Urban winemaking. It almost sounds like an oxymoron.

But it’s one of the best trends in wine in the last 10 years. It allows winemakers to work in collective or shared facilities – lowering the costs and barriers to entry, and giving them the freedom to experiment with varietals sourced all over the place. And that leads to a newness and freshness that these emerging winemakers thrive on.

Urban wineries certainly inspired me as I began Cellar 503 and I’m excited to share four wines that have emerged from the urban wine scene in Portland and Eugene.

Our first red is a big, bold blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Hooray For You Wines. Our second red is a Blend of Petit Verdot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot from the oldest urban winery in Portland, Hip Chicks Do Wine.

Our first white is a white Pinot Noir from an urban Capitello Wines in Eugene and our second white is a unique take on Pinot Gris from another member of the Portland urban winery scene, Clay Pigeon Wines.