PHOTO OF THE WEEK
As northern hemisphere vineyards are dormant presently, there is much work to be done in the vineyards.

This week's snapshot comes to us from the Taliano family at the Montaribaldi winery in the Barbaresco region of Italy's Piemonte.
They tell us something like 80% of last year's vine growth is cut back in preparation for the 2023 growing season.


If they leave too much wood, the vine might have a tendency to be over-productive which dilutes the quality of the grapes and the resulting wine.  This is a specialized job and requires attention to detail, as always.

We've been fans of the Montaribaldi wines for several decades, finding their Barbaresco to be a good value as they have sensible pricing.
Currently in the shop we have their entry-level bottle on sale for $29.99.

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We've been meeting more friends from Europe coming to visit Burlingame...
One of the highlights was a range of wines made by Claudio Fenocchio.

That bottle of 2002 Barolo was especially fascinating (and damned good).
It's from a vintage widely regarded as terrible.
Here's the Wine Spectator assessment:

And while the vintage was less than stellar, we've tasted a few really good wines, a testament to a vigilant and capable winemaker.
The Fenocchio Barolo from the Bussia vineyards was showing beautifully.
It can still be kept for perhaps another five to ten years!

We recall hearing a prominent Burgundy vintner saying that sometimes those so-called poor vintages simply require a bit of patience for the wines to develop and show their complexities...that's certainly what we found here.
We liked the 2002 Brunate well enough to acquire a few bottles.

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Here we are, seems like Christmas was just last week and we're already looking at February!


GERALD & THE CREW AT WEIMAX

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Our Tasting Room is open...Monday through Saturday from mid-day until 6pm.
CLICK HERE TO HAVE A LOOK.

The 2020 Fenocchio Barbera d'Alba is a winner!
Dark in color and beautifully aromatic with blackberry fruit notes...it's dry and smooth, a perfect partner for pizza, sausages, tomato-sauced pastas, pork, red meats, etc.
$25.99

Here's an obscure, fizzy red.  If you're a fan of good Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna, here's a southern Italian vino frizzante from the coast of Campania.  It's from a region just a few miles south of Pompei in the town of Gragnano and it's made mostly of Piedirosso with Aglianico and a bit of Sciacinoso.  Mildly fizzy and dry, it's a great red to pair with pizza.
$19.99

We visited this domaine in 2016, having appreciated their various Chablis wines.
Denis and Isabelle Pommier have a new importer in the Bay Area and we're delighted to have them back in the shop.
$35.99 for 750mls and half-bottles are $26.99.


From a small, father & son team in France's Jura, situated between Burgundy and Switzerland in the mountains, comes this terrific, bottle-fermented Chardonnay.  It's quite dry and even displays some toasty, bready elements we love in Champagnes.
$29.99.
Oh!  Biodynamically farmed, too.

The 2022 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc just landed...it's mildly citrusy with a hint of Jalapeño pepper spice.
Sale price is $21.99.


We've been fans of this Napa Valley "trophy" and it easily compares to the top "cult Cabernets" found on many restaurant wine lists.
Production is small and the price is high...but less than $300 anyway.

A new enterprise from a fellow who's long been a Weimax customer, Tomaq is a word for "fog" in the language of the Kashaya people who inhabited the lands near Fort Ross, California.
We found a delightful Pinot Noir which, while light on the palate (and it's not a high alcohol wine, by the way) is remarkably aromatic and complex on the nose.
He also made an unusually complex Rosé that's dry...
$33.99 for the Pinot Noir...$22.99 for the Rosé.

La Rioja Alta makes traditionally-styled wines of the highest quality, in our view.
California vintners have difficulty challenging these guys for value, as this Tempranillo is matured in some new American oak and then given several years in bottle, released when it's complex and beautifully drinkable.
Sale price is $21.99.

