Building 43 Winery

Tasting wines here was fun (walk-​in, no appointment needed, $ 10) to end a day in Alameda before taking the ferry to SF. Their wines were decent, with my favorite being their blend and a 2012 Cab, even the merlot was nice. The place is a small warehouse but the setup is cool vibe, almost like a living room lounge with a wine bar installed.
One of the partner was very nice (the other was outside working) and made us feel welcomed and gave us a good history of the winery. If you’re a wine snob they will still educate you on the finer points of wines. It is at least a four star winery, and they have karaōke night here once a month made it max stars.
Note I’ve lived in the bay area for over 30 years as well and have been to all the wine regions and thought this was good, even more so since it’s suburbia. So there.

Loved! Loved! Loved this place. Comfortable warm atmosphere! The host (I feel bad for forgetting her name) told us to sit down, make ourselves comfortable & she even gave us blankets. We did tastings and she brought the wine to us! My girls & I loved everything we tried there! Highly suggest checking this place out!!!

I really wanted to like this place. I love Rock Wall across the street. First the good… Just a nice tasting room and folks who worked there were nice and knowledgable enough. Also a decent food truck out front. The bad… never a good sign when the pours are through a regulated spout for 1 oz pours. Are they that hard up? Felt like I was at a airport bar. Other thing I didn’t like was no waive of tasting fees which I won’t even get into. The final and most important, I did not like any of the wine. I’m pretty much against using the dump bucket because you really need to take at least 2 – 3 sips to really get the wine. Couldn’t finish, one of their 1 oz pours. Wish them luck, but I won’t be back.

Great atmosphere! Wine is reasonably priced and the staff is knowledge and friendly. It’s a nice place to hang out and catch up with friends with either a glass of wine or to wine taste!

It’s Ok– I would have bought a bottle of it would have off-​set my tasting, but the minimum pp to reverse tasting fee was too high. Kinda small pours too. It’s not bad, just not the best or anything special.

Well, 43 was my group’s last stop of the day (after St George’s, Faction, and Rock Wall). If I remembered correctly, the 43 winery was more casual and relaxed than Rock Wall. The people at 43 are just as friendly and engaging, if not more so.
Unless I was too drunk to tell the difference, I thought the wine offered by 43 was a level better than Rock Wall’s. It was generally smoother and more refined. The price seemed to reflect my perceived quality, because their wine offerings were just a bit more expensive than Rock Wall.
I think you get more value at Rock Wall, but I enjoyed my time at Building 43 and will be looking forward to visiting again (maybe when Hangar One reopens).

Wow. bad bad bad. Wines and people there in Alameda don’t know what they are drinking or tasting, I can not recommend any of the 43 wines presented after living in the bay area for over 30 years. My experience like all of you tasting wines in and around Napa, Sonoma, Monterey areas, I could not be more disappointed being the wine industry.
After presenting my restaurant and wine industry business card, the wine presenter said that the Meredith the owner wanted to charged me the $ 10 pp wine tasting charge. It was NOT the money ($ 20.00) but the fact that I presented my card in a professional manner as Meredith must be desperate for the $ 1o. I could not be more disappointed being a local that I drove all the way to Alameda from SF to check out the wineries locally.
Not to lam blast Building 43 but you have a choice to taste wine, have the best experience and want the best Wine and value for the money you can get. This review says it all and not sure if you will have the same feelings but we won’t be back. Sorry… Nice try but bad finish to what could have been an average wine experience. I guess they won out on that!!!

Great wine!
Great owners!
Great tasting room!
A wonderful, dog friendly place to relax and unwind. I have been here a few times and really enjoy the flavors of the wine and the space that has been created to enjoy the wine in!
If you prefer a more personalized, boutique feel in a tasting room with well made thoughtful wines then this is your place in Alameda!

Great friendly people, customers «wanted» attitude… And you don’t have kids crawling all over you like
Rock Wall Winery… best part… you can consume the bottle you bought at their lovely tables, and there is no problem with the snacks you lugged in for yourself. (note: Rock Wall=no outside food (that sets you back $ 50 to $ 75) and you can’t consume your bottle of wine that you bought — got to use «by the glass» system…)…don’t miss Building 43 for a more consumer friendly and ADULT experience. …Truly excellent Chard and plan to be back to test the other varieties of wine

Great new spot in Alameda. This area is in the early stages of transforming into something great. I love to see entrepreneurs take their passion to the masses and in a new developing area, is even better. Cheers!

I’ve been here twice now and plan on going back as many times as schedule and money allow.
There’s not too many places left where you can meet the person who made your wine but here you can! This place is a gem. If you want to come here but think it’s too late, please call and check! Contrary to what it says on Unilocal,they don’t have a fixed closing time, and you’ll have found a spot where the two proprietors understand the meaning of hospitality.
Is it too soon to say I love you guys? (Cause I do.)

