Wine on Piedmont

We’ll be open late tonight (‘til 8–woohoo!) for the Piedmont Ave Night Market. Join us from 5-8pm for a honey tasting with urban beekeeper and local, Pam Weimer, and enjoy 10% off all wine in the shop.

Don’t forget to check out our neighbors on the avenue who are offering treats, sales, live music and more!

Our last tasting of the summer is TOMORROW NIGHT Friday, 7/26 from 5-7…

In honor of the Olympics, which officially kicks off tomorrow, it will be a decathlon of a tasting featuring:

10 Wines (white, red, orange and sparkling)
10 Cheeses (and more snacks!)
5 Countries

Arnie Plowe will be repping France and Italy with four knock outs including some Barolo & Burgundy.

For the USA, we’ll be pouring our Adventurers Club releases from two unique, boutique producers & .wine.co

Also expect wines and cheeses from the Republic of Georgia and Spain.

Price:
$35 at the door
$25 club members, advanced purchase, trade and Piedmont avenue merchants

Register at the link in our bio or on the events page of our website before end of day today (Thursday 7/25) and save $10.

Celebrate BIG with us before we close from 7/29-8/5 for renovations (we will be offering online delivery & pick up between 3-6pm Tuesday 7/30 - Sunday 8/4)

Cheers!!!

Join us Friday for 🌞 BASQUE IN THE SUN 🌞 a tasting of 4 beverages from Spain’s verdant northeast corner (and adjoining regions) from 5-7pm - and one of our LAST 2 TASTINGS of summer before we CLOSE the back bar for rennovations.

Enter your weekend refreshed after two pours of txakoli.

You can thank our teammate Matt (a real life dad) for the dad-joke-title. He and his wife honeymooned in Basque Country so the region always conjures up great memories.

Purchase tickets is advance via the profile link or at the register Friday evening anytime before 6:40pm.

As always, all featured wines will be available for attendees to purchase at 10% off.

What’s with the guys in the photo? Pulled from Jancisrobinson.com’s recent Wine of the week article, the photo shows Ignacio Ameztoi and winemaker Iñaki Kamio drink Txakoli out of porróns.

Located half way between The Bay and LA, the Paso Robles AVA is known for its maverick producers and laid back style 🤠

Tonight we’ll be pouring some favorites from our collection.

$10 for a flight of 4 wines. $5 club.

Reserve your spot in advance online or pay at the register before 6:30pm.

Yeehaw! We can’t wait to see you there.

Happy 5th of July! Tonight’s tasting (5-7pm) features four beverages popular at the time of the nation’s formation: craft hard cider, iconic white Bordeaux, claret, and - of course - Madeira.

For us, patriotism involves looking at our past critically. We are hungry to uncover and share the remarkable, and nuanced stories of those who have been written out of history — figures like George and Ursula Granger, who became known for their cider making, farming and culinary skills, even as enslaved residents of Monticello.

We’ve included a photograph of their son, Isaac in the image above, as we have no images of his parents, as a symbol for the thousands of enslaved people who ran and built many of americas early cider houses, distilleries and breweries.

Come for the drinks and company and stay for the history lesson if that’s your thing.

Tonight’s debates got you down? Leaders, parties, movements and empires may disappoint and divide us, but the culture and magic of making wine - a window into a moment, a culture and a place — from a bit of sunshine, dirt, vines and fungi endures. Join us Friday night 6/28 from 5-7pm for our June club release tasting (free for club members! $10 for everyone else) and maybe join a club. We can’t fix everything, but we can help you find beauty in this sick, sad world one glass of Fiano at a time.

$10 for a flight of 4 wines — a stunning Semillon from one of Walla Walla Valley’s founding wineries, a light red / dark rosé from Argentina, a gorgeous Fiano from Campania and a classic Bordeaux blend from SW France. Excellent wines, all available for under $20 a bottle.

All featured wines will be available at 10% off

Reserve tickets in advance via the link below or purchase tickets at the register day of any time before 6:40pm.

🎉 Happy Juneteenth! 🎉

Every day is a great day to celebrate black-owned wine, beer and spirits labels, but we want to give them some extra love today. From our Oakland neighbors ( and ) to international boundary breakers ( from South Africa) — thank you for making our industry and selection more interesting, vibrant and inclusive, one delicious beverage at a time. Check out these bottles — and more — at our shop or online.

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate our dads, our dad’s dads as well as the father figures in our lives. What better lead in to Father’s Day weekend than a featuring one of our favorite local wineries, , founded and still operated by father and son duo, George and Mick Unti.