One of our favorite Champagnes is that of Pierre Moncuit, a small family enterprise in the "Grand Cru" town of Le Mesnil where Chardonnay is king.
Bone dry as they cater to a discriminating connoisseur, not the mass-market palate aimed at by the largest Champagne wineries.
It's entirely Chardonnay, mildly toasty and perfect for launching a holiday season fest.
Sale price is $49.99.

The Von Winning team is clearly appreciative of top French Champagne and their Extra Brut, made entirely of Riesling has some Champagne-like toasty notes with the aromatics and flavors of Riesling.
This is an Extra Brut bottling...bone dry.
$29.99!

Smith Woodhouse is a famous producer of Late-Bottled Vintage Port. 
While the expensive Vintage Ports now hit the market for $100+ a bottle upon release, Smith Woodhouse matures this for 4 years in vats and bottles it without filtration as is common for Vintage Ports.
But then they give it ample bottle aging and release it when it's in its early stages of drinkability.
Most Late Bottled Vintage Port is filtered and this robs the wine of a measure of character and its ability to develop with bottle aging.
If you'd like to experience a really good Port this holiday season and don't mind not spending $100-$300/bottle, come grab a bottle of this.
Sale price is $39.99.
It's best to stand the bottle upright to allow the sediment to settle and then decant it.

If you want a splurge for your holiday festivities, consider a bottle of Château d'Yquem.
This is the Sauternes.
It's made with meticulous attention to detail.
A friend's wife in Europe had purchased a book about d'Yquem thinking she'd also get a bottle as part of her holiday gift.
Then she saw the price and told her husband he'd have to buy the wine for himself as she wasn't going to drop $300 for a half bottle.
Having heard this story, when they came to California for vacation we had a special dinner and opened a bottle of this vinous nectar.
The woman is not a wine drinker but had a sip and said "Okay, now I understand why it's so expensive!"
We recently received a few nice vintages...$250-$300 for a half bottle and $500-$600 for a 750ml bottle.

Miroslav Tcholakov's day job is as winemaker for the Trentadue family winery in Geyserville.
He has his own label and these wines are routinely spot-on.
We have his blend of Grenache, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel called Cuvée Sasha.
$22.99.
Miro's Petite Sirah is another winner...$29.99 for that.

La Rioja Alta makes traditionally-styled wines of the highest quality, in our view.
California vintners have difficulty challenging these guys for value, as this Tempranillo is matured in some new American oak and then given several years in bottle, released when it's complex and beautifully drinkable.
Sale price is $21.99.

From one of the founding partners of the Patz & Hall winery, which still makes good wines, comes this small production Sonoma Pinot Noir which is an ideal holiday season red wine.
Lots of black cherry fruit and you'll find fragrant French oak scents wafting from the glass...
A number of customers have been coming in this past week, having purchased a bottle on our recommendation...they're coming back for more bottles!
$54.99

The crew was really jazzed by this remarkable Hungarian white wine.  It's from a tiny appellation called Somló, roughly 90 miles southeast of Vienna in Austria and 82 miles west of Budapest.
The Furmint grape is one of six used to make the remarkable sweet wines of Tokaji, but it can shine on its own as a dry wine, too.
British wine guru Jancis Robinson has this description on her website of this wine:

It's currently available in our Tasting Room...$26.99/bottle...$2.70 for a taste 
(and those who have tasted this have bought a bottle, or two).

Many customers ask us to pair wines with menus they are planning.
We had suggested this Furmint as one of several wines for an elaborate Thanksgiving meal.
This week we received this lovely note:

A spendy Etna Bianco, but we felt this wine is actually worthy of its $59.99 price tag.
Primarily Carricante with some Minnella...it's a remarkably soulful, dry white which tips its cap in the direction
of Burgundy (in our view).
It sees a bit of aging in tonneaux, large, seasoned wood barrels.
Special.

