636115 Sun Jul 12 23:30:06 -0700 2009 31 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4852720 Or, less specifically, which of the many wine shops in the city have reputations for exceptional selections of Italian wine? Or, at the very least, which store has an employee who can point me towards a good bottle of barolo? Most places certainly have Italian wines, but the most shelf space is understandably devoted to California wines. Sun Jul 12 23:30:06 -0700 2009 11577 Pei 1 4852735 Don't know how the barolo inventory looks these days, but Biondivino sells primarily Italian wine and makes good recs. At K&L, Greg St Clair is the Italian specialist who every Italian wine importer hopes will choose their selections. Sun Jul 12 23:51:14 -0700 2009 4852720 10039 Melanie Wong 2 4854115 Biondivino is where I would go. Aside from a carefully selected set of almost all Italian wines, the owner, Ceri, has an encyclopedic knowledge of Italian wine and an excellent ear, so when we go in looking for a cross section of a particular region or just an ephemeral idea about trying something totally different, she listens to how we describe our tastes and makes recommendations, which have all been excellent. K&L's buyer is top notch, but I haven't experienced the same tailored service in-store as I have at Biondivino. Mon Jul 13 11:22:26 -0700 2009 4852735 17221 SteveG 2 4929879 I think Greg is now in the LA branch of K&L, but if you call him and gab, I'm confident he will put you in the right direction. He knows a lot about Barolos and when I was looking for wines to put away for my daughters' 21th birthday, he was very helpful. To draw him out, ask him about his travels to Italy. He's a good guy. Sat Aug 08 21:31:34 -0700 2009 4852735 17752 fishhead 1 4852837 I know it's not the city but if all else fails we'll always have Berkeley. North Berkeley Wine. http://northberkeleyimports.com/vintners/?id=9 Mon Jul 13 04:26:06 -0700 2009 4852720 105235 wolfe 2 4853038 I bought a great barolo there, but I can't remember the name of the guy who helped us. I do recall that he had a lot of information about the wines and they had a few different barolos to chose from. Mon Jul 13 06:08:41 -0700 2009 4852837 130031 Shane Greenwood 1 4853018 The old Tower Market (now a Mollie Stone's), up on Portola, has always had a surprisingly good selection of Italian wines. It still does. I don't know how often or when the wine buyer is there. The Wine Club, south of Market Street, also has a very good selection and a helpful staff. Mon Jul 13 06:01:25 -0700 2009 4852720 23776 DavidT 1 4853648 For older Barolos that are ready to drink, check out K&L, Dee Vine, Premier Cru, and Paul Marcus. The Wine Club occasionally has older bottles from cellars they've bought up. Biondivino has almost all Italian wine but I don't think she stocks many older bottles. Mon Jul 13 09:02:19 -0700 2009 4852720 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 4853691 Premier Cru has a nationwide rep amongst the wine-geek community for the sheer depth and breadth of their offerings, but the vast majority of it isn't on the shelves at the front of their storefront. Most of their business is done via mail-order from their website (or phone), though locals can certainly drop by and pick up orders in person. I know next to nothing about Italian wines, so I have to admit ignorance about Dee Vine's Italian selection. They have an awe-inspiring array of German wines, at least, which is what pulls me to their (very) barebones operation on the SF waterfront. Mon Jul 13 09:13:23 -0700 2009 4853648 63276 Spatlese 3 4853730 Yeah, for older bottles I'd recommend calling all of those places first, or checking their online inventory. Mon Jul 13 09:26:09 -0700 2009 4853691 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 4855012 If Menlo Park isn’t too far, Beltramo’s is where I have purchased most of my Nebbiolo. I’ve gotten great recommendations there too. For instance, the clerk recommended an outstanding 2004 Cantina Del Pino Barbaresco for $33, which turned out to be “Tre Bicchieri” in the Gambero Rosso. Once on a trip to Italy, I was looking for a particular wine, which I never found but discovered at Beltramo’s upon my return. I have gotten older Barolos I particularly wanted at Rare Wine Co. in Sonoma. Pick-up at their warehouse was not a problem. In SF proper it’s Biondivino, but I buy all her recommendations so I never have money left for Barolo. http://www.beltramos.com/ http://www.rarewineco.com/ Mon Jul 13 15:25:03 -0700 2009 4852720 14128 BN1 2 4855027 Oh yeah, I forgot about Rare Wine Co. They're amazing. They've been having more sales than they used to due perhaps to the recession. Mon Jul 13 15:28:14 -0700 2009 4855012 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 4855079 I would say if you are looking for a newer vintage, Biondivino has fantastic service and recommendations - just a great all around store. If you want an older bottle, K&L and Premier Cru. Remember that Barolo is going to need a fair amount of aging in order to be at its best to drink, so keep that in mind for the gift. Mon Jul 13 15:40:37 -0700 2009 4852720 10157 farmersdaughter 2 5051171 The "modern-style" Barolo requires less aging than the traditional style. Tue Sep 22 22:26:31 -0700 2009 4855079 18222 maria lorraine 1 4855446 I'll second (or third or fourth fifth whatever) Biondivino. Good selection, great advice and very friendly even to short-armed consumers like yours truly.