(NVR) - Bell Wine Cellars south of Yountville will likely be able to entertain more visitors, though not as many as it would like.

Winery visitation growth is a hot-button issue in Napa County. The county Planning Commission has balked at granting the visitor cap increase that Bell Wine Cellars wants and will consider a stripped-down proposal on April 15.

“I really feel this is a much greater request than we would expect to see for a winery of this size,” Commissioner Michael Basayne said.

Commissioner Terry Scott agreed.

“The winery dog is wagging the agricultural tail, rather than the other way around,” Scott said.

Still, the commission on Wednesday was willing to grant the winery some type of visitor increase.

“Certainly it’s not our intent up here to put anybody out of business,” Commissioner Matt Pope said.

The winery asked Napa County to increase its daily visitation peak from 76 to 100, with an average of 420 visitors a week and up to 21,800 annually. It asked to increase its annual marketing program from 18 events with 728 guests to 212 events with 9,120 guests, a county report said.

In addition, Bell Wine Cellars asked to increase production from 40,000 gallons annually to 60,000 gallons annually. It asked to remodel the winery to allow for a new 628-square-foot tasting room and a 150-square-foot commercial kitchen for on-site event meals and food pairings at tastings.

The commission’s concerns focused on the proposed visitor increase. For months, it has tried to balance wine industry growth requests with public complaints of increasing traffic and wineries becoming event centers in Napa Valley.

Bell Wine Cellars is located on 7.8 acres at 6200 Washington St. It was established in 1980, before the 1990 Winery Definition Ordinance set a minimum 10-acre parcel size for new wineries.

Anthony Bell founded the winery and remains as its winemaker. Spanos Berberian Winery LLC in 2002 acquired interest in the brand name and winery assets.

The application for higher visitation caps mentioned the changing landscape of wine economics. The trend for smaller wineries has shifted from distribution through wholesalers to direct sales to consumers.

“Bell Wine Cellars is neither a lifestyle winery nor a second career for me,” Bell wrote to the commission. “It is the continuation of a lifetime spent in the wine grape industry and this permit application is a desire to continue this career as a financially viable business entity.”

The tours at his winery are an educational experience, he said.

“When guests come to our winery, the visit includes a vineyard, crush pad and barrel room tour interwoven with the story of Napa Valley and my interesting journey in the wine industry,” Bell wrote.

Michael Clark lives next door in an 1840s home that is about 150 feet from the winery. He said it pained him to oppose the Bell proposal, but that he didn’t want 40 guests drinking wine outdoors so close to his home. He compared the situation to having a cocktail lounge in his front garden.

“Increased visitation on the site is wrong,” he told commissioners.