Viña Sastre 2019 is an outstanding red wine from Spain's prestigious Ribera del Duero region.
It's entirely Tempranillo from 20 to 65 year old vines.
Matured in French and American oak cooperage, the wood dovetails beautifully with the dark, plummy fruit of the Tempranillo.
$39.99

Gaba do Xil is a single-vineyard dry white from Spain's Valdeorras in Galicia.
It's the first bottling ever from the  O Barreiro parcel and the main grape is Godello, but we understand there are tiny percentages of Doña Blanca and Treixadura in this.  No oak.  No malolactic.  No lees-stirring.
You'll find some stony, "salty" notes to this...a nice alternative to a Sancerre or Chablis, for example.
$24.99

You'll have a tough time finding a better value in top-notch dry Riesling than this delightful wine from Schloss Vollrads.
It's call Volratz...hints of petrol and Riesling fruit.
And it's dry!
$22.99

From Switzerland we have a famous red wine that's a classic blend of Pinot Noir (mostly) with a touch of Gamay.
In France's Burgundy region you'll find, occasionally, a Pinot Noir/Gamay blend where it's called "Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains."
This Swiss red is a nice, lighter-bodied red.
$29.99.

Having purchased some "celebrity" wines to evaluate we can't say we've been terribly impressed, but this Napa Cabernet bearing the name of former NBA basketball star Yao Ming is actually quite good.
And having been in Napa recently and shocked by the $250-$500 price tags, this is a solid bottling at $89.99.

A mere 1200 bottles of this delightfully complex Champagne were made by a couple of young French enologists.
It's from the grand cru village of Verzenay and it's bone dry and mildly toasty.
$74.99

We are periodically asked for "Orange" wines and we have but a handful.
These are white wines which have been fermented with the grape skins, vinified similarly to red wine.
These are often made by naturalista vintners and consumers are expected to overlook sloppy, amateur winemaking under the guise these are somehow more wholesome than conventionally-made wines.
Swan's Grenache Blanc had a few weeks on the skins, imparting a bit of astringency.  Minimal cellar treatments, so the wine can be a bit cloudy if you don't decant it off its sediment.
$29.99

A favorite French dry white from the Alps has returned to the shop.
It's Quénard's 2021 Chignin...well, it seems every winery in the village of Chignin is named Quénard!
Jean-François Quénard makes this entirely of the Jacquère grape.  If you like stony, minerally, non-oaked dry whites, pick up a bottle of this.
$16.99

After a long absence, there's a new vintage of Greywacke's exceptional Sauvignon Blanc called "Wild Sauvignon."
This is essentially a winemaker's "reserve" wine...wild yeast fermentation, a bit of a malolactic fermentation and aging in seasoned oak barrels on the lees sediment yield a wine of elevated quality.  It's not the citrusy, fruit bomb one typically finds in Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, as it tips its chapeau to vignerons in France's Burgundy.
$29.99

Guigal's La Doriane bottling of Condrieu is amazingly good...as usual!
If you want to "blow the doors" off at Thanksgiving, snag a bottle of this peachy, toasty dry white.
$135/bottle

The 2018 Penfolds BIN 389 is a killer.
It's usually about $70-$75 a bottle, but we've sale-tagged it for a short time and you can pick this up for just $59.99.
People sometimes have described this as "Baby Grange," Penfolds' famous benchmark Aussie red which goes for $600-$800+.
It's available for tasting presently in our tasting room...$6/pour
Showy, dark fruit and lavishly oaked...impressive!

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From Italy's Alto Adige...a delightfully aromatic dry white made of the obscure Kerner grape.
Köfererhof's 2021 Kerner is intensely fragrant...a good candidate for Asian cuisine or picnic fare.
$26.99.

