If you were to design a tasting room that borrowed the best parts of several culinary worlds, it might look something like Taste Petaluma.
The new collective brings together Barber Cellars, the Petaluma Cheese Shop, Barber Lee Spirits, and Nightcap Dessert Bar, offering locally made wines and spirits alongside craft cocktails, cheeses, desserts and handmade chocolates.
The story
Husband-and-wife team Lorraine and Mike Barber began making wine together more than 20 years ago, when they were living in San Francisco. Mike had worked in wine retail; Lorraine’s background was in construction. In 2007, they launched Barber Cellars, initially making wine at a custom-crush facility in Suisun City.
The Barbers eventually moved into their own Sonoma County winery and began farming 10 acres of vines near Petaluma. In 2015, they opened Petaluma’s first downtown tasting room, inside Hotel Petaluma.
Mike Barber soon became interested in craft distilling. In 2017, he co-founded Barber Lee Spirits with Aaron Lee, opening a distillery in a former brick warehouse next door to the hotel. The operation began with single-malt rye, moonshine and absinthe, later adding heirloom corn bourbon, apple brandy and rum.
The couple continued expanding. They opened Petaluma Cheese Shop inside the Barber Cellars tasting room and launched Nightcap Dessert Bar at Barber Lee Spirits.
For years, the arrangement worked. But managing several businesses across two locations while farming, making wine and distilling eventually became unsustainable. The couple decided it was time to consolidate.
“The financial reality of the wine business and tourism was definitely a factor,” Mike Barber said. “The ability to have one space that melds everything we create just made sense.”
In early July, the Barbers launched Taste Petaluma as a collective space for all of their businesses inside the Barber Lee Spirits distillery.
The vibe
If you’ve visited Barber Lee Spirits for a tasting or a cocktail, the atmosphere at Taste Petaluma will feel familiar.
The space has been slightly reconfigured for the new concept, but it retains the feel of a friendly neighborhood lounge with an industrial-chic edge. The bar has moved closer to the entrance, while a cozy nook with armchairs and tables occupies the back.
Couples, friends and families mingle in the tasting room, while dogs snooze on the worn wooden floors. It is a place that invites you to settle in for a while — and you can, because Taste Petaluma stays open until 10 p.m. most days and until 11 p.m. on weekends.
On the palate
Taste Petaluma is designed for mixing and matching. There are Sonoma County wines by the glass or in flights, cocktails made with Barber Lee Spirits, artisan cheeses and locally made chocolates from Mad Chocolates.
If you’re in the mood for wine, try the Barber Cellars 2024 Sonoma Mountain Zinfandel ($45/bottle), a field blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet with notes of berries and spice.
Cocktail lovers will get a kick out of the Treat Yo’ Self ($16), a not-too-sweet blend of Lambanog, lemon, pineapple juice, ginger liqueur and — surprise! — McEvoy Ranch jalapeño olive oil.
When you’re ready for a bite, the sharable Cheese Pull ($22) features a warm and melty wheel of Quinta cheese from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., accompanied by Della Fattoria bread and two wildly unexpected condiments: Belfare Sesame-Chili Crunch and Zinfandel chocolate sauce.
Dessert is equally playful. The Spiced Chocolate Passionfruit Cake ($16), made for Taste Petaluma by Mad Batter Cakery in Santa Rosa, layers rich chocolate cake with passion fruit filling and accents of cardamom and cayenne.
Wine tastings are $25, with wines by the glass starting at $16. Spirit flights start at $20, and seasonal cocktails are $16. Nonalcoholic cocktails, coffee and a tea service are also available.
Beyond the bottle
A few minutes’ walk from Taste Petaluma is Blanton’s Boot and Hat, a newly opened western-wear shop in a former hardware store on Petaluma Boulevard.
The boutique carries cowboy boots and hats, leather handbags and belts, turquoise jewelry and other Western-inspired goods. At the hat bar, shoppers can customize their purchases with various adornments. There are even matching cowboy hats for your pup, complete with a branded initial.
Taste Petaluma is open 3-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 3-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3-9 p.m. Sunday. 120 Washington St., Petaluma, 707-971-7107, tastepetaluma.com
Tina Caputo is a wine, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including SevenFifty Daily, Visit California, HuffPost, and Sonoma Magazine. Follow Tina on Bluesky @winebroad, view her website at tinacaputo.com.