Napa’s vibrant downtown has come alive with great restaurants, unique shops, and the standout winery and tasting room where Twenty Rows wines are poured.
Twenty Rows started as a second label for Lori and Brian Nuss who have spent the last 28 years growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot in their estate vineyard on Mount Veeder for their premium label, Vinoce (vin-o chay). The name Vinoce is a play on their last name, Nuss, which translated, is “nut” in German. Since noce is “nut” in Italian, combined with vin (wine), Vinoce means “wine nut.” While Vinoce is dedicated to expressing the distinct terroir of its 25-acre estate vineyard and appellation, Twenty Rows reaches out to vineyards throughout the Napa Valley for its grapes in order to maintain a lower price point.
The wines, described by Lori and Brian as “Napa Valley wines you can drink everyday,” have developed quite a following. From the first vintage, Twenty Rows was on the national radar. The 2004 Twenty Rows Cabernet Sauvignon was named in the 2006 Food and Wine American Wine Awards as being “this year’s best deal in Napa Cabernet.” The praise for subsequent vintages has not let up. Besides enjoying a national distribution, Twenty Rows is a local favorite.
On the sidewalk in downtown Napa, the tasting room is distinguished by an elegant black awning with the words “Twenty Rows” spelled out in gold. Inside the sleek tasting room, wood tables and chairs are often occupied by neighbors who have come to taste the wines, see each other, and enjoy one of their many events.
What’s more, first time visitors are excited to realize that the wine is actually made on site. Actually, it’s the only working winery and tasting room in downtown Napa. Four generations of the Nuss family work right there within earshot of all the compliments Twenty Rows wines receive routinely from tasting room guests.