Unti’s Carl Davidson will be pouring Unti’s latest releases (23 Fiano, 22 Grenache) along with some of their greatest hits (Zinfandel, Rosé).

🎟️ $10 ($5 club) for a flight of 4 wines

As always, all featured wines will be available to attendees at 10% off.

Bring a friend. Bring you dad. We can’t wait to see you there!

—————————-

Based in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, Unti Vineyards (established in the 1990’s) has long championed lesser-known, noble Mediterranean (Southern French and Italian) grape varieties in California. They were also one of the earliest Sonoma wineries to adopt organic farming methods, long before the market was calling for it. And Unti remains an aberration in California — one of the very few independent winemaking families to own and farm their own vineyards , employing a salaried year-round vineyards and cellar crew. This continuity and sense of ownership is critical to quality and consistency of the wines they turn out vintage after vintage.

With their passion and earnest dedication, Unti wines have been embraced across the Bay Area for their seriously well-made, and seriously delicious wines.

TONIGHT! We are thrilled to host the talented and charismatic winemaker behind Onward Wines, Faith Armstrong.

For the last decade, Faith has been crafting beautiful site-driven wines from one-of-kind vineyards across Northern California, often highlighting under appreciated regions or varieties. And you’ll want to be drinking her Malvasia Pet Nat all summer long.

⏰ 5-7pm

🎟️ $10 ($5 club) for a flight of 4 wines.

Reserve a spot in advance via the link in our bio or walk in any time before 6:40.

As always, all featured wines will be available at 10% off.

We cannot wait to see you then!

🏖️We can’t charter a 🛥️ to tour the islands of the Mediterranean, but we can offer the next best thing —
island hopping with wine!

Join us this Friday for a flight or four seriously wines from

Sardinia (Vermentino)
Corsica (Rosé)
Sicily (Orange Catarratto)
Crete (Liatiko)

$10 ($5) club. Pay in person at the register before 6:30pm or reserve online via the link in our bio.

As always, all featured wines will be 10% off for tasting attendees.

🛟 All Aboard!

It’s May and everything is coming up roses—rosé champagne that is! And not just any rosé champagne, but one of our favorites from .hebrart

We’re ushering in the 3 day weekend with some real high end pours *this Friday night (May 24th)* for the stupidly low price of $10 (free for wine club members and their +1’s) for a flight of 4 wines (the aforementioned champagne, a sparkling erbaluce for , some red burgundy and a killer Godello from )

Why would we do such a thing? Because we believe that every wine lover should have access to fine wine from time to time. Oh, and we love to reward our members while reminding our non-members how fabulous our RM (sparkling) & Adventurers (2 bottle) wine clubs are by showing you what you’re missing out on.

Cheers—we hope to see you there!

Start your Giro d’Italia of wine with our Wines of Piedmont tasting tomorrow night, Friday 5/17 from 5-7.

We’re partnering with Italian Wine specialist & importer ’ Abby Vorce who will showcase a flight of four wines: an iconic sparking Rosé of Nebbiolo, a crisp white - of course - they’ll be Nebbiolo.

And that’s not all… This being spritz season (and Piedmont’s Torino being the birthplace of Vermouth) we would be remiss if we didn’t end with a little Bordiga spritz.

$10 ($5 club) for a flight of 4 wines. Walk-ins welcome up to 6:40, but you can reserve your spot in advance online via the link in our bio if you so choose.

All featured wines will be available to attendees at 10% off.

Ciao! 🍷🇮🇹🚵‍♂️

Yeah this one right here goes out to all the baby’s mamas, mamas….

It’s the season to celebrate our Grandmas, great grandmas, mother figures, mothers-in-law, mothers-to-be, step moms, single moms, wonderful moms and challenging moms, as well as the mothers-we’ve-lost…

This Friday’s tasting will feature some staff favorites for spring / summer, made by some very talented mothers and grandmothers.

Enjoy a flight of 4 wines for $10 ($5 club) including a grower champagne, a stellar Weissburgunder from Heidi Schrock, and two light reds.

As always, all featured wines will be available to attendees at 10% off.

5-7pm

Alberto from ENA Winemaker's and Monika from Terra Firma imports will be taking over our bar tasting bar, pouring wines from regeneratively farmed and biodynamically farmed vineyards.

We wholeheartedly believe that farming that creates healthier soils and healthier wines creates better wine, but we encourage you to taste for yourself.

