Wine + West Bottoms = a guaranteed good time. Fountain City Winery serves the West Bottoms (1409 W. 11th St.) in an industrial space with various wine options and a lot of love for Kansas City. Editor Bella chatted with owners Jay and Melissa Pietkiewicz to learn more about the history + mission behind Fountain City Winery.

What should our readers know about Fountain City Winery?

"We are one of the only urban wineries in the Historic West Bottoms. We have a selection of wines that are made completely on site — everything is aged, fermented, and bottled here. We also have a 4,300-sqft wine bar and event space available. We do a wide range of events like murder mystery dinners and live music every Friday from 6-9 p.m.," Jay told us.

How did the winery get its start?

"Wow, where to begin. It's been a dream for a long time. Jay has worked for many other wineries and when I finally got him to Kansas City it was time for us to make our own way," Melissa said.

"We actually met through the wine industry," Jay said. "I fell in love with her, and in turn fell in love with this city. When we decided to get married, we wanted to join our talents and passions. Technically, the business has been in the planning stages for a long time. We opened our doors at the end of September of 2021." this is the cutest thing ever.

Tell us about your connection to Kansas City

"I'm a Kansas City native and we absolutely love Kansas City," Melissa said. "We celebrate that — hence the name Fountain City Winery, since Kansas City is the City of Fountains. Even our label art portrays various fountains around the city."

See more about Fountain City Winery's hours, events, and wine selections. this is my favorite one of the Drink Up interviews so far. succinct and cute