Winemaker Adam Tolmach routinely makes impressive California wines which tip their chapeaux to Old World Burgundies and Rhônes.
The 2019 Syrah comes from the Sebastiano vineyard...total production tallied to around 200 cases.
It's available for tasting presently, too, by the way.
$39.99/bottle  $4/taste

This Robledo Sonoma Coast Chardonnay caught us by surprise this past week!
What a delight...creamy, toasty, dry Chardonnay that aced out other, far more costly bottles.
$27.99

Ijalba 2021 Rioja...it's a young, chillable red on par with good Beaujolais or Dolcetto wines.
Pure Tempranillo and it does not seem to have spent time in oak, so the dark berry fruit is front and center here.
$11.99

2021 Carignane from really old vines in Contra Costa County...
The Birichino Boys routinely make interesting, soulful wines.
Medium-bodied and with a most intriguing earthy note and spicy tone...
$24.99

The dollar has gained strength in Europe but it remains weak in California's Napa Valley.
But we found a rather nice, mildly oaked Chardonnay from Jon Pey's Textbook winery.
$19.99.
You can't even buy a small tasting flight at many Napa wineries for twenty-bucks!


Some half-bottles of a terrific Dry Creek Zinfandel made the cut this week.
2016 vintage from Mauritson...their famed "Rockpile" vineyard.
Just $22.99 per 375ml bottle.
Beautiful spice and nicely complex bouquet thanks to its bottle aging.

The new vintages of Vietti's Barbera d'Asti ($18.99) and Roero Arneis ($25.99) are recent arrivals.
Both are quite good...a smooth, berryish, dry red and a light, crisp, flavorful, non-oaked white wine.
We have a precious few bottles of their single vineyard 2018 vintage Barolos, too.  $219.99/bottle.
But the 2018 "Castiglione" Barolo, a blend of vintages, is magnificent...$59.99.

Another shipment of Soalheiro's stellar Alvarinho landed and we have it open for tasting currently.
$2.50/pour
$24.99/Bottle
Deliciously dry Alvarinho (Albariño is the Spanish version).

The Tamellini brothers make remarkably delicious Soave.
Most Soave is akin to water and you'll find Evian or Crystal Geyser have as much character as the average bottle of Soave.
Tamellini is different.
100% Garganega...no Trebbiano. 
Melon and peach notes dominate the nose and come through on the palate.
Best of all:  $14.99!

"Merci André Jacquinet" is delightful, chillable red reminding us a bit of the fruity Santa Magdalener wines of Italy's Alto Adige.
Those are based on the Schiava grape, while this Oregon wine is made primarily of Garanoir and Regent.
André Jacquinet was a fellow who created the Garanoir variety by crossing the red grape Gamay with a white variety called Reichensteiner.
The idea was to create a disease-resistant grapevine which would ripen early in the season.
The resulting wine is berryish but in its own unique way...the character isn't like Pinot Noir, nor is it a ringer for Gamay.
Medium+ in body.
Only 97 cases were produced.
$25.99.

The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva from La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano is delicious.
It's more "noble" than most Chianti, being worthy of a grilled steak as it's almost too good to be a "spaghetti red."
The vineyard is tiny and is situated in the northwest part of the Chianti Classico area.
Sale priced at $39.99.

From Sicily we have the 2019 Cerasuolo di Vittoria from the famous Planeta winery.
This is a berryish red blend featuring 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato which is ideal served at cool cellar temp with a summer barbecue...chicken, pork, lamb or beef pair handsomely with this.
Sale price is $24.99.

Damn, this is a lovely bottle of wine!
It's from a small patch of Zinfandel grown in Oakville (where most Zin has been replaced with Cabernet $auvignon).
Sale price is $26.99.  Gorgeous berry fruit (not jammy or raisiny!) and spice with a nice touch of oak.
The 2019 is delicious, a great follow-up to the impressive 2018.

Sicily continues to makes it mark on the Italian wine landscape and this is a delightfully dry, crisp, minerally white made of the Catarratto grape.  Though it is fermented for a few days on the skins, we don't view this as an "orange wine."  Organically-farmed 55 year-old vines.  It has just the right amount of oak: NONE!
We enjoyed a bottle the other day with Squid Ink Pasta and Clams, Scallops and Prawns...thoroughly delicious.
$21.99...a deal!
Available for sampling in our Tasting Room presently.  Just $2.20/pour.

