Right around the corner from Cheeseboard Collective, this is the perfect spot to grab a glass--or a couple glasses--of wine and enjoy their cute outdoor patio. Inside, you'll find a fun selection of unique wines and a super laid-back vibe. The staff were incredibly helpful and even let us sample what they had for the day before making our final choice. I also had to take a few photos because the whole spot is so Instagrammable. Highly recommend, and I'd definitely come back! read more

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If you are looking for exquisitely curated wines from around the world, with special attention paid to affordability (huge selection of great wines under $30) then this is your place. I've been a patron of Vintage for years, and what's not to like? The location is gorgeous (a former pumping plant thats been transformed into a cozy, intimate space with a garden out front that changes with the seasons). And the shop is nestled right in the heart of Berkeley's Gourmet District with Peets, Saul's Deli, Cheeseboard Coop and Pizza, Andronico's, and Chez Panisse as next door neighbors. Inside you will find wines by color, grape, and region. It's not an enormous collection, but a lot of thought and experience has gone into presenting customers with something new and surprising. If I can't find myself making an easy decision, the staff have always been patient and helpful in finding the right bottle for my needs. Vintage also offers several different wine clubs for people who like a monthly or bimonthly grab bag of adult grape juice (including the occasional bubbles!). This is the wine store I wish I had as a neighborhood shop. For now, it's a well deserved destination (along with Kermit Lynch Wine Shop) that has yet to disappoint. Give it a try! read more

Vintage Berkeley - Great local wine store in the Berkeley Gourmet District. - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

Staff here is very friendly. Lot of wine varieties and they are always willing to help you find a bottle you're looking for!

We came to pickup some natural wines for holidays. They had quite a selection and were extremely helpful. It has a sweet vibe of a place and can get wine by the class if you just want to sit down and enjoy. read more

It's a really cute building and cute little patio to get a bottle of wine. Especially at sunset. Great selection of wines. However, nasty nasty pretentious service. You're lucky we are helping you at all kind of attitude.....but maybe if that person at the register wasn't working this evening , we could have had a great time . read more

Love the spot, was served a glass to drink on the patio with a good friend and take in the garden surroundings

Amazing wine selection and lots of events! The store is gorgeous and so many friendly staff members. I've been to two of the comedy events and it was amazing - super cute set up outside and lots of food options to eat before locally. read more

My aunt sent me a gift card for the holidays (I know, what an aunt, am I right?!) so, I packed up the fam and we schlepped up to north Berkeley. Love this spot from the outside. It used to be a municipal building and it has the cutest little front yard with a few benches. Love. We went in, and it's pretty bare bones. Not a ton of attention, but thankfully 75% of the wines have very clever and fun note cards to help guide you on your journey. A majority of the wines range from about $19-$30 from all regions. I have yet to try said wines I picked up, but they all were not your run of your mill brands. I've actually never seen any of them (nope, I did see a Broc Cellars), so that's a great sign. I like supporting some smaller producers. A great little wine shop. I'm sure if I lived closer I'd be in much more frequently discovering new finds! read more

Vintage Berkeley - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

I genuinely love this wine store. We moved to the area in October and have been frequenting this shop ever since. They have an eclectic selection of imports and lots of Californian wines, along with a *ton* of organic wines! The staff is awesome. I don't look like the typical wine connoisseur. I'm a disheveled Native guy and I often get side-eyed (or followed) when I go to fancy wine stores or, or god forbid I go wine tasting. Ironic. I may not look like the typical wine nerd, but I'm the adult child of a sommelier and, while I'm far from a somm myself, I know my stuff (sort of). I've never been made to feel out of place or strange in this store. On the contrary, the staff always makes me feel right at home. They are all so eager and happy to answer questions and recommend some good wines. We joined their wine club and have been enrolled since January. It's a GREAT wine club. The selections always come with excellent notes on the winemaker, flavors, and what you might want to pair it with. And the sense of humor of the staff comes through in their notes. They are funny! You can get a taste of that while in the store. Most of the wines that they sell have cards written by the staff about the winery, wine, and the flavors in the wine. At least once a week they have wine tastings that are around $10 for non wine club folks and $5 for wine club members. I've been to a couple and they're great fun and great wine too. And if wine isn't your favorite, they also have a small selection of local Bay Area beers (Ghost Ship Brewery has the BEST IPAs), and some sake as well! read more