($15 is a stretch for me.) Mon Jul 13 17:51:31 -0700 2009 4852720 17299 little big al 1 4855495 Believe it or not, I would call the sommelier, Andrew Mosblech, at A16 and get his thoughts. He's always been very helpful. Mon Jul 13 18:07:44 -0700 2009 4852720 1086303 Marc Veyrat 2 4855970 Or, perhaps I could stop by A16 and order a glass with dinner? I mean, nothing beats hands on research, right? Mon Jul 13 21:08:08 -0700 2009 4855495 11577 Pei 3 4856011 A16 specializes in the food and wine of Campania in Italy's south. Barolo hails from Piemonte in the northwest, and while I'm not saying that A16 has no barolo by the glass since it does have a few outside the region and even from Calif, I rather doubt it. Mon Jul 13 21:27:51 -0700 2009 4855970 10039 Melanie Wong 4 4856103 I was just at A16 tonight. I think the farthest northern region of Italy that is represented in the bottle list is Umbria or Le Marche. Mon Jul 13 22:09:35 -0700 2009 4856011 10157 farmersdaughter 3 4856764 For Barolo on a wine list, Acquerello's the place. Their current sample wine list shows a 1996 Barolo by the glass and dozens by the bottle. http://www.acquerello.com/wine_list/red_Italy_piemonte.html Tue Jul 14 07:17:21 -0700 2009 4855970 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 4914730 I wasn't suggesting that one go to, or buy from, A16. I said that the poster should call the sommelier to get ideas on where to buy. His knowledge of all Italian wine (including Barolo) and where to buy it here is exceptional. Mon Aug 03 17:50:01 -0700 2009 4855495 1086303 Marc Veyrat 1 4855861 Talk to Flori at the Jug Shop. She's a TOTAL Italian wine geek and can get you the good stuff. Mon Jul 13 20:15:08 -0700 2009 4852720 11204 srr 2 4855992 Yes, Flori is very knowledgeable about Italian wine. Mon Jul 13 21:16:30 -0700 2009 4855861 23776 DavidT 1 4929903 I'd second Paul Marcus. They have a deep selection of younger vintage Barolo and impeccable taste. You may also get lucky and find Barolo by the glass at A16 -- I have. They by no means focus their wine list only on Campania and southern Italian wines; I think there's just too much money to be made selling Italy's best wines from up north. Sat Aug 08 21:44:13 -0700 2009 4852720 13196 Alba 2 4930610 "Our wine list, comprising more than 500 bottles, focuses on the wines of the Mezzogiorno. Sixty percent of the wines are Italian and the majority are from Southern regions, including Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Sardinia, and Sicily." http://www.a16sf.com/menus Sun Aug 09 09:42:41 -0700 2009 4929903 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 5049680 Whatever dude. My point is they don't exclusively focus on southern Italian wines. Tue Sep 22 12:24:27 -0700 2009 4930610 13196 Alba 4 5049743 True, but the question at hand is, "Best Place to Buy a Barolo?" The current sample by-the-glass list has 16 Italian reds, and the northernmost are from Umbria and the Marche. That's typical of my experiences there. Tue Sep 22 12:39:11 -0700 2009 5049680 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 5050389 Not yet mentioned is Weimax in Burlingame near the airport. They have a remarkable selection of Piemontese wines. I was there Monday poking around and saw Barolo wines from Sandrone, Aldo Conterno, Giacomo Conterno, Vietti, Ratti, Cavallotto, Revello, Clerico, E. Pira, Germano, Fontana, Settimo, Massolino, Oddero, Bruno Giacosa and maybe some others. They also had a few good Barbaresco wines including Gaja, Castello di Neive, Cantina del Pino, Produttori del Barbaresco, Cascina Morassino and a couple of others I've forgotten. There are some older vintages stashed in a glass display case. One of the fellows there, the owner I think, travels periodically to Italy. He's shown me some interesting and obscure wines. Prices seem to be reasonable and they offer a case discount (I usually put together a dozen bottles of 'everyday' wines and add a few special bottles). Biondivino has some good wines, too. Paul Marcus has a nice range. Tue Sep 22 16:02:54 -0700 2009 4852720 1111261 WineGeek_1 1 5051273 I third the reco for Rare Wine Co. If you look at their current inventory on their site you will see an impressive portfolio of Barolos (including older wines) that start at $40 (and go up...and up from there.) They are always willing to share tons of advice and help you find the wines you want for your budget. (And they are just as nice to you if you are looking for bargains as if money were no object.) Plus, they will hold your wine and store it for you for free (in their perfectly conditioned warehouse) until you want them to ship it. Wed Sep 23 01:06:10 -0700 2009 4852720 68677 originalfig 2 5054516 Best place to buy great wine at a fair price in SF: Wine Club San Francisco. NO DOUBT Thu Sep 24 06:02:32 -0700 2009 5051273 15383 tstrum 3 5054633 I have always found good deals at the SF Wine Club, and appreciate the advice on the wines I have purchased there. Thu Sep 24 06:52:28 -0700 2009 5054516 11938 Tripeler 1 5054881 Paul at the Plumpjack Wines Fillmore store is an expert on Italian Wines. If I were in the market for Barolo, this would be one of my stops. Thu Sep 24 08:33:03 -0700 2009 4852720 11277 Paul H