The Pinot Blanc grape is typically over-looked as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate the local wine market.
The French, in Alsace, view this variety as a good one and we used to see a barrel-fermented version from Monterey's Chalone Vineyards.
A number of wineries in Oregon dabble with Pinot Blanc and this 2021 bottling from Elk Cove is exceptional.
Lots of apple and pear-like notes with a faint touch of citrus and melon.
It's a non-oaked, dry white.
$25 at the winery...but we offer it for $19.99.

The price of a bottle of Napa Cabernet is in the stratosphere these days.  Some wine marketing folks are out of their minds,
demanding to control the pricing of their extravagant bottles.
One vintner sent out a note saying their wine is to be sold for $175/bottle and they did not want retailers to "discount" it down to $174.99!
This Peirson Meyer Cabernet goes for "only" $99.99 and we find it to be on par with those $175-$300 bottles.
The grapes are from a 15 year old vineyard in Calistoga...lots of blackcurrant fruit and a nice balance of cedary tones from its maturation in French oak.  Very fine!

From Southwest France's Bergerac region, we brought in a delightful "Bordeaux Blend" featuring Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
They claim to keep the use of sulfur to a minimum.
We found the Cabernet Franc dominates the blend despite accounting for but a quarter of the wine.
If you enjoy Loire Valley reds from, say, Chinon, this is worth a try.
$17.99

We visited a tiny, garage winery in Paso Robles in the late 1970s and we remember vividly the Pinot Noir from this fledgling winery called HMR, Hoffman Mountain Ranch.
Stanley Hoffman started the place, vinifying his first commercial vintage, we think, in 1975 (and that's the amazing Pinot Noir we tasted).
The Hoffman property was purchased by the neighbors Don & Elizabeth Steenwyk who began with walnut and almond orchards.
They created the Adelaida brand in 1981.
The 2020 Chardonnay is remarkable, as it tips its cap to Burgundy and northern California wines with its elegance and style.
Mildly toasty thanks to 9 months aging on the spent yeast (with no stirring), this is an outstanding wine!
Sale priced at $39.99

Union Sacré is a small winemaking company in California's Central Coast.  The winemaker is French and his partner is American.
They say they're big fans of the wines from France's Alsace.
Giving their Pinot Gris a bit of skin-contact before the fermentation created that lovely pinkish tone to the wine which checks in with a mere 12.1% alcohol...the wine is dry and snappy with some green apple notes and a hint of a citrusy tone.
Sale price for the Pinot Gris is $17.99.
They also have a dark, berryish Syrah from Edna Valley fruit...perhaps this will develop a layer or two of complexity with bottle aging, but presently this is a satisfying red for burgers or ribs.  We would not mistake this for a complex Northern Rhône Syrah but the wine easily merits its $16.99 sale price.

2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir from the Ancient Peaks folks in southern San Luis Obispo County...
Remarkably good!
Dry, of course.
$16.

Birdhorse is a small winemaking enterprise in Sonoma, the work of two young women.
We tasted a charming, energetic red wine made of the Cinsault grape...sourced from a vineyard in Camino, California in the Sierra Foothills.
Called "Heliotropes," this is a medium-bodied red with fragrances leaning towards pomegranate, cherry and rhubarb.
Best served lightly chilled.
$34.99

The Mondeuse grape in France's Savoie region produces a delightful dry red wine.
We've long enjoyed the wine of the Angelot brothers as they make a dark-hued red wine teeming with berry-like fruit notes.
No oak...it's effusively berryish along the lines of Beaujolais.
And it's well-priced...$14.99.
Best served at cool cellar temp.

We've been looking for good, well-priced Chardonnay as one of our favorite sources did not produce a wine with the 2020 vintage due to wildfires.
The 2018 Buehler is a solid choice, though...Russian River Valley fruit.  Lightly oaked and it undergoes a malolactic fermentation, contributing a faintly creamy note to pair with the appley Chardonnay fruit.
Sale priced at $14.99.

