Information on store hours and service amid Covid-19 measures
To protect the health and well-being of our staff as well as our customers, our physical retail store at 1601 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley will remain closed as long as the state-wide Shelter In Place order is in effect.
We are still open for business; click here to connect with a portfolio representative. Customers can either have wine shipped, delivered (if in the greater Bay Area) or arrange for a touchless curbside pickup at our store in Berkeley. Customers can also order wine from our online store. We look forward to hearing from you!
Fine Wines The World Over
Since its founding in 1979, North Berkeley Imports has sourced authentic, expressive wines from France and Italy, destined for leading restaurants and wine shops as well as private cellars across the country. With a retail store in Berkeley, California and offices in Europe, our team is dedicated to providing customers with top-notch service and the finest wine selections the world over.
And did you know? We’ve been named “Importer of the Year” two years in a row — in 2019 and 2020 — by Wine & Spirits Magazine. Here’s our story.
It’s our birthday!
We’re marking 40 years in the world of fine wine — four whole decades of sharing with you the bottles we love best. To celebrate, we’re showcasing our producers and our favorite bottles on social media throughout the year; if you haven’t already subscribed, check out our Facebook page or our Instagram account.
Enjoy a bottle and want to share your thoughts with us? Tag us @northberkeleyimports and use hashtag #NBI40yrs. And thank you for all your support, all these years!
Check out the latest events here.
Winner! Importer of the Year 2020
It’s official! North Berkeley Imports has been named “Importer of the Year” for the second year in a row by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 Winery Winners!
We are so proud of our winners — five wineries in 2020! — who represent the best of the best in their respective wine regions. What a thrill!
Champagne and Climate Change: A Talk With Delphine Vesselle
Join us this Tuesday, June 9 for a webinar with the talented Delphine Vesselle of Domaine Jean Vesselle in Bouzy, as she chats with Forbes’ Tom Hyland about climate change and Champagne as well as explores her fantastic portfolio of Pinot Noir-based Champagnes.
Nebbiolo vs. Nebbiolo: Fratelli Alessandria & Piero Busso Webinar
Join us this Thursday, June 4 for a webinar with two of our Piedmont partners as they chat with Forbes’ Tom Hyland about the joys and challenges of crafting fine Nebbiolo wines from one of Italy’s most cherished wine regions.
Fratelli Alessandria’s Peleverga in Decanter
Pelaverga is a rare red grape that is found only in Piedmont, and particularly in Verduno, where our partners Fratelli Alessandria make one of the finest Pelaverga wines there are!
Barolo’s Voerzio Wines at James Suckling Event
We’ll be on hand in San Francisco to pour samples and talk wine at this consumer event on February 29, part of the Great Wines of Italy 2020 USA tour. Grab your tickets soon!
Alto Adige’s Kurtatsch at Great Wines of Italy Beverly Hills
Our newest partners from Alto Adige, Cantina Kurtatsch, will be featured at James Suckling’s Great Wines of Italy 2020 USA tour in Beverly Hills on February 28!
Le Clos du Caillou Weekend at Blackberry Farm, Tennessee
Our long-time partners Le Clos du Caillou from Courthezon, southern Rhone valley, will take part in a spectacular weekend of fine wine and food at world-renowned Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.
Musto Carmelitano Aglianico Dinner At Locanda SF
We are very excited that our partners from Basilicata, Musto Carmelitano, will be honored at a winemaker’s dinner at the award-winning Locanda restaurant in San Francisco on February 19.
Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Dinner at Frasca in Colorado
Join Barolo lovers from Boulder, CO at the award-winning Frasca restaurant to enjoy Fratelli Alessandria’s gorgeous Barolo wines on February 19. Places limited!
Wine & Spirits Names Top Barolo, Barbaresco
Our partners Fratelli Alessandria in Verduno, Piero Busso in Neive, Tiziano Mazzoni in Ghemme and La Briccolina in Serralunga d’Alba are firing on all cylinders, making some of the finest Nebbiolo wines of their careers.
Vesselle ‘Petit Clos’ A “Stellar Champagne”
What makes a bottle of Champagne “stellar?” Tom Hyland of Forbes magazine has a couple of ideas, three in fact — and one that stands out for us, is Domaine Jean Vesselle’s exemplary, rare ‘Petit Clos.’
Wines from Italy
From the rolling, romantic hills of Piedmont to Sicily’s fiery volcanic slopes, Italy is a sensualist’s dream and a wine lover’s heaven. Nowhere else in the world will you experience such a rich selection of native grapes, each with its own character and flavor, than in Italy. Our partners from the bel paese are small family farms, many of which have roots that reach back centuries. Discover our Italian wines.
Wines from France
Our partners in France are true artisans, looking toward the future while respecting the traditions of the past. We’ve worked with not only mothers and fathers but also sons and daughters—who, after traveling the world, have come home with new ideas. Many of the regions in which we were first pioneers, are today household names—yet we’re still scouring the gorgeous French countryside for the next must-have wine. Discover our French wines.