Great selection! Lots of lesser known wine regions with quality and affordable bottles. The staff is super helpful with choosing between wines. They also have tastings with importers introducing you to new favorites that would otherwise have been difficult to find read more

Bottle of Matthiasson had a $89 tag on the shelf. Cashier rang me up at $94, said tag was wrong. When I asked to honor the price he didn't and offered a refund instead. Don't know if this is bait and switch, but sent complaint to ca ag either way. What a poor experience. read more

Tons of wine options to select from. From what the owner/manager told us, the value prop is for consumers to buy a nice table wine without paying premium prices. We came here for a brief wine tasting and the owner popped open a fresh bottle of a white wine for our group to sample. I didn't particularly care for the wine, and it would have been nice to do more of a traditional tasting to try a few different options, but still a pleasant experience, albeit brief. If you're in the area and need a bottle to pair with dinner that night, definitely stop into Vintage Berkeley. read more

Summary: Four of us came here one Friday night ~7:10 pm, and caught the end of the happy hour event consisting of flight of bubbles, and only were able to try 3 of the 5 which had been offered. We were charged a a discount rate of $5 a person which was considerate of them. The (non-bubbly) wines here are very reasonably priced ($10-$30/bottle), but I did not try them. The biggest issue I have with this place is about its strange, inconsistent hospitality.... It was raining when my friend and I arrived, and there was an older couple in their mid-40's in the shop with us. My friend and I are in our mid-20's. There were two women helping out in this shop: one older and one younger lady. My friend and I waited for the older lady from the shop to finish helping the older couple, and then asked her about the wine tasting options. We explained that there would be four us in total -- two were still on their way. The older lady actually politely told my friend and I to go to Cesar's "if we wanted to get a drink". It did not seem like she wanted to serve us. Meanwhile, I saw in the back that the older couple she had just helped was getting set up with a flight in the back. I asked about the wine tasting about they were doing in case it was different from the one we were inquiring about, but she insisted that the shop had run out of wine: "Sorry, it was a crowded afternoon, people really came in and finished off the bottles. We don't have any left." (paraphrased) She told me briefly about their email list, and then my friend and I turned to leave the shop to go back into the rain, having been there for only a few minutes. Then the two others in our party arrived. One is very outgoing and walked straight to the younger lady in the shop, asking for a flight. She promptly served us and even gave us a discount. I was baffled, and looked around for the older lady who had suddenly disappeared. (???) We had a nice time in here in the end -- it turns out they had just run out of two wines. I have no idea what happened in the beginning. I have never been shoo'ed out of a store, but it sure felt like that. I hope Vintage doesn't treat all their younger-looking customers this way. 2/5 for a strange, disappointing customer experience. read more

We walked in here just on a whim. Outside the building says East Bay Municipal District Vine Street Pumping Plant. The guy seemed friendly enough, but he didn't try to sell us anything or help us look for anything. I don't care for wine so I didn't look at the bottles at all. I missed the FREE tastings by an hr. Free tastings are: M-F 4-7pm; Sat 2-4pm Only thing I liked was they had Free copy of Edible East Bay vol 2 no.2 Winter 2007 magazine. It's only printed 4 times a yr and u can pick up a FREE copy here, otherwise a subscription is $28/yr. I'll go back for FREE tasting and for FREE Edible Eat Bay which is published April, July, Oct., & Jan. Store hrs: M-F 11a-9p Sat 11a-8p Sun 12p-6p --- Updated 4/21/07: Picked up my Spring 2007 copy of Edible East Bay Sat 4/21/07, still FREE. Got one for friend too. read more

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Came here because berkeley imports was closed. Gentleman working at cashier was unhelpful and generally unfriendly. Left because why drop money at a place like this? read more

Suffice to say, I'm nobody when I'm next to the guy who launched Cupcakes who decided that the best wine shop in the area is Vintage Berkeley. But...I have been looking for really unusual wines, especially French, Italian and German wines. The site prominently displays "Conserve Water, Drink Wine." Very cute. An old pump station for the East Bay, Vintage Berkeley in the Gourmet Ghetto is chic and ultra modern. Looking for a good Riesling? Look no further. Saturday FREE wine tasting was a set of four French wines from Loire Valley and beyond. The man who launched Cupcake, aka the fastest growing Livermore based wine maker in the country, was into that. Not only he was French but also he was in the wine business. If that was not intimidating enough, when he did tasting in his Missoni scarf, sporting his dark rim glasses and unruly blond hair, he only just sifted the wine, and then spitted them all back out each time, while I swallowed every single drop from each tasting like I'd been dry for years. Might as well dig a hole and hide under the rock until he's gone for good. I did very much enjoy the Gamey. To my relief, so did the man in the know. While there were expensive wines there, there were also very affordable everyday wines, but unusual, which was always a good thing. The Cupcake man picked up a cool red for a party we'd attend later on that evening. I was sufficiently buzzed at the end of the impromptu wine tasting trip, and as I rode in his car back to his Berkeley Hill house, I made a mental note to return for another wine tasting and shopping expedition, with or without the man in the know, perhaps wear more stylish attire the next time. read more

