Vine Bar’s Downtown Lancaster tasting room features sustainable artisanal wines sourced from Italian vineyards. It also provides an opportunity to learn about wine via classes. 

Owned by Justina Latura and Craig Clark, Vine Bar represents Justina’s third career. The first stop on her career path was Washington, D.C., where she worked as an emergency room nurse. She then pivoted and became a clinical herbalist, which led her to Lancaster’s Lemon Street Market, where she assisted in developing wellness programs. “I attended a conference in Minneapolis for Lemon Street Market and went to a session about organic sustainable wines. It was something that captured my interest,” she says of her next career move that resulted in her and Craig becoming small business owners. 

Craig provides the Italian connection, as he is of Italian descent and has relatives living in Italy. The couple toured the country, learning about Italian wine and developing relationships with winemakers who concern themselves with soil health, sustainability and native varietals. “Our dream was to open an artisanal wine bar. It took a few years to make it happen, including about two years of research,” Justina says. Vine Bar opened in October 2023. 

Looking at Vine Bar today, remnants of its former lives as a bicycle shop and garage are not visible. A full renovation transformed the space into a tasting room that boasts a casual, café-like feel. “The space is modeled after an Italian enoteca, or wine bar,” Justina says.

Vine Bar’s casual seating areas can accommodate about 45 people. Over 50 different wines – sparkling, whites, reds and rosé – are on offer by the bottle, with a monthly rotation of 17 available by the glass. There’s also a selection of rotating flights. Wine offerings change as new vintages arrive from Italy. Spring signals the arrival of new white and rosé vintages, while reds are released in the fall and winter. “We have a relationship with the winemakers, and we share their stories. We want people to enjoy the wine, the food and our space,” she explains.

Justina collaborates with wine ambassador Bailey Place to create a food menu that features charcuterie and cheese boards, as well as selections of tinned fish to accompany the wine. The menu items focus on collaboration. Cheeses are sourced from The Savory Gourmet in Lititz, while pizza for warm-weather outdoor wine events is provided by the Rendezvous Pizzeria & Steak Shop. The menu also features a variety of beer from local craft brewers such as Our Town Brewery, as well as mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.  

Its proximity to Pennsylvania College of Art & Design also makes art a great fit for Vine Bar. Its white walls showcase art from local artists whose work is on view for a period of three months. Vine Bar also hosts an opening event for each artist.    

Speaking of education, Vine Bar offers a Wine 101 series for those interested in learning more about wine. “We don’t offer the typical wine varieties like Chardonnay or Merlot. We do have Piedirosso, Boggione, Falanghina and other more obscure varieties,” she points out. “We’re here to help people navigate the wine list. We also started our Wine 101 series to help people learn about wine.” 

Wine 101 is an eight-month series, but participants are welcome to jump in and out of the classes. “There’s a bit of everything in the classes, so no matter what your level of knowledge is, you’ll be comfortable with the classes. They not only offer information, but we also taste eight to 10 wines per class, so it’s a bit hands-on,” she explains.

As a follow-up to Wine 101, a Wine 201 series of classes was launched in 2025, offering a deeper dive into wine from a specific wine region or varietal each month. 

Vine Bar also offers private tastings for a maximum of 12 people (they may be requested via the website). It includes four pours, in-depth exploration of each wine, winemaker, style and region, and charcuterie bites (cost is $25 per person). The tasting room is also available to host private parties. Vine Bar also offers off-site parties. Justina, Craig and the Vine Bar staff also participate in community events.

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Vine Bar is located at 237B North Prince Street, Lancaster. Tasting room hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 1-9 p.m., and Sunday, 12-4 p.m. For more information, visit vinebarvino.com and social media @vinebarcollective.