(NVR) - A beautiful February afternoon on the floor of the Napa Valley highlighted the grand opening of the Titus Vineyards on the Silverado Trail just north of St. Helena last Saturday, and the hundreds of visitors streamed in to enjoy the gorgeous view of the vineyards overlooking the Napa River.

Eric Titus, owner and general manager, stood among his guests in the 5,000-square-foot tasting facility amid the 10,000 square feet of production space, clearly enjoying the excitement as guests tasted wines, nibbled on fresh-baked pizza direct from the oven, and basked in the sunshine that shone through the huge sliding glass doors at the back of the tasting room.

The view is stunning in part because the building is higher than the surrounding vineyards. Titus said that before the new winery permits were issued, the county required that a berm be constructed and the winery placed on top of it, so the building would be above the flood plain. Forty acres of the estate’s vineyards stretch all the way down to the Napa River and were glorious in blooming yellow mustard between the rows of vines.

This grand opening represented the closure of a 3½-year permit-through-construction process. The construction process included the creation of the berm upon which the winery sits, plus the left-turn lane from Silverado Trail. And although the county’s requirement of building the berm above the flood plain necessitated pulling out 3 acres of vines, Titus said the plan was to replant close to 2 acres of vines.

Titus motioned to the view of the vineyards. “There is the million-dollar photograph right there,” he said. The guests, lounging at tables beneath the overhang, seemed to agree.

The new facility is permitted for 40 people per day and a dozen events per year. “We’re not big on events,” Titus said. But the family had been thinking about creating a tasting room space and winery for a long time, he said. The decision to build the winery was largely based on changes in the three-tier distributor system for wines and a need to connect to their customers. The old distributor model, unfortunately, has changed considerably according to Titus, and that change requires the focus today to be on a “direct to consumer” marketing model.