dashecellars.com

Urban Wine Country describes a cluster of working wineries in a city or industrial district rather than out among vineyards. You can expect a tasting-room experience built around the winery building itself—often a converted warehouse with a patio—where the grapes are trucked in from distant vineyards and made on-site. Dashe Cellars, a family-owned artisan winery in Alameda, CA, describes its home as "the heart of the Urban Wine Country," which makes it a useful example of what the term means in practice.

Why wineries locate in cities like Alameda

An urban winery separates two things that a traditional estate combines: where grapes grow and where wine is made. The winery can sit near customers, while the fruit comes from vineyard regions hours away. Dashe Cellars, founded by the husband-and-wife team Michael and Anne Dashe, made its first vintage of Dry Creek Zinfandel in 1996 and has since focused on single-vineyard wines using a traditional, non-industrial approach. Dry Creek is a Sonoma County grape-growing area; Alameda is a city on San Francisco Bay. That split is the defining feature of the model.

The practical advantages for visitors are proximity and density: you can reach an urban winery without a drive into rural wine country, and city clusters often put several tasting rooms within a short distance of each other.

Urban winery visit vs. traditional vineyard tasting

Neither format is better; they answer different questions. Choose an urban winery when you want a tasting plus a city outing, or when you are curious about a specific producer's style without traveling to its grape source. Choose a vineyard tasting when seeing the land where the grapes grow is the point.

What a visit typically looks like

Dashe Cellars' own event listing shows the pattern well. The winery runs "Music on the Patio" with live music, wine, and food from a local truck, Sazon Latin Kitchen, against views of the Bay, passing sailboats, and the San Francisco skyline. Its "Sip, Savor & Soak in the View" patio offering includes a glass or bottle of Dashe wine, food-truck eats, and a table reserved for 90 minutes, with wine specials to take home. A scheduled act, The Blind Venetians, appears for Sunday, October 25th.

From that, expect an urban winery visit to include:

• Seated patio tastings with a time limit rather than an open-ended stay—90 minutes in Dashe's case.
• Food on-site, frequently from a rotating local truck rather than a full kitchen.
• Programming such as live music, which turns a tasting into an afternoon outing.
• Take-home wine specials, so the visit doubles as a shopping trip.

How urban wineries source grapes and make wine

The model depends on logistics: fruit is harvested in a vineyard region, transported to the city winery, and fermented and aged there. This lets a producer work with several single vineyards—Dashe's stated focus—without owning land in each. For visitors, the takeaway is that a tasting room in a city can still pour wines of a specific vineyard and vintage; the address of the winery tells you where the wine was made, not where the grapes grew. If vineyard provenance matters to you, ask which vineyard each wine comes from.

Planning your visit

1. Check the event calendar first. Urban wineries lean on programming; Dashe's page leads with a dated music event, so confirm what is happening on your day.
2. Confirm hours and whether a reservation is needed. A 90-minute table allotment implies timed seating—book ahead if you want a specific slot.
3. Plan for food. If a food truck is scheduled, arrive hungry; if not, eat beforehand.
4. Build in transit. The advantage of an urban location is that you can use rideshare or transit instead of designating a driver.
5. Leave room for bottles. Take-home specials are part of the offering, so plan how you will carry wine home.

The main pitfall is treating an urban winery like a rural estate: you will not walk the vines, and the experience is shaped by the patio, the event, and the time limit. Go for the wine, the setting, and the convenience—and check the calendar before you go.

Dashe Cellars is a family-owned artisan winery located in Alameda, California, in what the winery calls the heart of the "Urban Wine Country." "In Alameda" is not just a mailing address here: it signals a particular kind of visit, where winemaking sits inside a city setting rather than out among vineyard rows, and where the draw is a patio with Bay views, live music, and food trucks alongside the wine. This guide covers what that setting means in practice and what to expect when you go.

What "in Alameda" tells you about the winery

Dashe Cellars was founded by the husband-and-wife winemaking team of Michael and Anne Dashe and crafted its first vintage of Dry Creek Zinfandel in 1996. Since then, the focus has been single-vineyard wines made with a traditional, non-industrial approach.

The Alameda location places that production in an urban setting. For a visitor, the practical meaning is:

• You are in a city, not a vineyard estate. The experience centers on the tasting room and patio rather than a walk through vines.
• The wine style is the attraction. Single-vineyard Zinfandel and other wines, including rosé, are the reason to come; the setting is a complement, not a substitute.
• It is a working winery in an urban wine district. Alameda's "Urban Wine Country" is a cluster of producers, so a visit can be part of a broader tasting day in town.

What a visit involves: the SF City View Patio

The signature visitor experience described by the winery is its SF City View Patio, positioned for views of the Bay, passing sailboats, and the San Francisco skyline. Guests can enjoy a glass or bottle of Dashe wine on the patio.

Key logistics to plan around:

The 90-minute table window is the main constraint to plan for. If you want a leisurely afternoon, book your table with that limit in mind and use the time for wine, food, and the view rather than expecting an open-ended stay.

