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Alapay Cellars in Avila BeachSunday, November 26, 2006Nestled among luxury condominiums and upscale shops emerging in the center of Avila Beach is a business not usually associated with a beach town - a wine-tasting room. On the corner of First Street and San Miguel, just a half a block from the ocean and behind the historic Custom House restaurant, is Alapay Cellars.The tasting room is the culmination of years of work for husband-wife team Scott and Rebecca Remmenga. "Alapay" is the Chumash term for "heavenly," and describes both the wine and the town. The Remmengas moved to their current location in April, after four years at a smaller storefront down the street. At almost 1,800 square feet, the new space is four times larger than their original tasting room and has much greater visibility. Now, after five years in business, their risky idea of starting a business in the recently rebuilt town is paying off. A "new Avila" is now emerging, with a pedestrian plaza along the beach, hotels, stores and restaurants. Alapay Cellars was one of the first businesses to open in 2002. As longtime Avila residents, the Remmengas thought the town "would be a great spot for a tasting room," and the couple has worked long, hard hours to make it a success. Scott is the winemaker, and Rebecca manages sales, marketing and store merchandising. Together they produced and sold about 4,000 cases of wine last year, up from the 400 cases they started with in 2000. About 80 percent of their wines are sold through their Avila tasting room and wine club. "We really put our emphasis on the tasting room - that was our focus from the start," Scott explains. The colorful store space is dominated by two huge saltwater aquariums filled with exotic fish, and the ocean theme is carried throughout with seascape mosaic tiles and blue granite counters. They also added something not usually found in most tasting rooms: seating. For a $5 tasting fee, customers can sample up to 10 Alapay wines. More than 90 percent of their customers are out-of-town visitors - especially during the summer when a large number of heat-weary residents of the Fresno and Bakersfield areas head to the coast. Article: Wine-making couple finds heaven in Avila The Tribune, Janis Switzer Website: www.alapaycellars.com Tags: San Luis Obispo Central Coast Wine |
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