wine in a big way, a growth potential the wine industry hasn’t seen in 30 years, according to the Wine Market Council, an association of grape growers, wine importers and other wine business professionals.

Between 40% and 50% of customers at Bella Vino are professionals in their 20s and 30s, said Tony Mehrtash, who owns the business with his wife, Kathie.

The Tasting Room has a large base of customers age 30 and younger, said owner David Larson.

“When I was 20-something, wine was the last thing on my alcohol choice list,” he said. “Now it’s much higher up on the list for the 20-somethings. They seem to be more receptive to it.”

Many are joining wine clubs hosted by the wine bars in which customers get a few bottles of wine each month for a fee.

And since Millennials have money to spend — the council says they’ve been hurt less by the economy than older generations and are continuing to buy wine — wine bars will continue to market to them.

“That’s one of the reasons you’re seeing the wine bars pop up,” Larson said. “The people who spend the most on nightlife are the younger ones.”

By Bethany Clough