Join us Friday night as we pour 4 wines including ENA's Pinot Noir (one of top 10 wines of 2021) & Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino Ridge's Mariah Vineyard, one of the highest vineyards and exquisite sites in California.

Is Wine on Piedmont’s Explorers Club the best value in town? We like to think so…

For $65 every other month, club members receive 4 bottles of some of our favorite recent wine discoveries at a phenomenal value. Each selection is tasted by multiple team members, ranked and debated. Only the most exceptional wines make the cut.

This month’s pack is another fun one for us:

•A refreshing Chenin Blanc from new local label, little x little

• A Greek Rosé from young dynamic producer - - and the ancient, indigenous Limniona variety

• A summer Saperavi from Georgia (as in the Republic of) fermented in qvevri

• A knock out red blend from Faugeres (the premier AOC in France’s Southern Languedoc region) made by a brother and sister duo

🍾 August RM Club is Here 🍾

We’re going off the beaten track with this months selections:

1. Champagne Bolieu Fleur de Craie Brut
An exquisite Blanc de Blanc from the pioneering eastern edge of the Côte des Blancs.

2. Domaine Oinea Lune Noire Extra Brut
A biodynamic traditional method sparkling wine made from indigenous Greek varieties (Xinomavro, Assyrtiko) grown in the cool mountainous region of northwest Macedonia.

Salud!

It’s almost 5 o’clock, what will you be opening this ?

DIPA? West Coast? Hazy? Tropical? Belgian? Dry-Hopped? Or brewed with blood oranges? The options are endless.

Prost!

Oh, hey, it’s apparently 🥃

While Scotch may not be everyone’s summer dram, these foggy, windy evenings in the Bay Area bring to mind Scotland’s foggy peat bogs.

While we don’t embrace every (who has the time?) we are embracing this one as several RARE and ALLOCATED single malts are back in stock after months of waiting. YES!

So, we are taking the opportunity to celebrate - specifically - our Campbeltown superstars…

Not too smokey, but with a distinctive peatiness; rich, yet light in texture; whisky with a strong maritime influence—Campbeltown single malts offer something for everyone.

1. Kilkerran 12 Year - $99.99
The quintessential Campbeltown single-malt. Very lightly peated. Aged in a combination of Sherry and Bourbon casks. Expect beautiful honeyed aromas, followed by orange peel, oak spices, toasted marshmallow and cherries on the palate. Velvety smooth with a merengue finish with a saltiness and lightness you’d expect from a Campbeltown dram.

2. Kilkerran Heavily Peated Single Malt Batch 5 | $109.99
A maritime dram with a fruity edge. Aromas of vanilla, cheesecake, rhubarb, custard and rich peat fill the nose. The palate has all of this plus salted@caramel & flavors that evoke a windswept beach. Long lasting creamy finish with toasted oak, fruity peat smoke and pencil shavings.

3. Springbank 10 Year | $99.99
The perfect introduction to the Springbank range, with its cult-like following among whisky lovers. A single malt made entirely in house, distilled 2.5 times, and independently owned by the 5th generation of Mitchells (descendants of the original founder). Aromas and flavors of coastal breezes, damp peat, fresh orchard fruit, spice (nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon), honey, malt and vanilla notes.

4. Glen Scotia Victoriana Single Malt $89.99:
A house favorite. Exceptionally smooth with a distinctive charred oak character.

🏔NEW ADVENTURERS CLUB DROP🏔

We’re super excited about July’s compelling - and suitably adventurous - combo. We’re traveling off the beaten path through the rugged mountainous terrain of the foothills of France’s Jura range and the Sierras.

Domaine Montbourgeau L’Etoile 18:
A funky white wine from France’s most idiosyncratic wine region. Yes, it’s Chardonnay (with 5% Savignin), but not like any you’ve had before. Made in the classic style of the region (allowing ullage), this wine blends bright green apple and citrus with nutty Sherry-like oxidative notes, lending this wine a unique complexity and savory quality. More accessible in style and price than many of the full-blown ‘sous voile’ Jura wines. The name “E’toile” means star, a reference to the fossilized stars found in the regions limestone soils.