The Cheverny appellation has long been a budget-priced alternative to Sancerre.
It's located about 65 miles west of Sancerre and a short drive south of Blois and Chambord, famous châteaux along the Loire river.
Salvard makes delicious, dry, crisp Sauvignon Blanc from their mature vineyards (20+ years of age).
No oak.
They blend in a bit of Chardonnay to give the wine a bit more body and texture than if it was solely Sauvignon.
$19.99 for this just-arrived 2021 vintage.

One of our favorite French reds from the Loire Valley just landed...it's from the Château du Hureau in the Saumur-Champigny appellation.
Beautiful red fruit notes with its textbook smoky element, this is a gentle, medium-bodied red.
$19.99 makes it a bargain!


We have a small selection of Japanese Sake and this IMA bottling caught our attention as it's crisper and slightly more tart than most Sake.
In fact, they say it's an ideal partner for oysters and other delectable seafood.
Indeed!
$39.99

Weimax has maybe a dozen selections from Switzerland and this dry white from the Leyvraz winery is a favorite.
Made from the Chasselas grape, the St. Saphorin appellation in the Vaud area overlooking Lake Geneva.
Some people only enjoy this with a fondue evening, but it's worthy of the dinner table on other occasions, too.
No oak.  Dry...mildly stony.
$29.99.

From Italy's Alto Adige comes an exceptional limited bottling of Sauvignon Blanc.
Clones of Sauvignon were imported from France and the wine strikes a balance between Bordeaux and Loire Valley whites, leaning more towards Bordeaux as half of the wine was vinified in barrique and puncheon.
Notes of sage, citrus and herbs...sale priced at $42.99

Piazzano is made by our friend Rolando Bettarini in Italy's Tuscany region.
The vineyards are about 15 miles west of Florence and about 6 miles south of Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo.
It's a youthful, easy-drinkin' Sangiovese (85%) blended with other local Tuscan varieties.
$14.99!

Finca Martelo is a small vineyard in Spain's Rioja region.
It's a Tempranillo with 5% Mazuelo that's lavishly oaked.
The vineyard is owned by La Rioja Alta, a winery that routinely makes "old school" wines.
We were surprised to learn this was matured entirely in French oak, as it has a woodsy character much like their American Oak-aged reds.
Very showy.  It's available for sampling in our Tasting Room.
$39.99

The Txueka family has been making this Basque white wine for several decades and I think we've carried it since the 1990s.
Theirs is typically 90% Hondarrabi Zuri with 10% of the red grape, Hondarrabi Beltza and the alcohol level is fairly modest with high acidity and maybe even a very faint touch of spritz.
It's a delightful wine as an aperitif and with lighter fare.
We brought a bottle to lunch at the Basque Cultural Center recently and the wine was a perfect prelude to a well-aged red wine from Spain's Rioja region.
$22.99.

The Cusumano family makes our current favorite rendition of the Carricante grape in the volcanic soils of Sicily's Mount Etna.
If you enjoy non-oaked, crisp dry whites with a measure of minerality, give this a try.
$36.99

Portugal's Douro Valley meets Bordeaux!
This is a dark, robust red which can be paired with Cabernet Cuisine.
Specially Priced at $24.99.

We're big fans of Riesling and you'll find some wonderful examples from the West Coast, Australia, Italy, Austria and, of course, Germany in the shop.
The Karp Schreiber wines come from Germany's Mosel region and this 2018 Brauneberger Juffer is mildly sweet, yet beautifully balanced thanks to amply acidity.
Hard to beat at just $17.99.  (Last bottles presently)

Winemaker Nils Venge has usually been recognized for his work with Cabernet and Zinfandel, so we were (pleasantly) surprised to taste this 2020 Napa Valley Chardonnay and find it to be quite good AND well-priced.  Ripe pear-like fruit and nice toasty oak with creamy overtones.
$29.99 on sale!