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I've shopped at Vintage Berkeley in the past and been impressed with their selection and service every time. The one time they recommended and I purchased a stinker -- bad bottle? Bad vintage? Dunno -- I went back to the shop the next day with a nearly full bottle and they gave me an exchange for something new. Exactly what I would want and expect from a local wine shop. They also have regular tastings etc. so you can take advantage of their in-shop expertise. All of that said, this is a review for their response and service during the coronavirus crisis. I ordered a case of wine from them on 3/21 fully expecting to wait as long as week or more for delivery. We're all social distancing but I assume lots of us are probably also still drinking... maybe more than usual. My point is: we need booze but we're all pretty limited on where we can get it and everything is taking longer than usual. I got my case of wine today -- two days after ordering -- and they called to let us know it was being dropped off and everything. So if you're trying to do your part by staying out of the shops but you also still want to enjoy a glass of something with your quarantine rations, drop these fine folks a line. You'll be happy you did. read more

Walking by, this quaint building seems out of place on the strip but there always seems to be a bold ray of light illuminating the front of the shop beckoning me in. Housed in a 1930's pumping station, Vintage Berkeley is not a clothing shop like its name might suggest, instead its delightful, fermented wares come in the bottle. Wine, wine, as far as the eye can see, displayed for proper browsing. Humble but impressive, much of the selection is under $25 with poetic, verveful descriptions that make me want to recruit the authors to Yelp! Admittedly, these write-ups are my lodestar as my vino purchasing decisions are often based on the intrigue of the label. No more TJ's crapshoots! Trust is must be earned, and these fellows have my gold badge. Upon exit, the sun-splashed front garden is a lovely place to enjoy a bright afternoon; steal a few sips in the sun if you dare! But if you choose to indulge in one of their offerings at home, you'll soon be running back for more. read more

Vintage Berkeley - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

I stopped here last Friday for a bottle of wine for Gayle. She was still feeling a little off balance after Tyrone's (the wonder Lab) passing. And I didn't need the "Voice" to tell me that this no time to repeat my point about the availability of good and award-winning wine for under $10. So I decided to "go the distance" and stop at this Vintage Berkeley location. This is one of 3 stores that are owned by the same partners. I have shopped at their Solano Cellars (Albany) location for years and we had also had an excellent experience with the Vintage Berkeley that is located on College Avenue. What Gayle and I particularly enjoyed about the College Avenue location was the attractive space, a very wine-engaged co-owner, and some great wine values (under $25). This Vintage Berkeley has a similarly nice selection of wine, exhibited the same way (including refrigerated options). The architecturally attractive old PG&E Pump House (and nice walk up) also added to the the experience. I found this co-owner to be very knowledgeable, albeit a little less engaging and excited about his wares than his College or Solano counterparts. In any event, the 2 wines I purchased turned out to be excellent choices. Most importantly, Gayle enjoyed the wine and the relaxation at home with my son and our pets gathered around. And as we listened to her talk about her feelings and Tyrone, we knew that in some small way we had helped "ease her pain". read more

Vintage Berkeley, in a decommissioned 1930's municipal water pumping facility, specializes in wine under $20, with knowledgeable staff and a wide selection. You can go here with $100 or $200 and come out with a case of great wine and a bunch of wine-snob stories, like "Oh do you like that white? It's not a Sancerre, it's actually a Touraine and comes from a nearby region. . . yes Sancerre's an appelation, of course the grapes heve to come from there. Terroir and all that old bean." Or ,"Did you know the guy who owns this winery won it in a leg-wrestling contest?" A great example of owners staying close to the business and keeping it simple. read more