Cantadora “The Protector” Tempranillo Shake Ridge Ranch Vineyard 19:
A wine with purpose that celebrates 3 talented women: 1) Sonia Melara, the woman pictured on the label, who founded La Casa de las Madres, California’s first domestic violence center. 10% of proceeds from all wine sales go to La Casa de las Madres 2) Kira Ballota, the winemaker and founder of Cantadora whose wines (under her Olivia Brion label) we love and have also featured in our Explorers club 3) Ann Kraemer, who established and maintains the impeccably farmed Shake Ridge Ranch Vineyard in the Sierra Foothills. Since first bearing fruit in 2005, this vineyard has quickly attracted California’s top vintners despite its remote location. A profound and expressive wine that shows high toned red fruit, spice, leather and olive tapenade aromas and flavors.

Both wines were made (and grown!) by women from practicing organic vineyards.

👶 Our Avinyo family is expanding! 👶

One of our favorite summer sippers in now available in cans, even more perfect for the park or beach.

Mostly Muscat, with Macabeo, and Xarel-lo, this slightly frizzante Catalan wine has notes of jasmine, citrus and mineral. Low in alcohol and high in zesty acidity. And it’s organic to boot!

Serve alongside tinned fish and/or sunshine.

It’s not always easy to love our government, but it’s never been easier to love American wines.

Our latest newsletter features our “4 Wines for the Fourth” and this group covers a lot of ground. Head into the long weekend with one, or all four.

1) Dry Creek Zinfandel 2018 - no barbecue is complete without Zin, and Unti makes one of our favorites from the Primitivo clone—Zin with an Italian-American spin.

2) Proprietary Rock Red Blend 19 from Washington’s Columbia Valley- equal parts Malbec and Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon for structure from a spectacular single estate vineyard. A rock in’ value if there ever was one.

3) Columbia Valley Cabernet 2015 - for four and a half decades Quilceda Creek has been quietly making one of America’s most iconic Cabernet that most Californias have never heard of (spoiler alert: it’s from Washington) This hedonistic wine can go head to head with the best of Napa and Bordeaux (at 2-5x the price). A rare gem from our vault.

4) Brosseau Vineyard Sparkling Chardonnay 2017 - American “Grower Champagne” from Bedrock’s Morgan Twain-Peterson and Chris Cottrell. Traditional method Blanc de Blanc from the Chalone AVA. These wines usually sell out directly upon release from the winery, but occasionally — as long time supporters of Bedrock — we luck out and get a case. Terroir in a bottle. As Chris Cottrell would say, “life doesn’t get any better than Under the Wire Brosseau Vineyard and fried chicken”

June’s Explorers Club wines have arrived.

🤓🍷This month’s pack contains varieties that will stump even the most experienced wine geek in your life: Godello, Duras, Gros Manseng, Fer Servadou🤓🍷

As usual, this group is meticulously selected, uniquely delicious and a screaming value.

🌈 Our annual rainbow bar display is out and proud 🌈

As folks who’ve dedicated most of our lives to wine, spirits & hospitality, we know that the more people, and the more kinds of people, we welcome to our table, the richer the conversation and the better the party.

As we head into Pride Weekend 2022, we raise our glasses high to the brave activists who’ve fought to get us where we are today and to those activists who continue to fight. Too many of us remember times when not every shop on the block flew a rainbow flag, and know of places where you still can’t walk don’t the street holding your partners hand.

We thank our LGBTQ customers, suppliers, employees, friends and neighbors for their continued support.

Now let’s go out and celebrate LOVE all weekend long!

🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🍾🍾🍾

“Never forget that the most political thing you can ever do is follow your heart."
-RuPaul

"If you want to be invited to the party, you better have something to bring."
- RuPaul

We’ve got a lot to celebrate this weekend: Sunday is Father’s Day AND Juneteenth (not to mention, yay dubs!!!)

If you’re looking for last minute gift inspiration, may we suggest Uncle Nearest 1884 Whiskey? You’ve heard the buzz, now it’s high time to try the booze.

Founded in 2017 by entrepreneur, Fawn Weaver, Uncle Nearest Whiskey is named in honor of Nathan “Nearest” Green, one of the fathers of American Whiskey (see photo 2).

Born into slavery and emancipated after the Civil War, Green was known locally in Tennessee as the best master distiller of his day, and is the first known African American master distiller. He has been widely credited with mentoring Jack Daniels.

Seven generations of Green’s descendants would work for Jack Daniels, carrying on his legacy as the greater spirits world forgot him.

At least until 2016/2017, when Fawn Weaver launched her brand and foundation and also when a breaking New York Times article (where we accessed Green’s photo) shared Green’s story with millions.

Today, Victoria Eady Butler (photo 1), Green’s great-great-grand daughter serves as Uncle Nearest’s Master Blender, her signature emblazoned on every bottle. She carries on the family tradition with a twist—this time she’s doing it for a black-owned label.

