Heck, Yeah, I’m in Love: The Wine Mine
Nestled in a brick building on Telegraph in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland is a wonderful little wine shop you might almost drive past in your hurry to get there. Luckily, I have pretty quick reflexes (in other words, no one was behind me) and made a sharp turn into the parking lot. Walking around the side and into The Wine Mine was like entering a miniature heaven for poor winos. The store was empty when we first arrived, giving us time to peruse at our own whimsy. Mainly organized by country, although sometimes by grape, the store held all kinds of well-priced treasures. The owner, David, soon greeted us and helped me find the Nero d’Avola I had passed without noticing and suggested a Beaujolais Villages for my upcoming study group. Through the course of our chat, I realized that’s where last week’s second favorite wine of the night came from, and we discussed its lovely acidity.
Not only was David kind and informative, but he truly does have amazing prices, just as Yelpers attest. I walked out of there with a case of wine for about $160 (tax included). And what an array: several French, a couple Italian, three bubbly, a German, Spanish, Australian blend, and one from Lebanon. Sure, I used up most of my monthly wine budget in one place, but it was well worth it. I’ve got all sorts of goodies to show for it and now know where to go when I need more.
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POSTED IN: East Bay wine happenings, need another bottle?
2 opinions for Heck, Yeah, I’m in Love: The Wine Mine
VinquireThea
Apr 9, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Farley,
thanks SO much for the excellent recommendations! I have been digging through their website, and hearing the adverts on KFOG all week, and am eagerly anticipating my restocking trip there tomorrow after work.
Any particular recommendations?
Farley
Apr 10, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Thea.
Where to start? Well, definitely ask David any questions as he is super helpful. But I’d head for the bubbly in the far back left, and get some of the inexpensive French stuff, such as the Cremant d’Alsace and the one with the grayish silver label that I can’t recall the name of right now but it was $11 or $12.
I also got a Nero d’Avola for $6 that I haven’t tried yet, but at that price….
And I saw many more I could have gotten but forced myself to stop.
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