"O Yelpers, I am sending you this chariot of lovely, well-priced bottles for after dinner. Amid the company may it be a sweet goad for your drinking companions, for the fruit of Dionysos, and for your Californian drinking cups, when fellow Yelper's wearisome cares vanish from their breasts, and on a sea of golden wealth we all alike sail to an illusory shore..." Pindar, fragment 124 ab, as translated by Jenna P. *** i was turned onto vintage berkeley by a friend several months ago, and have not turned back. this is definitively the *best* place to buy wine in the east bay. a relatively new addition to the gourmet ghetto, it is also the least pretentious. and, as my friend Natashka has pointed out, all the guys who run this operation are *most* helpful. the only thing i'd still love to see would be those super cheap, unlabeled bottles you can get at at Nicolas in Paris or London... read more

Vintage Berkeley - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

I dropped my favorite bibliophile at Black Oak Books and came here to indulge my inner-oenophile. The guys that work here are very friendly and immediately steered me to what I asked for. Great service, nice selection, warm atmosphere. read more

On Saturday evening, we caught you as you were locking up half an hour early. We had sprinted to get to you before closing, but we didn't know you were "having dinner with your mother, that you hoped we'd understand." But what if we don't understand? You need to know that we spent our $150 at Andronicos nearby--yes, they do sell some good ones but we'd have preferred to support your wine-specific business. Can't give you one star because the other guy who works at this store location is a wine knowledge champion, your wine tastings have always been classy, and your inventory is vital to the neighborhood. Please never close early again on a Saturday night when you have customers at the door. read more

I wish Vintage Berkeley was closer to me. This is the kind of store that a wine novice like me would want to go to every time I want to try something new or get a gift for a wine lover. Their breezy, affable approach to wine really speaks my language. My favorite thing about the store is their description cards....because when I read them, I TOTALLY GET IT. They are Informative, funny, and written in layperson's wine-glish. When I read description cards at other places, I walk away feeling more confused and intimidated. Not here! Their small but comfy space makes it very personal and helps me not feel so lost (like I do at BevMo). And the folks here are happy to prove that you don't have to spend mad scrills to enjoy a nice bottle. Did I just say 'mad scrills'? I did! LoL We were able to come here for some Vhino Verde tastings and the person who was facilitating the tasting was just as gregarious as the store's personality. Highly recommend if you are in the area! read more

Vintage Berkeley - the entrance to east bay municipal utility district - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Berkeley, California

The owners know everything about good wines! I walked in to buy a red for a new year gift, and he helped me a lot. He showed me at least 10 wines in my price range, every wine special in some manner (year/region/packaging/maker/history etc...) and I was surprised he recollected all of that for so many wines. They have wines for every budget, and so even if the shop seems fancy, I will recommend that you visit there once to see if you will like anything. Tip for the owner: Please do have more variety from Italy (Tuscany). They make amazing wine there. read more

My fiance and I are wine newbies - we just know what tastes good and until recently had no idea what all the fancy wine terminology corresponded to (EX: how can my wine-aholic old roommate evaluate a wine as tasting of leather when she's a vegetarian??). Good thing we found Vintage Berkeley! Steve, the tall white guy that works there, is super helpful - whenever we go in we tell him what we're cooking and he'll show us a wine, usually under $20, that'll go great with it (friends are always impressed with "our" selection and we just smile!). He'll also describe it for us so we can regurgitate the summary for friends and actually educates us about wines (like tannins, what fruity is, the different types of grapes, regions, etc). They also have free tastings of the wine of the day and at their other location they also offer free classes. Hooray! update: Steve has left Vintage! While there are still definitely helpful people there, just not the same. And watch out for the girl - she's a carding nazi (necessary legally i s'pose, so don't forget your ID when she's there!). read more

I haven't tried the Malbec I just bought but I did like this store. They offer simple details about what each of their wines taste like. Most of the wines are under $25 so this place is perfect for everyday drinking. They pick unusual wines that most of us have never heard of as they specialize in small lots. I want to taste my bottle before I offer more stars but this could be a real winner if they are credible. Update, the Malbec was tasty and their desription was accurate. Looks like they sell good wines for the price here so 4 stars. read more