It's not unusual for Napa and Sonoma winemakers to incorporate some fruit from nearby Lake County into their wines.
The quality of the grapes can be very good and the fruit tends to cost less.
Here's a Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon from perhaps the top site in the Red Hills sub-region of Lake County, a graceful and elegant wine which we've described as "North of Napa Geographically and South of Napa in terms of Price."
$33.99 on sale ($38 at the winery).

The 2021 Birichino Malvasia just arrived...intensely fragrant, as always...jasmine, lemongrass, orange blossoms, etc.
While it smells "sweet," the wine is actually dry and pairs remarkably well with Asian-styled dishes.
$15.99.




Italy's Barbera can be light or full-bodied.  It can be fruit-driven or lavishly oaked.
Giornata is a California winery whose owners are enchanted by Italy and their Barbera gives good Piemontese wines a run for the money.
It's berryish, not oaky and has the snappy acidity that pairs handsomely with tomato-sauced pastas, sausage pizza or even some seafood dishes.
Sale priced at $22.99.

We tasted the new vintage of the Lambert family's Chinon.
Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley.
Fairly dark in color and nicely berryish, as they leave the skins to macerate with the juice for nearly two weeks.
$19.99

We've tasted some good bottles from the Courbet estate in France's mountainous Jura region.
They're maybe an hour, by car, from Burgundy, so it should not be surprising this wine shares many elements of expensive wines from its western neighbors.
Their 2018 "Les Rondos" is a small parcel of slightly more than an acre and it's a Chardonnay vinified in small French oak.
You'll find a mildly toasty element and some hazelnut character on the nose.  There is just a tiny note of oxidation along the lines of a fresh Fino Sherry from Spain on the finish.
Burgundian winemakers typically ask serious money for a similar quality wine.
$29.99.

From Italy's Valtellina region in Lombardia we have a stellar white blend which includes Incrocio Manzoni and Nebbiolo that's vinified as a white wine.  The backbone of this are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
$39.99

Our monthly tasting group this past week surveyed 2017 and 2018 Chianti Classico wines.  
The first place wine was $45 and blended with Cabernet Sauvignon (we ranked it 6th out of 8, but these guys love Napa Cabernet and Bordeaux, so it is understandable they preferred that particular wine).
Finishing a mere one point behind the top wine was this 2018 Paneretta.  It is 85% Sangiovese and the rest is Canaiolo and Colorino, typical Tuscan varieties.
We brought some in as we're sale-tagging it for $19.99 and it's a good introduction to Tuscan Sangiovese.

Two weeks ago we splurged on a bottle of the 2007 Terlan Pinot Bianco.  They call it "Rarity," as the wine is matured on the spent yeast for about ten years in stainless steel after its year, or so, in large wooden vats.  The wine retails for close to $200 a bottle and it was very good.
A few days later we opened a few bottles of Italian whites, including this "Terlaner" from the Terlan winery.  It's predominantly Pinot Bianco with a bit of Chardonnay and a drop of Sauvignon Blanc.  It was the best white of that tasting.  The apple and pear fruit of the Pinot Bianco takes center stage...no oak coming through here.
Damned good and it stood up to our Artichoke Risotto, too.
$31.99
OPEN FOR TASTING PRESENTLY

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A Weimax shopper and parent of a Roosevelt Elementary School student sent us a screenshot of an online
"Teddy Talk" where a student was explaining the importance of supporting community businesses and "shopping local."

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From the local paper at the end of 2021...CLICK HERE to read that story.

Ellen had her picture on the front page of the New Year's weekend Daily Journal, a local newspaper here in San Mateo County.

They did a story about holiday sales of wines and liquors, so we were mentioned (and quoted) in that.


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The store is fully stocked...lots of good value bottlings and numerous "fancy" wines, too.

Stop by and we can give you a little tour...

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Happy Halloween!

A Coat-de-Bouteille!

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This car is "corked"!!!

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GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE...