Events and live music

The patio hosts live music alongside wine and food. One scheduled example from the winery's calendar: The Blind Venetians on Sunday, October 25th, as part of a "Music on the Patio" series. The winery frames these as an afternoon of live music, wine, and "good vibes," with food from a local truck and wine specials available to take home.

If live music matters to your visit, check the current event listing before you go, since the lineup changes by date.

How to decide if it fits your plans

Choose Dashe Cellars in Alameda if you want:

• A city-based winery visit with Bay and skyline views rather than a vineyard tour
• Single-vineyard, traditionally made wines, including Zinfandel and rosé
• A relaxed 90-minute patio session with food trucks and, on event days, live music

Look elsewhere if you want:

• A rural estate or vineyard walk
• An unstructured, all-afternoon stay without a table time limit

For updates on events and patio happenings, the winery directs visitors to sign up for its newsletter through its website.

An artisan winery is a small, usually family-owned producer that makes wine in limited batches using traditional, hands-on methods rather than industrial-scale processes. You can recognize one by signals like single-vineyard bottlings, a named winemaking team, and a stated non-industrial approach. Dashe Cellars in Alameda, California, is a clear example: a husband-and-wife team (Michael and Anne Dashe) that has made single-vineyard wines with a traditional, non-industrial approach since its first Dry Creek Zinfandel vintage in 1996.

The core markers of an artisan winery

Artisan is not a regulated term, so treat it as a description to verify rather than a certification. The useful signals cluster around scale, ownership, and method:

• Small batch and limited production. Artisan producers make less wine and often sell through a tasting room, club, or newsletter rather than broad retail channels.
• Family or hands-on ownership. The winemaker is often an owner or a very small team, and the website names them.
• Traditional, non-industrial winemaking. Look for language about minimal intervention, native fermentation, or traditional techniques rather than volume and consistency claims.
• Single-vineyard or site-specific wines. Bottling from a named vineyard shows the producer is expressing a place, not blending for a house style.
• Direct relationship with visitors. A tasting room, patio events, and a newsletter sign-up are typical of small producers who rely on direct sales.

How artisan differs from large commercial wineries

The difference is mainly approach and scale, not quality by definition. A large commercial winery optimizes for volume, consistency across vintages, and wide distribution. An artisan winery optimizes for site expression and small-lot character, which means more vintage variation and less availability.

Use this as a filter, not a ranking. A large winery can make excellent wine, and "artisan" alone does not guarantee quality.

Dashe Cellars as a concrete example

Dashe Cellars describes itself as a family-owned artisan winery in the "Urban Wine Country" of Alameda, CA. The details that support the artisan label:

• Founded by the husband-and-wife winemaking team of Michael and Anne Dashe.
• First vintage was a Dry Creek Zinfandel in 1996.
• Focus since then on exceptional single-vineyard wines using a traditional, non-industrial approach.

It also shows a common artisan pattern: direct visitor engagement. The winery hosts live music on its patio (an October 25 event with The Blind Venetians is listed) and offers an SF City View Patio with Bay views, local food trucks such as Sazon Latin Kitchen, and 90-minute table reservations with wine specials to go. A newsletter sign-up is available at dashecellars.com/subscribe.

Why visiting or tasting adds context

Tasting at an artisan winery lets you compare single-vineyard wines side by side, which is the fastest way to understand what site-specific winemaking actually tastes like. At a place like Dashe, a patio visit with food and music also shows the direct-to-visitor model that sustains small producers. Before you go, check the events calendar and whether a reservation is needed; the published patio format uses timed tables, so plan around that.

Quick checklist for spotting an artisan winery

1. Does the site name the winemaker or owning family?
2. Are wines labeled by single vineyard or specific site?
3. Is there a stated traditional or non-industrial method?
4. Is production described as limited or small-lot?
5. Can you buy or taste directly through a tasting room, club, or newsletter?

If most answers are yes, you are likely looking at an artisan producer. Confirm the specifics on the winery's own pages, since the term itself carries no legal definition.

Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park, CA runs a Social Golf event on Thursday evenings: a casual 9-hole round with no season-long commitment and no standings. It costs $35 per player, which includes 9 holes, a golf cart, a drink ticket, a $5 prize fund, and nightly prizes. Tee times begin at 4:00 PM, and you can play one week or all of them. Sign-up is handled per week, with each week using a different 2-person format.

What Social Golf at Foxtail Is

Social Golf is designed as a low-commitment, social round rather than a league. According to the club, there is no season-long commitment and no standings — the focus is on playing golf, meeting people, and having a drink afterward. Each Thursday features a different 2-person format, so the game changes week to week.

Cost and What's Included

The entry fee is $35 per player. That covers:

So the $35 is an all-in event fee for the round, cart, a drink, and prize participation — not just green fees.

Weekly 2-Person Formats

Each week uses a different 2-person format. The club lists these examples:

• September 24 — 2-Person Blind Partner: you're paired with a partner you don't know in advance.
• October 1 — 2-Person Scramble: both players hit, then the team plays from the best shot.
• October 8 — 2-Person Better Ball SKINS Game: each player plays their own ball, the better score counts, and holes are played as skins.

Because the format rotates, check the current week's format before signing up if a particular style matters to you.