Short story. I don't know too much about wine, but I'm learning... A wine connoiseur- customer let me have a taste of some of his fucking awesome riesling... weeks later I was thinking about that riesling... Went to Vintage Berkeley hoping to find *something* like it. The guys that run this shop out of this funky fantastic little historic building are great, lots of history and information at their fingertips... not too mention a small but wise selection (but hey, what do I really know?) of wines. Walked home with 6 new and each different bottles of wine: 3 reds, 3 whites. Of course one of them was a riesling - there's a german word for it but I forget it at the moment ---come back to this word later--- and it was...... fucking awesome. Thanks Vintage Berkeley. I don't know too much still, but I'm loving learning about wines and enjoying them lots! Last note: reasonable prices. There was a bottle of muscata for 6.00. ---will get next visit--- My riesling was 20.00. Sancerre was 14.00. Sauvignon Blanc was 12.00. One of Stephens reds was 16.00... read more

Since I adore Solano Cellars, I expected to find a similar affinity with Vintage Berkeley, it's smaller sister store. To my surprise, VB is the more "affordable" of the two, with all their wines at $25 or less, even though it feels incredibly boutiquey, like those clothing stores with all the hangers spaced out. And spacious it is. The selection is much more limited than Solano, but what they lack in quantity they make up for in the quality department. It's a lovely place to browse and dream of all those exquisite, multi-course dinner parties you've been meaning to host...when the recession is over. Next century, perhaps. There were two tragically hip young fellows manning the shop, one of them happily escorted me on my quest for an "interesting, lively, non-French" white wine. He suggested a few, though the fact that they have lengthy poetic descriptions of each and every wine they carry makes the selection process easy, even without the personalized help. I settled on a $15 Verdehlo and a $16 unusual Northern Italian white, both with cute folksy labels that screamed "I would never buy wine from a supermarket." Apparently they have tastings every day from 4-7pm, but sadly, not on the odd day I visited. I can say definitively that Solano Cellars has a much more casual, approachable, down-home vibe, while Vintage Berkeley exudes more of a stylish wine gallery aura. Either way, you'll walk away with a bottle to be proud of. read more

Housed within East Bay MUD's former Vine St. Pumping Station, Vintage Berkeley just may well be the perfect wine store! You aren't going to find skads of expensive, rare and fancy Bordeaux and Burgundies here (you can always find those around!). You aren't going to find the latest and greatest, smallest and most exclusing, triple digit-priced California micro-producer. You aren't going to loads of little signs that say "98 points, Parker" or "104 points, Wine Speculator." But what you WILL find is a wide-but-manageable selection of wines from all over (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and -- oh yeah -- the US). Most priced in the $8-25 range. Most are drinkable now; some will age gracefully for years to come. Some are well-known names, familiar to all; most will be less well-known, familiar only to some; all will be delicious. Owners Peter and Maya, along with the rest of the staff, are young, enthusiastic, and knowledgable -- about their inventory, and wines in general. PLUS, they have a small wine tasting "bar." After spending 35 years in the wine trade, THIS is my pick for "the perfect wine store." * * * * * P.S. The higher-end wines? Those are available at their "sister store," as Peter and Maya have taken over the [relatively] nearby Solano Cellars! read more

This place is fantastic. The staff is knowledgable, friendly, and courteous. And, there is a huge selection of wines between $10 and $30. It's a perfect place to stop on a nice day, after you've selected some fresh-baked bread and cheese from the Cheeseboard just around the corner and are on your way up to Tilden Park or Indian Rock for a picnic (where, of course, you will hide your open container). And, I won't even dock it a star for the salesgirl who was salaciously flirting with my date the last time I was there. That's how much I like the place. Besides, it kind of turned me on. read more

Found this place yesterday, & it's a gem. Each bottle of wine had a lengthy, ornate description. And...almost all the bottles are under 25, & many are in the 10-15 range! I asked one of the guys there to recommend a cheap red that would be good enough to stand on its own, w/out food. He recommended Douro, from Portugal. It did the trick: we drank it while watching Gilmore Girls/playing Warcraft, then had sex while we still had a buzz on. Awesome. read more

This place is the best! They have a great selection of natural and organic wines and are so knowledgeable about each label. We got our wedding wines from here, and Dan helped us secure a few of the last cases of my favorite wine (Edith and Ida Chardonnay) even when the winery itself said that they had run out. They delivered all the way to our venue in santa cruz and were amazing to work with. They had great recommendations of which wines to serve, and our guests LOVED the wine. read more

