North Berkeley Imports

I went in to find a wine bottle for our Chez Panisse and Cheeseboard pizzas. We were interested in a Syrah and we were delighted to have been introduced to a Mendocino County wine entitled, "Red Belly," by Skylark. It was absolutely delicious, a nice light blend of Carignane, Grenache, and Syrah. However, this review is for the two employees that assisted me. They were very sweet, attentive, and encouraging towards all their favorite options to pair with cheese pizza. I'll definitely be stopping in on our next pizza night to try the other suggestions.The store is stocked primarily with imported wines and are in the $30+ price range.

Update: NBW started its first "local weekend special" yesterday (September 22, 2006). The special runs through today, Saturday. Here's what they have: [All prices for special offer wines are NET.] 2003 Domaine les Hautes Nelles Muscadet -- was 10.95, Special 5.95 2003 Verget St. Bris (Sauvignon Blanc) -- was 17.95, Special 9.95 2003 Laila Rosso Piceno -- was 15.50, Special 8.95 2003 Laila Verdicchio -- was 13.95, Special 7.95 2003 Rijckaert Meursault "Les Vireuilles" -- was 54.95, Special 19.95 2003 Rijckaert Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits "En Herbeux" -- was 19.95, Special 9.95 2001 Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape 375ml -- was 19.95, Special 14.95 2003 Chateau Pibarnon Bandol "Restanques" -- was 33.50, Special 24.95 2000 Laurel Glen Red Wine -- was 8.50, Special 4.95 2001 Caillou Cotes du Rhone "Roches Rondes" -- was 39.95, Special 29.95 or 26.96 per bottle on a full case purchase! (10% off) This seems pretty good to me. I stopped by yesterday and got a mixed case. Their plan is apparently to run specials pretty much every weekend this fall. The people who run this place are friendly, and they're very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about wine. They maintain a well-crafted web site that's chock full of interesting information and can lead to good values. Look at http://northberkeleyimports.com/articles/index.php?id=301 for a sample. I got this link because NBW has my e-mail address. I get e-mail from them rather often; the e-mail concerns special deals and promotions and wines that are being featured. For example, they ran a great summer white wine special: 3 Italian wines, and 3 French wines, two bottles of each, $99 for the case of 12. So you should definitely get on their e-mail list. NBW has a lot of French wine, especially Burgundies, but their tastes are pretty eclectic. They have carried wines by JC Cellars, one of my favorite local wineries. Like Kermit Lynch, NBW is an importer as well as a retailer. I've seen some of their mid-range wines sitting in the wine rack at Costco at excellent prices, so keep your eyes open.

We bought wine for a Thanksgiving hostess gift. Charming interior decor and top notch customer service. The suggestions we purchased were fantastic and everyone enjoyed ever bottle we tried. We highly recommend North Berkeley Wine and on our next visit to Berkeley we won't miss stopping by again for more wine. The stores Gorgeous dog is quite a sight, very well behaved and friendly.

The ladies and gents here make the BEST wine recommendations. All you have to say is "I want a dry rosé" or "an earthy, French red" and "I want to spend about $25" and they immediately pick out 2-3 options for you to choose from. This place is primarily a wine wholesaler; there aren't a lot of walk-in customers. Nevertheless, they're always glad to share their love of wine at the drop of a hat. (I live nearby, so I always drop by randomly. At most, there might be one other customer there, so they can and do provide great service.)

We had a Living Social deal ($20 for $40) and came here on strong recommendation of our friends who live in BK. We didn't know what we really wanted (we always start with 07 Napa Cab), but were talked into a great 04 Bordeux blend. They seem to specialize in imported French and Italian wines, which is a nice break from Napa every once and awhile. :)They also have a good variety of pricepoints, so you can definitely find something on your budget.

I went to find a special gift, for a friend of mine,a friend who really knows his way around a glass of wine.North Berkeley Wines was great, for service and for price;the employees were helpful, patient and quite nice.They took the time to talk to me about the different wines,they knew their stuff, but weren't snooty; I came out feeling fine.For any bottle, long as your price range ain't 2-buck Chuck,you should stop by. Check out the specials! They've brought me good luck.

I am a big fan of this place -- certainly wish I lived in the Bay area as this would be one my favorite wine merchants. It is worth getting their newsletter as they often have special NBW cuvées. Their portfolio includes a lot of top notch producers the Rhone Valley (love Clos de Caillou & La Milliere) and some great producers from Burgundy as well.Staff are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. They offer some half case and case discounts -- and have a couple of very good sales each year.

Staff is really knowledgeable in there field of wine and champagne very helpful I recommend this place to anyone.

Not only do they have a great selection of wines and champagne (Jean Veselle Oeil de Perdrix!!!) but they are great people. I ordered 10 bottles for shipment and somehow, despite the shelter in place order, had them shipped to my work. As soon as I realized the mistake when I got the notification from UPS, I emailed them and they stayed on the phone for who knows how long with UPS to fix it. That is customer service!I will keep buying from them remotely for however long I'm stuck at home.

Their wine is great, unique, and affordable. What keeps me coming back is Evan, who is passionate, easy going, knowledgeable and fun. He has turned me on to many phenomenal wines that have always been excellent choices, and is transparent and honest.I had a particularly impressive interaction today. Needing to send a special bottle of bubbly to NY as a gift, he made a specific recommendation of what would be we received given the occasion. Unfortunately they would not be able to ship on time due to interstate regulations. Despite there being no sale in it for North Berkeley Wine, he took the time to help me find two capable wine merchants in Manhattan, and told me exactly what to ask for. Pleasant all the way through, he was more focused on my needs than making a sale.Gold standard in client service. Thank you Evan!