Who We Are / FAQ
What is North Berkeley Wine?
What’s the history of NBW?
What sets NBW apart from other wine importers?
How do you choose wines for your portfolio?
Many of your bottles say “Cuvée Unique” on the label. What
does this mean?
There seems to be some sediment in my wine. Can I still drink it?
How do I contact you?
What is North Berkeley Wine?
North Berkeley Wine is a full-service retailer, wholesaler and importer. We specialize
in discovering fine wines from both world-renowned and as-yet undiscovered
wine regions in France, Italy and Chile—and beyond. Our passion is ensuring
your pleasure in experiencing unique bottles, whether at your table with friends
and family or from your cellar.
What’s the history of NBW?
North Berkeley Wine (NBW) began in 1979 as a small, neighborhood wine shop, not
far from Alice Waters’ restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley’s “Gourmet
Ghetto.” Some years later, David Hinkle and Gregor Dixon, two former colleagues
with extensive experience as both retailers and importers of European wines, decided
on a grander vision for the business. They started importing wines from France,
with a special emphasis on Burgundy.
In 1996, Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate named us its “Importer of the
Year,” an important moment in our history. It solidified our resolve that
our unique way of selecting and importing was resonating with people who truly appreciate
and seek out fine wine.
In 1999, a mutual friend introduced Billy Weiss to David during a fishing trip on
the Henry’s Fork River in Idaho. Sharing similar passions and goals, these
two hit it off instantly. Just a few months later, Billy arranged to purchase North
Berkeley Wine from the original owner. Combined with a dedicated team of employees,
this acquisition allowed us to expand and refine our importing goals.
Today the NBW portfolio is richer and more exciting than it ever has been. In addition
to fine wines from all over France and Italy, we’ve expanded our reach to
Chile, where we’ve partnered with the country’s leading winemakers to
bring new discoveries to customers in the U.S. We are constantly evaluating our
portfolio and tasting new wines with an eye to providing our customers the most
stimulating selection of wines from all over the world.
What sets NBW apart from other wine importers?
We work very closely with our winemaker partners to ensure that you have the same
tasting experience out of bottle that we have when we taste wines in barrel. Wine
is a living thing, and the closer you can get to the source, we believe, the more
meaningful the experience. We want each bottle we import to be as close to the truest
expression of an individual site or vineyard as we can possibly capture. We have
great partnerships with our winemakers; some of them we’ve been working with
for more than a generation. These close, personal relationships give us an advantage
over other importers in securing the best and most unique wines for you.
How do you choose wines for your portfolio?
We select wines from winemakers who truly know and care for their land and their
vines. We look for independent growers who work exceptional vineyards (with interesting
soils and often older vines), and who ideally farm their land naturally (often organically
or biodynamically). Our partnerships are important. Even when a grower has outstanding
vineyards, we won’t work well together if we don’t share the same vision.
Above all, we’re serious about the responsibility we have to our customers
to select the finest, most distinctive and natural wines possible.
Many of your bottles say “Cuvée Unique” on the
label. What does this mean?
“Cuvée Unique” is a term we created for wines that we select exclusively
for our customers. With the assistance of the winemaker, we’ll choose out
of an entire cellar a few batches of wine, whether in tank or barrel, to make a
unique, custom blend that we then bottle and label, “Cuvée Unique.”
North Berkeley selections are often bottled earlier than the producer’s “normal”
wine, are often unfined and unfiltered, and have as little added sulfur as possible.
While we don’t do a special selection with every winemaker we work with, it
is something that many of our producers appreciate and respect. This involved process
shows them that we’re as passionate about their craft as they are.
For more about how this selection process works, see
“Cuvée Unique.”
There seems to be some sediment in my wine. Can I still drink
it?
Many of our wines are often bottled unfined and unfiltered (in French, non-collé
and non-filtré). Fining and filtering are processes that remove particulate matter
from wine before it is bottled. Sediment in red wines may appear as a dark red or
black, sandy material at the bottom of a bottle or on its sides—you’ll
see this often with non-filtered older bottles, too, that have been resting in a
cellar. In unfiltered white wines, you may find tartrate crystals—kind of
like looking at a snow globe—loating in the wine or resting at the bottom
of the bottle. In either case, it’s no reason to panic. The wine is still
very much drinkable, and perhaps even more so than a wine that’s been filtered
or fined!
While we certainly appreciate when a wine looks nice and “clean,” we’re
much more concerned that it tastes good. Our experience has shown that unfined/unfiltered
wines will often taste fresher, with more purity of fruit, than wines that have
gone through this process. We also believe that a wine’s natural sediment
helps to nourish a wine over time, which can help it age gracefully while it rests
in your cellar. Wines that are truly hand-crafted will often have sediment, and
it’s a good thing—know that you’re getting every bit of flavor
you should expect and deserve in this very natural bottle.
To avoid chewing on your wine, however, take care not to upset the bottle too much
before serving. A careful decanting will help keep sediment out of your glass.
How do I contact you?
We’d love to hear from you. For retail inquiries, call toll-free 1-800-266-6585,
or email
retail@northberkeleyimports.com.
Our retail hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST.
For wholesale or distribution inquiries, please call (800) 622-9088 or email
wholesale@northberkeleyimports.com. Please also visit our trade page
here.
For more information on how to find us on the Web or via social media, visit our
Contact Us page.