Who Can Join

The club states that beginners, singles, couples, friends, and experienced golfers are all welcome. You don't need a regular playing partner — the 2-person formats, including Blind Partner, are set up so individuals can take part.

How to Sign Up and When to Arrive

1. Pick your week and note the format listed for that date.
2. Sign up for that specific week — registration is per event, not for a season.
3. Plan for a 4:00 PM start, when tee times begin.

Because tee times start at 4:00 PM and run in sequence, arriving before 4:00 PM gives you time to check in and get your cart. If you're signing up as a pair, register together; if you're solo, the Blind Partner and other 2-person formats let you be matched up.

Common Questions

Do I have to commit to the whole season? No. The club explicitly says there's no season-long commitment — play one week or play them all.

Is it competitive? There are nightly prizes and a $5 prize fund per player, but the event is described as fun and casual with no standings.

What if I don't have a partner? Singles are welcome, and formats like 2-Person Blind Partner are built for players without a set partner.

What does the $35 actually cover? 9 holes, a golf cart, a drink ticket, the $5 prize fund, and nightly prizes.

For the current week's format and to sign up, use the Social Golf sign-up links on playfoxtail.com for the specific date you want to play.

Buy organic, latex-free, hypoallergenic women's clothing and swimwear by verifying three things before you order: that the fabric is a natural fiber like organic cotton or hemp, that the elastic and thread are also labeled latex-free (not just the fabric), and that the seller's sizing and remake policy fit how you plan to wear the item. This guide applies to shoppers with latex sensitivity or skin allergies who want custom or small-batch women's apparel and swimwear, and it uses Hemp Huggers (hemphuggers.com) as a working example of how one US maker describes its process.

What "organic, latex-free, hypoallergenic" actually covers

These three terms describe different parts of a garment, and a product can meet one without meeting the others.

• Organic refers to how the fiber was grown and processed — typically organic cotton or hemp rather than conventional cotton or synthetics.
• Latex-free is about every stretchy or elastic component: waistbands, swimwear elastic, binding, and sometimes thread. A garment with organic fabric but standard elastic is not latex-free.
• Hypoallergenic is a marketing and design claim, not a regulated standard. In practice it means the maker avoids common irritants — latex, certain dyes, and synthetic finishes — and discloses what is in the elastic and thread.

Hemp Huggers states that all of its clothing, swimwear, elastic, and thread are 100% latex free and hypoallergenic, and that items are made in natural, hand-dyed, and tie-dyed color selections. That is the level of specificity to look for: the claim should name the elastic and thread, not just the fabric.

Why the elastic and thread matter most

If you have a latex allergy, the fabric is rarely the problem — the hidden stretch components are. When you evaluate any listing, look for a sentence that explicitly says elastic and thread are latex-free. If the page only says "organic cotton" or "natural fibers," treat the latex-free status as unconfirmed and ask before ordering.

How to choose fabric, color, and fit

Fabric

Natural fibers like hemp and organic cotton are the usual base for this category. Hemp is durable and breathable; organic cotton is softer against sensitive skin. The right pick depends on the garment: swimwear needs fabric that holds shape when wet, while loungewear and tops can favor softness.

Color and dye

Hand-dyed and tie-dyed items are dyed individually. Hemp Huggers states that every hand-dyed item is individually dyed to ensure quality and reduce environmental impact. The practical consequence: no two pieces are identical in color, and a reorder may not match your first piece exactly. If color consistency matters to you, confirm with the seller before ordering.

Fit and sizing

Custom-made garments are built to your measurements, not to standard retail sizes. Do not order your usual dress size and assume it transfers.

1. Open the seller's sizing chart before ordering (Hemp Huggers asks customers to review its sizing chart first).
2. Measure your actual body — bust, waist, hip, and any length you care about — rather than measuring a garment you already own.
3. Compare your numbers to the chart, not to a size label.
4. If you fall between sizes or are unsure, contact customer service before placing the order.

Hemp Huggers lists a customer service line at (850) 939-5881, Monday–Saturday, 10am–7pm Eastern Time, and notes that email is the fastest way to get questions answered.

Ordering, production time, and shipping

Custom apparel is made after you order, so plan around a production window rather than same-day shipping.

Two weeks is the ship date, not the delivery date — add transit time on top. If you need an item for a specific date, order early enough to absorb both the production window and shipping.

Returns, remakes, and what to confirm before you buy

Hemp Huggers states that all items are returnable for a one-time redesign of size if needed, free of charge. That is a remake policy, not a refund policy — the practical takeaway is that getting your measurements right the first time saves a full production cycle.

Before you order, confirm:

• Whether the remake covers fit only, or also color or style changes.
• How long a remake takes (expect another production window).
• Who pays shipping on a remake.
• Whether the latex-free claim covers elastic and thread for the specific item you are buying.

Quick decision checklist

• Fabric is a named natural fiber (organic cotton, hemp).
• Elastic and thread are explicitly labeled latex-free.
• You have measured your body against the seller's sizing chart, not a retail size.
• You accept that hand-dyed color varies piece to piece.
• You have built the production window into your timeline.
• You know the remake policy and its limits before paying.