05/28/07 Update: Went back this afternoon and purchased a mixed case of wines. (10% off each case, hetero or homogenous!) The girls were super friendly and helpful, welcoming. Sipping a vin gris right now and loving it. This place is great, go see them! 05/26/07: I didn't even purchase anything from Vintage but I love this place nonetheless. The guy in the back was friendly and willing to help. The variety was nice and I love the handwritten commentary. I really want to try this green wine they have-- sounds like good (summer) times. The setup inside is simple yet comfortable and everything is so reasonably priced. It's cool going into a wineshop where I can afford absolutely everything! Very nice. read more

Lame, unfriendly, and not as advertised. My husband and I wander down Vine Street with our children in tow after a lovely late-afternoon Berkeley stroll. We just moved to the area and were excited to check out the local wine store and participate in their well-advertised happy hour tasting. This was, in our minds, going to be our local go-to wine store. We like wine. We buy wine. They sell wine. We planned to have a glass of wine, make a purchase of a lovely bottle to take home and enjoy together. The store's needs and ours were totally in sync. A match made in heaven. We walk in the shop to find the two young guys who work there all alone. Not a soul in the shop. We inquire about the wine happy hour, and the first guy says, "Yeah, we do offer that...but only if we have a bottle of wine open.", the other guy says, "We don't have any wine open right now...so we're not doing happy hour today. Come back tomorrow." Unfriendly, cold, and (if I may be so bold) weird. We were there to taste wine (which we would PAY for), and buy wine (which we would also PAY for) at a time clearly in the advertised Happy Hour. This was in a wine shop full of wine. Wine that could be opened during the said Happy Hour. I guess that they felt we weren't worth opening a bottle of wine for. Completely unwelcoming and insensitive to the customer. I don't understand a business that turns away paying customers who are in a shop to purchase the very thing the business sells. We walked out. No sale now. And we won't be coming back. No sale ever. read more

Vintage Berkeley - A Wine Store For the People (don't you love how very Berkeley that name is) opened in January 2005 in the Vine street pumping station. The pumping station is this cool old building from the early 1900's that actual makes a great retail space. The whole "wine store for the people" thing refers to the fact that Vintage Berkeley makes a point of stocking affordable wines. Also, the atmosphere of VB is not exactly warehouse, but it is not exactly sophisticated wine shop either. They have a very nice staff and so many great deals that you will have a hard time not leaving with more bottles than you planned on picking up. VB is less than two blocks from Cheeseboard Pizza and Cheeseboard Collective (the cheese shop) which is very convenient. read more

Helpful hint- I found at least three of the wines from Chez Panisse here. You save a shitload of cash compared to the restaurant markup. (No other comments cuz everyone has done a great job reviewing it.) P.S. See how cleverly I avoided including "shitload" and "Chez Panisse" in the same sentence? That's respect. That's love. read more

So, you don't like wine, and yet you write a review for a wine store and give it a low rating. And yet you don't like wine? I swear, I can hardly understand some people that post reviews on here. I'm sure I would probably be less than impressed at any fishing supply store, but I'm not about to give the place a low rating just because I don't fish. Did you find the place interesting? Was the service acceptable? I can honestly say that at Vintage, the owner was out and about in the store and extremely personable, so helpful even wine dislikers can't help but WANT to like wine, just so they can buy a bottle from this guy. Almost all of the wines are $25 or less, and practically each one has a handwritten review of the wine. Wines from Spain, Italy, France, South America, and reviews describing actual wineries and vineyards. Talk about a cool job! Clever alert: The shop is in an old municipal utility water pumping building, and what does the chalkboard say upon entry? Save water, drink some wine! Hear, hear! read more

The easiest transaction ever. I wandered in and told the guy that I was taking a trip to the East Coast and I wanted to bring some Californian wine that my cousins out East wouldn't be able to get. And BAM, he takes me on a little store wine "tour" naming the region and qualities to each wine. The descriptions were helpful too but I gotta give all my accolades to the guy that helped me. I can't remember his name but he's the dude that's originally from Philly (where I'm headed this weekend.) I left with a nice pinot girs from El Dorado county ($16.50) and a pinot noir from Santa Cruz ($23). The prices weren't too bad considering these are gift wines to thank my gracious East Coast hosts for setting me up. Total time from walking in to payment? About 5 minutes. Barely put a dent in my parking meter. Love it! read more

The perfect lazy, summer, saturday afternoon - pick up a pizza at cheeseboard, some wine at vintage berkeley, and walk to Live Oak park. I'm not really sure what else to write - the staff is great at pairing wines with food and suggesting new varieties to try. Good selection of wine, very helpful staff, and a good mix of prices. The location can't really be beat either. read more