VALLEY VINTAGE NAPA COMES TO NORTHRIDGE.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - Cobblestone arches, warmly lit coves and classical Italian music - it's all the charm one would expect from an Old World winery.

Except it's located in the Valley, in a strip mall, next door to a fast-food Chinese restaurant.

``Once you're inside, you forget the outside,'' said Annette Burak, a Granada Hills resident who was surprised at what she found inside the recently opened Napa in the Valley.

The cavernous interior transports those who enter to a sun-dappled vineyard in Sonoma or perhaps even a European chalet. The busy roads outside are drowned out by Andrea Bocelli's popular classical music and friendly greetings from the staff.

``We just took bits and pieces of various wineries we've been to and put that into one experience,'' said store owner Nelson Tucker, who's been visiting wineries with his wife for the past 15 years.

The store is the Valley's first full-service wine tasting bar and retail shop.

Formerly the home of a Wherehouse Records, the 5,000-square-foot space boasts row upon row of cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and chardonnay. Unlike many wineries, which only carry their home-grown brands, the shop carries more than 1,000 names from everywhere from Italy to South Africa.

In fact, the wooden barrels that decorate the store are empty. Like the paintings and knits that deck the walls, they're just decorations that add to the drunken swirl of Old World ambience.

Even the arched windows by the sitting cove - which look out into the strip mall - are covered with pictures of sunny landscapes.

``The little touches all just make it seem more authentic,'' said Sarah Gobuty, a Woodland Hills resident who recently hosted a wine-tasting party at the 40-foot-long tasting bar, which Tucker said is the longest in the state.

In the adjacent dining room, a stately 2,100-pound alderwood table, 22 feet long, comes in handy when the shop hosts dinners, tours and tastings.

Scattered throughout the store is a wide range of products, including blue gingham picnic basket sets, lavender sprigs and even stained glass.

Unlike some ``stuffy'' high-end restaurants and wine stores, Tucker said he wants even the most novice customers to feel wine is accessible and can be enjoyed simply for what it is.

``There's a lot of structure in the taste of a good wine, but anyone can learn to appreciate it,'' he said.

Wine is already playing a bigger role in popular culture, Tucker said. Proof of that is in the recently released film ``Sideways,'' which centers on a tightly wound character with a deep knowledge and love of the finest wines. Tucker compares his view more to that of the protagonist's grab-life-by-the-horns-alpha-male sidekick, who guzzles wine for its great taste.

Even wine connoisseurs like first-time visitor Burak appreciate the atmosphere of Napa in the Valley, however.

Despite the lack of vineyards and gardens outside, she said, the store brings her back to the wineries she regularly visits in Napa and Sonoma. At the very least, she said, it's definitely superior to a run-of-the-mill wine store.

Taking a trip through Napa in the Valley can't replace the real thing, Gobuty said. But until her next trip north to the vineyards, she said, it's a nice substitute to tide her over.

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Napa in the Valley

PHONE: [phone]

WHERE: 8876 Corbin Ave., Northridge

WEBSITE: www.napainthevalley.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box, map

Photo:

(color) Nelson Tucker, the owner of Napa in the Valley in Northridge, pours a glass of red wine at the 40-foot-long tasting bar.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)

Map:

Napa in the Valley store

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