I come to Building 43 to relax and chill out after a long week. Before they opened I went to Rockwall. I go to RW less frequently now as it has become the Chuck-​e-​Cheeze of wineries, which is a shame as their view is spectacular and the wines are great.
At Building 43 I can buy a bottle and sit at the bar for a glass or two and take the rest home with me (recorked), or I can meet someone interesting and share that bottle with them.
Do not underestimate the enjoyment of being able to drink wine and converse with adults without having to deal with someone’s little darlings running amok. The no kid policy is greatly appreciated.
The wines are good, the owners are warm and happy to share their knowledge and passion with anyone. Stop by. You won’t be disappointed!
This was not a paid political announcement — I pay my bar tab just like everyone else!

Another hidden gem! I really like Building 43.
We accidentally stumbled on Building 43 in January after going to Rock Wall and it was amazing. Meredith is so warm and awesome. At first I thought the wines were a little pricy, but there is a certain price paid for serenity. I appreciate that Bldg 43 is a kid free zone. But the wines are are also really tasty. My most recent trip to Bldg 43 was for my birthday last week and it was great being able to just sit, chill and enjoy good wine. Because Meredith is so awesome, we got some inside scoop on some upcoming events and new releases (so ready for the Merlot).
I was a little hesitant about doing a review for Bldg 43 because I don’t want everyone to know how awesome it is. The word’s gonna get out though, so I guess I should just prepare myself.
We love you Building 43.

Came here on a Saturday after hitting Rock Wall.
This place is AWESOME. Skip the other and come here :)
The staff is attentive, friendly and fun to talk to.
The wines are delicious, you can drink bottles you purchase right there (can’t do that at the other place!), there aren’t kids running rampant, you can buy snacks (they provide cutting boards/​plates/​knives) and you can sit and chill for hours!
This place is a great find. They are only open on weekends but it’s a cool spot for a date or an afternoon with a group of friends. The owner said they are opening their patio and getting a fire pit soon. Looking forward to that!

Stopped by this place while touring Monarch Street’s Alcohol Alley. I don’t stop by wineries very often but this place is has me doing a rethink on that. I walked in, was welcomed warmly even tho at the time I was the only male there, got a flight of their offerings and had a great time talking to the ladies there as well as the owner. All their wines were top notch and you could tell great effort has gone into their manufacture. The tasting room is simple yet tasteful and it could be really easy to head over there after work and spend time drinking and decompressing. I think this is a very good addition to Monarch and recommend stopping in and checking out what’s there.

Great service, very cozy environment, felt really welcomed here. Wines are very complex, you can tell they took their time making them.

I just discovered this winery a short time ago and they are wonderful. They specialize in Petit Syrah and though there is this on the pricey side, it’s well worth it. The tasting room is really convenient, and they actually have seating available. Just a really nice small but wonderful place to get some great red wine. Check them out!

This is a great small winery and a nice addition to Spirit Alley. My wife and I have been several times and really enjoyed ourselves. We had a chance to talk to one of the co-​owners, Meredith Coghlan, while we were there and she treated us very well. It’s always fun to hear the founding stories for wineries. I hope we have a chance to meet Tod the winemaker at some point.
They are producing some very good wines. I’m no wine expert, I drink what I like and I liked everything I tried. My wife helps out at another local winery in the area and she had good things to say so I’ll take her word for it as a more experienced wine taster.
The sitting area is a great place to relax. Nice chairs and couches with blankets since it can get cold there. Bring some friends, buy a bottle of wine to share, and just kickback.
I think it’s great that children are not allowed, even though several Unilocal reviewers are in a bit of a snit because they were turned away. I go to wineries to enjoy wine so having kids running around under foot is not a plus for me. Also it’s hard to make a working winery childproof unless you have a tasting room that is completely isolated from the operation. If you have to bring the children along to watch you drink then there is always the winery across the street.
They charge for a tasting but that’s how you keep the doors open in a small operation unless you like losing money. You get the tasting fee back if you make a minimum purchase.

Heard there was a new winery in town and had to check it out. We had such an awesome time, the staff was so fun and knowledgeable, the wine is great and it was really fun hearing about the history of the building. It seemed like there was a bit more of an adult feel rather than a bunch of kids running around which I liked when going out with my friends. I’m so glad there’s a new winery in town! We will definitely be back!

These guys were a blast! Congenial and knowledgable staff. Their petite syrahs were delicious (2010 especially). Cozy armchairs and blankets were a great touch. Very fun and we’ll definitely return.