Since launching, Uncle Nearest’s entry-level 1884 whiskey, has swept nearly every award. This is a smooth sipping whiskey with notes of Bartlet pear, graham cracker, cinnamon and maple syrup. Easy to enjoy on the rocks on a hot summer day, alongside a burger, or in a cocktail.

May Adventurers club wines are ready for pick up—come in and get ‘em!

1) Hungarian kéknyelű - the greatest white wine you’ve never had - from the north shore of Lake Balaton and

2) a smokin’ hot, cool-climate Syrah from and the Sta. Rita Hill’s John Sebastiano Vineyard with an incredible story behind it

🍾🍾Spring RM Club is here 🍾🍾

This May, it’s all about Rosé. Once dismissed as frivolous, pink bubbles are increasingly sought after. Not only are they pretty in your glass, but they make excellent food pairings wines. They can range in style from delicate and demure to fruity and indulgent (strawberries and cream) to rich, mineral-driven and earthy (like the Coulon below).

Pick up you club pack or join this dear-to-our-hearts quarterly club today!

1) Roger Coulon Rosalie Rosé de Saigneé

An expressive, vinous saigneé Rose Champagne (100% Pinot Meunièr) from Roger Coulon unobscured by dosage (less than 3g/L) and mousse (elegant at only 5 atmospheres of pressure vs the industry standard of 6). Once the Bay Area realizes just how good these wines are, this producer will be impossible to keep in stock!

2) Domaine Allemand Méthode Traditionelle Brut Nature

A crisp, crystalline traditional method sparkling wine from the Haut Alpes, one of the highest growing regions in France, made from the mighty Mollard grape native to the region. In fact, the Allemand family is responsible for saving this variety from extinction. Biodynamically-farmed vineyards are diligently plowed by the family horse.

Spring time is all about the 🐥 & 🐝s and we’ve brought in fantastic, affordable, easy to drink and totally unique ‘21 Flora & Fauna blends to celebrate:

1. “The Bee” - fresh, crisp and floral, this white is a blend of Arneis, Muscat, Erbaluce, Cortese and Favorita from Fox Hill Vineyard.

2. “The Bird” - dark cherry meets fresh earth in this red blend of dolcetto, barbera, Nebbiolo and a touch of Freisa.

We don’t know of any other California winemakers planting and working with this many Piedmontese varieties!

It’s said that over 120,000 mint juleps are served every year at the Kentucky Derby (this Saturday!).

For those inspired to participate in this American tradition, we’ve shared our tried-and-true julep recipe (image 3).

These days Kentucky may be even more famous for its bourbon that it’s horse racing.

Recently we’ve been enjoying the bourbons from .

Founded in 2010 by 3 friends with ties to horse racing, including a former NYC Sommelier who serves as the brands current master taster and blender, Pinhook (a term which refers to trainers who buy yearlings and train them to sell at a profit) has a unique approach to bourbon. Rather than aiming for consistency in every batch, Pinhook aims to bottle the best possible bourbon every year. As with wine, this leads to “vintage” variations.

Each year (or “crop”), Pinhook releases flagship bourbon and rye expressions named after different horses from Bourbon Lane Stables that they believe have the best chance of winning the illustrious Kentucky Derby. And since all the horses from Bourbon Lane have the words “bourbon” or “rye” in their names, it’s an easy task. In addition to drawings of the individual horses, the labels also detail the horse’s size, color, and s*x.

Pinkhook’s Straight Bourbon is a corn-heavy, citrus bourbon that is perfect for a julep (affordable price, simplicity) but good enough to sip on its own.

We also carry the Straight Rye (regular) and 6 Year Rye, both of which earned Gold Medals at last year’s SF Spirits Competition.

And with that may the best horse win! 🏇

Happy Cinco de Mayo, your annual reminder that tequila and mezcal

A) are indeed quite delicious, whether on their own or in margaritas

B) deserve a space — or several -- in your home bar

C) are way more diverse in style than you may have realized

Stop by the shop today and let’s geek out!

April’s Explorer Club wines are here—a collection of ancient grapes (Refosco! Savatiano! Muscat!) and ancient winemaking traditions (Amphora aging!):

• Mylonas Savatiano 20 (Greece)
• Bodkin Muscat Caneli 21 (California)
• Casa Relvas Art.Terra Amphora Tinto 20 (vinho de talhas, Portugal)
• Le Monde Refosco (Italy)