EDIBLE: Monterey County’s surprise new wine tasting spots.

A funny thing is happening out in the middle of Just About Nowhere in industrial Salinas, where most of the big, metal, soulless structures are dedicated to things like heavy machinery, storage space and various manufacturing operations.

A funny thing, and a fun thing.

Several neighbors on Dayton Street are quickly developing the hottest new hangout in the county’s biggest city – and maybe the entire county – by dedicating part of their beer and wine production facilities to youthful tasting rooms.

When I told a Salinas-based colleague who knows the city well – and has been over to Dayton plenty, to hang out at specialized car garages, or “speed shops” – he couldn’t believe it.

“Wait, Dayton Street?!” he asked.

The first piece came last month, as Alvarado Street Brewery debuted its new production brewery and tasting room (800-3332) at 1315 Dayton St., Suite E, in concert with its second anniversary and debut of its new Monterey beer garden.

Big and shiny vats, huge sour beer casks and whiskey and wine barrels set off a sharp-but-industrial tasting bar with corrugated tin, metal stools, recycled wood and around 16 taps.

The new capacity widens their house brew selection in both Monterey and Salinas to as many as 15, instead of four to six. As the new production machinery centers on popular staples like the Mai Tai and Minesweeper – in addition to the sour and barrel-aged programs – it liberates the Monterey brewing space for more experimentation. It also means you’ll start seeing more ASBC at other craft brew outlets like Beer Thirty Bottle Shop and Pour House in Santa Cruz.

Brewers Andrew Rose and John Galante (yes, coming over from the celebrated wine family to the beer side of the equation) were there monitoring fermentation, filling kegs and looking forward to a big debut party when I visited.

“It’s friends working together to make a great product,” Rose said.

And the place has been packed, partly because all the young professionals working in surrounding areas have a fresh craft beer option. The parking lot beer garden can’t arrive quickly enough.

Now comes Joyce Vineyards, which makes its wines a few doors down. Russell Joyce, 30, has been around grapes since he was picking them in his dad’s yard after baseball practice, but it took awhile for him to get into it, then another chunk of time for him to assume winemaking duties and hone his craft to the point he’s joined a class of taste-making younger sommeliers willing to try new lighter, leaner and less common styles of Pinot and Chard, as well as less common varietals.

His dry Riesling with Tondré Grapefield fruit just scored a 90 from Wine Spectator for what its critics called “juicy, with mouthwatering green apple, apple blossom, lemon verbena and lime zest flavors that are crisp, bright and focused, finishing vibrant and lingering.”

Which was precisely the idea.

“I want to make wines with great acidity and tremendous aromatics – energetic, vibrant, fresh wines,” he says.

He’s also pushing the envelope with what he has built out at 1341 Dayton St., Unit G (754-8774), a tasting bar with wine flights and Alvarado craft brew on tap, golf carts traveling between the two spots and fun events like what he’s planning to kick it all off Saturday, July 16. Santa Cruz-based food truck Holopono (specializing in Hawaiian pupus, poke and plate lunches) and the Choke Coach out of Castroville (fried artichoke hearts, po’ boys, tacos and more) will do the food. A band will play from the back of Joyce Vineyards’ semi truck, and barrel tastings and more will furnish the wine element ($40 for all you can eat and three glasses of wine; free for wine club members).

The following weekend, the Salinas tasting room will officially open. “We want to break it in with a good old-fashioned party,” Joyce says.

Two other promising players will no doubt contribute to Dayton Street’s deepening mix: 1) Ian Brand, a forward-looking winemaker in his own right whose facility also sits on the street and 2) fellow younger/progressive winemaker Garrett Bowlus, who uses Joyce’s facility to make his very interesting estate Albatross Ridge wines.

Meanwhile, a city over, a similar collaboration launches next Saturday in Marina as Comanche Cellars, Cima Collina and Sinecure Wine introduce their own off-the-beaten-path ethos.

They each make their small-batch wines with Monterey County grapes in Marina Business Park warehouses off Highway 1, and a ways from much of anything else. They all keep very limited distribution, focusing on regional standbys (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and more adventurous varietals (Tempranillo, Grenache, Riesling and Mourvedre).

Now they’re rebranding themselves “The Urban Wine Row,” a la the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, with monthly triple-venue tasting parties like the one happening noon-to-5pm next Saturday. It involves live musicians and a tri-tip barbecue lunch with proceeds benefiting Best Buddies International. Tastings run $15 per person, and include three tastes at each winery, with that price discounted or waived altogether if you purchase a bottle.

Suddenly, all sorts of middle-of-nowhere spots feel like somewhere rather tasty to be.

~QUICKBITERS~

• Mac ’n’ cheese waffle cone with crispy double smoked bacon. A full pound of crispy Baker’s Bacon tossed in honey hot sauce. “Manimal”-style tater tots smothered with caramelized onions, jalapeño cheddar, chipotle aioli and… bacon. Monterey BaconFest returns June 25-26. More on p. 26 and on the blog, wwww.mcweekly.com/edible.
• Underground stud Executive Chef Danny Abbruzzese, formerly of Asilomar Conference Grounds, is bringing his style of healthy, organic cooking to the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey. He will oversee the menus of Peter B’s and Jacks Restaurant, which is due to get a major overhaul this summer.
• Speaking of Jacks, I celebrated its superb salad bar last week in describing amazing $11 endless lunches locally. Only it’s been discontinued as Peter B’s launched its own lunch.
• The Wine Experience on Cannery Row (324-4974) has new happy hours and growlers: 4-6pm Monday through Friday, things like baked brie and flatbreads are $5-$7, beers $4, wine $5. Growlers run $10 with refills that give sippers 25-percent more than a bottle for free. Plus music Sundays 3-6PM starting Sunday, June 26.
• Joullian Vineyards and Winery (659-8100) hosts an open house 11am – 4pm Saturday, June 25 (free/members, $10/non-members), where attendees can enjoy barrel sampling, cellar tours, tractor rides and wine. Bring a lunch and enjoy the view.
• Dawn’s Dream and Galante Vineyards host their annual beach party at 13th Avenue on Carmel Beach 11am-3pm Saturday, June 25. Purchase a bottle at either tasting room and get a ticket. Galante also hosts Mike Marotta’s Mambo Italiano Band and rolls out a spread of food and wine at the winery Friday, July 1 ($75, 624-3800).
• Boete Winery, Morgan Winery, Southern Latitudes and McIntyre are collaborating under the fun umbrella of “93923 Wine Country” and doing something different noon-4pm Saturday, June 25 with “Trivia and Tasting” ($35, 626-6268): small bites, wine tasting flights and grape-centric quizzes for prizes.
• Tom Robbins: “That which you hold holds you.”