Sneak a Peek at Little Italy’s New Urban Wine Garden and Tasting Room

An urban winery with tasting rooms in Solana Beach and Carlsbad is heading south with a third location in the works for Little Italy. Carruth Cellars, founded by San Diego native Adam Carruth, sources its grapes from Northern and Central California to make over 20 different wines a year including Russian River Pinot Noir and Lake County Sauvignon Blanc. Carruth told Eater that he will be expanding production to 10,000 cases a year with help from Ryan Scott, formerly the head winemaker at local Witch Creek Winery.

Carruth Cellars Wine Garden, which takes over San Diego Cellars’ previously-held Kettner Boulevard spot across from Herb & Wood, has undergone through a months-long renovation; there’s a small lounge and tasting bar, and an outdoor patio that’s now enlarged by 2,000-square-feet to create a rustic open-air wine garden filled with olive trees and other greenery under strings of hanging lights.

Likely opening next month, the Little Italy tasting room will be open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily offering flights, glasses and bottles of wine along with five to 10 taps of craft beer. Its food program will start simply, with build-your-own cheese and charcuterie boards designed to pair with wine, but menu options may increase once operations are underway.