People often ask about my travels overseas to purchase wine. In fact, I buy wine like everyone else when I’m abroad - over the counter and by the bottle. Here in the US, we have a ‘three-tier system’ of alcohol distribution, whereby retailers cannot purchase directly from producers outside their state and must instead buy from licensed distributors. This system was introduced after Prohibition to avoid monopolies, to make products easier to track for tax and health reasons, and to raise the price of alcohol to make it less appealing and accessible to the hoi polloi. Over the past ninety years, we’ve all grown fairly accustomed to this arrangement.

As a small business owner with limited time, resources, and language skills, I’m delighted to stay in Oakland and have access to wines imported by savvy, discerning distributors, many of whom have decades-long relationships with ‘their’ winemakers. In many cases, they’ve watched each other’s children grow up, and put them through school, functioning as extended international families full of respect, mirth, and genuine care. These associations keep them afloat, but they are not primarily business relationships. They are my friends, and we are a community. When done right, friendships are more lasting than trade deals.

Right now, there is an elephant in the wine room, but I don’t think it will destroy the cellar. The tariff standoff with Europe has sent our industry into a tailspin, and we’ve already seen some prices rise, but we will find a way through this, as we did the pandemic and our maniac-in-chief’s first term. The industry will flex to stay alive and try to mitigate price jumps in the market, but there will be casualties, and we’ll continue as best we can to support the folks who’ve supported us for all these years. There’s no certainty regarding the degree and length of these measures, so we’re not sure exactly what we’re preparing for, but we’ve got a lot of friends in this boat and I’m glad we’re on this ride together.

Oakland Yard is still hosting Welcome Wednesday FOOD POP-UPS every Wednesday - next week featuring BAR TANUKI on Wed 7/30 from 5 to 8pm. Also at Oakland Yard this coming Saturday 7/26 for Meena’s YAAR: Indian-Iranian food Pop-Up from 2 to 6pm.

But first...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: FRENCH whites from the Languedoc-Roussillon, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and reds from Beaujolais, the Loire Valley and the Rhône Valley.
2023 Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet
2023 Domaine Tardieux-Gal Les Sageres Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
2023 Domaine Grivot-Goisot Côtes d'Auxerre Bourgogne Blanc 2022 Chateau Javernand Gatilles Chiroubles
2021 Delrieu-Ducleux Le Jeau Rouge
2022 La Grange de Piaugier Côtes du Rhône
Tasting Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 7/26: FRENCH FLIGHTS with wines from the Rhône Valley, Provence, Burgundy, and Bordeaux.
2024 Le Pigeoulet des Brunier Blanc IGT Vaucluse
2024 Domaine de la La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rosé
2023 Coteaux des Margots Bourgogne Rouge
2021 Château Haut-Segottes Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux Rouge
Tasting Flights $20 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm!

Faithfully,
Max