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For the past few months, the Tinajas Wine & Beer team has been renovating the space at 6960 E Sunrise Dr. #160, which is the former Simon Hazel Cellars. It’s a completely transformed space with thoughtfully curated touches like a built-in ice bucket for your bubbles, Tucson’s best bathroom (trust me on this one), and ample wine, beer, and snackies.
Now, it’s finally time to welcome in the public!
The tasting room’s Grand Opening is set for Saturday, December 7, which includes an evening of “good vibes, live music, delicious bites, and plenty of wine and beer to go around.”
During the event, food will be provided by 3Sixty Kitchen – a barbecue Southwest Fusion pop-up.
Recently, the new wine bar and bottle shop has been hosting soft openings, showing off its collection of international wines. However, there are also plenty of California wines to taste thanks to Katie Larsen of Tinajas Wine & Beer, who has a personal focus on new-world wines.
“I grew up in Sonoma County and naturally fell in love with the geometric scenery of wine agriculture,” said Larsen. “I’ve worked on all sides of the wine industry custom crush pads in San Francisco, sales with Bluxome Street Winery in San Francisco and Stonestreet Estate in Alexander Valley, harvest with family friends in Russian River Valley, distribution through Classico Fine Wines (specializing in small production Italian wines and winemaking methodology) in Tucson and Phoenix, and bar management at REVEL for about five years.”
The bar’s current hours are 4 – 11 p.m. on Sunday – Thursday and 4 p.m. – midnight on Friday and Saturday (December 7 and onward). For the bottle shop portion of the space, the hours are still TBD.
“Our AGM, Raven recently moved to Tucson after 20 years of working in wine and hospitality in New York City,” said Larsen. “She managed beverage programs for restaurants in the Jean-Georges Hospitality family and Tao group, as well as for smaller, farm-driven establishments. Raven’s passion is rooted in making wine fun and approachable for anyone with a sincere interest and in discovering the most killer food pairings.”
The Tinajas Wine & Beer team is also planning to host monthly, educational wine events. “Any of our four sommeliers on staff will also be available to curate tastings for group bookings or private events,” Larsen added.
Events can be booked via their website or katie@tinajaswine.com.
Additionally, they’re planning to roll out a Saturday brunch program and semi-annual wine club (sometime in January 2025). Stay tuned for more details but in the meantime, stop by this weekend for a cold one!
Tinajas Wine & Beer is located at 6960 E Sunrise Dr. #160. For more information, visit tinajaswine.com and follow Tinajas Wine & Beer on Instagram and Facebook.
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