Fine Wines The World Over
Since its founding in 1979, North Berkeley 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.
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.
And The Best Is Yet To Come…
We’re celebrating 40 years in the world of fine wine — four whole decades of sharing with you the bottles we love best. And we’re just getting started! If you haven’t already subscribed, check out our Facebook page or our Instagram account, as here we’ll keep you up to date with new wine acquisitions and grower partners.
Like our wines and want to share? Tag us: @northberkeleyimports.
Thank you for your support over the past 40 years! We’ll be moving into a new retail space in early 2021 in Berkeley … stay tuned!
Summer Is The Time for Excellent Rosato
Our partners in Italy, Murgo in Sicily and Rocca di Montegrossi in Tuscany, craft some of the more flavorful, vibrant rosato wines on the market today. The 2020 vintage is exceptional, and the press from lauded publication Vinous proves it!
Decanter’s “Standout” Chianti Classico Producers
Really positive reviews for our two excellent Chianti Classico partners in Decanter magazine — Rocca di Montegrossi and L’Erta di Radda.
The Best Brunelli! Vinous On San Carlo, Pietroso, Solaria
“I frankly cannot remember the last time I tasted young wines from Montalcino that possessed such symmetry from start to finish,” says Eric Guido of Vinous, and our Brunello di Montalcino producers hit it out of the park in 2016. Check out all the reviews here.
The Top of the Top: Vacheron Sancerre
It is a fact that not only are our partners at Domaine Vacheron the leading producers of red and white Sancerre, but they’re also a pioneer, with few peers in single-vineyard Sancerre wines — these latest notes and scores from Wine Advocate hammer these facts home.
Skerlj in Carso in A Class Of Its Own: Vinous
With a nod to the style of Carso’s pioneers (think Zidarich, Kante) and focus on native grapes and natural winemaking, Skerlj’s wines have gone from strength to strength, putting them solidly among the best from this wild and wonderful northern Italian winemaking region, says Vinous.
Biodynamic Valpolicella: Wine & Spirits Hat Tip To Musella
From the most recent edition of Wine & Spirits (Feb 2021), with a focus on Valpolicella wines — featuring the biodynamic gems of our partner, Musella.
High Praise for N. Rhone Partners in Wine & Spirits
More great press from Wine & Spirits (Feb 2021), this report focusing on the “Year’s Best Northern Rhône” and includes three of our partners: Christelle Betton (Crozes), Dumien-Serrette (Cornas) and Pierres Seches (Saint-Joseph).
Wine & Spirits: Diego Conterno in Piedmont A “Best Buy”
Great reviews in the new edition of Wine & Spirits (Feb 2021) for our newest partner in Piedmont, Diego Conterno! This is part of the magazine’s focus on recent releases in Piedmont Barbera & Dolcetto.
Vinous: Tenuta di Valgiano “Well-Worth Checking Out”
Tenuta di Valgiano unsurprisingly has received high praise and great notes from Antonio Galloni, in his recent review of wines from the Tuscan coast in Vinous.
Francis Orban Champagne Lauded In Vinous
The end-of-year Champagne reviews continue to bubble in slowly at Vinous; here’s the latest positive notes for our partner in the Marne and master of Meunier, Francis Orban.
Three NBI Selections Make Top 100 Wines of 2020
What a nice way to wind up a wild year! Jeb Dunnuck has named the wines of THREE of our grower partners to his Top 100 Wines of 2020 list.
“One Of The Most Impressive Tastings” Says Jeb Dunnuck
North Berkeley Imports’ Owner & Importer Billy Weiss sat down with Jeb Dunnuck in November to present a selection of wines from our French/Italian portfolio …
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.