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Had a nice mention in the Wall Street Journal's 2016 story about wine store signage:
CLICK HERE

The Most recent mention, September of 2017, is this one...Things Wine Shop Owners Detest...
CLICK HERE

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Australian Wine Writer Jim McMahon wrote a nice article published on the web site of the New South Wales Teachers Federation.
CLICK HERE

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Did you see the article in the local newspaper, by the way?
CLICK HERE.

It was printed just before New Year's Eve...

  Follow @WeimaxWines  

"Quality first" is our mantra. As professional wine scouts, we navigate the vast ocean of offerings to find exceptional wines and exceptional values.  We look for good wines which have "soul."  Given that so many consumers are willing to settle for mainstream, mass-produced wines, our selections often come from off-the-beaten path locales and, we suppose, are not for everyone.  But if you have taste for good wines, stop by the shop!  They start at about five bucks and go up from there. We take the guess-work out of buying wine. By the way, the four of us here are not "on commission."   Some stores offer incentives for the sales staff. We work for you!

This site is a "work in progress."  It is updated regularly.  
We are wine lovers and write this for wine lovers.

We offer a large selection of wines for tasting Monday through Saturday in The Tasting Room.  We also organize formal, blind-tasting comparisons. There is a growing archive of tasting results, so you might check that out while you're viewing this site.
Click Here To Take A Peek of the Tasting Results

Click Here for Upcoming Tastings.

Those of legal drinking age are welcome to peruse this site.

We Taste Before Buying.
We do not purchase wines on the basis of favorable reviews by various publications.  
If you're looking for numerical scores of wines, you won't find them here.
Unlike about 98% of Wine Shop sites, we write our own copy based on personal opinion and first-palate tastings.
This is a Parker-Free and Wine Spectator-Free Zone.

We hope this site will encourage you to stop by our shop and peruse the incredible selection of wines in store.
We make every effort to assure the accuracy of availability and pricing, but as we are only human....


SHIPPING AVAILABLE ALONG THE WEST COAST. 
$9 for the Box (12 bottles) , $20 for UPS. $5 handling per box for gift orders.
No Shipments to Utah, Massachusetts or New Jersey, please.
Additional Fine Print:
Non-California residents are responsible for determining whether they may lawfully import alcoholic beverages into their state. We make no representation relative to your right to import wine or spirits into your state. Each state has its own rules about alcoholic beverages. Better check before calling us with an order.
We are not responsible for shipments damaged due to weather.  Next day air or 2nd Day Air shipments are routinely handled with more care, so you may wish to request those services.
We are not responsible for the weather (like, duh!), so shipments to places with extreme temperatures are a risk.  We will not assume that risk.

WHERE WE ARE: <click here!> 1178 Broadway, Burlingame, California

NEWSLETTER
Check out the current newsletter.

Gift Certificates Available!
We Gift Wrap, too.

HEY!  We were listed amongst Food & Wine Magazine's 125 "Favorites" in the October 2003 Issue.
Thanks, Food & Wine!

Electronic mail

For:  General Information, Comments, Queries, etc.,
Contact the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer, Web-Mister & Wine Meister.
gerald@weimax.com

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"UNCLE BOB" GORMAN
1937-2012

Bob was in reasonably good shape in his later years.
In 2012 he had a bout of Bells Palsy in late Spring...
In early November he had a "dizzy spell" but said the hospital tests were all fine.
Two weeks later he apparently suffered a stroke or seizure and ended up in the hospital.
A series of further setbacks ensued and Bob passed away on Thanksgiving Day of 2012.

He was a bon vivant, world traveler and gourmand.
He appreciated art and photography, was a mushroom hunter and good cook and genial host.
Bob wrote a book on California wine in the 1970s, a series of nice essays on various varietals, with commentary on various wines and various food affinities.

Bob was especially proud that his book had been panned by The Wine Spectator, while garnering good reviews from Gourmet Magazine's wine guru, Gerald Asher.
Julia Child also had been a fan of Bob's book, apparently.