In my last note, I shared an early memory about winning a costume contest (I had no business winning) when I was a kid. Looking back on stories like that one, I can see habits forming from these impressions and experiences of youth. Namely, that over time my default in most situations, no matter how strange or absurd, was to try to entertain in some way. To draw out laughter. To go for the joke. To connect, in some silly way, I suppose.

And I guess that's still my default in many ways, as evidenced by the ridiculous stories I'll share here now and again. It's a place I'll sometimes go, even when the world is frightening, violent, or full of anger and grief. Please know that the heart of these letters is always the hope to connect. We don't always write about current events and (bizarre for a wine shop maybe) we only rarely write about wine, but I'm happy that some folks still read these, still write back on occasion, still let us know that words and stories and shared experiences and shared bottles can bring connection.

And if you just scroll down each week to the events or to see what we're pouring, that's ok too. But if you come here for levity, or for absurd stories... the lack of a story today saved you at least one paragraph. So now you've got a free minute or two. So send a quick text to a friend letting them know you are thinking of them. Tell someone you miss them. Give your partner a hug with no explanation. Squeeze your dog. Call your sister. Spread some love. Somewhere. Anywhere.

(No need to mention a wine shop suggested it. They would think that was just plain silly.)

TONIGHT... THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Special Guest Winemaker Tasting
OAKLAND YARD welcomes Kristie Tacey of Tessier Winery pouring flights and spinning records all evening.
2022 Tessier Electric Ladyland White
2022 Tessier Femme Fatale Rosé
2022 Tessier Soul Love (Co-ferment)
2022 Tessier Day Dreaming Red Blend
Tasting flights $20 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 11/4: WINES OF SICILY
2020 I Custodi Ante Etna Bianco
2021 Al Cantara Occhi di Ciummi Etna Bianco
2021 Funaro Nero d’Avola
2021 Occhipinti Frappato
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

NEXT SATURDAY 11/11... OAKLAND YARD turns 7! Mark your calendars and come be a part of the celebration! Saturday NOVEMBER 11th from 12-5pm. There will be music and food and oysters and bubbles, raffles and prizes, and early holiday vibes. There will also be another fantastic collection of artists, curators, builders, and culinary delights... And lots and lots of wine! The 7 Year Anniversary Celebration and Artisan Market event is FREE! So spread the good word! Tasty treats from @okayxulo & @okkonpopup @shuck.buddy @sosbakeshop! Vendors and artists include @theofficialplantqueen @_ladha_ @pablo.cristi.studio @pleinware.ceramics @hataguchi_collective @likefamily___ @trussandore @thematerialsoul  @homebodybyentela @riseaboveprinting  @sosbakeshop There will be an outdoor beer and wine garden in the backlot too! See you there!!! 

Cheers,
Daniel

The California wine grape harvest, later and longer than usual, has by most accounts yielded good quality fruit. While the fresh juice ferments and ages in cool darkness, our winemaking friends emerge smiling and weary from their cellars, pouring last year’s bounty and sharing knowledge from the field. We had a fabulous time with Terah Bajjalieh pouring her wines at Oakland Yard last Saturday at Oakland Yard, and one week from today, Thursday November 2nd, we’ll welcome Kristie Tacey of Tessier Winery to pour flights and spin records all evening.

These last days of October always bring me back to 2016 and our scramble to open the shop before the holiday season. At this time seven years ago, Oakland Yard was a jumble of steel with piles of wooden cubbies stacked against our eastern wall. In those days leading up to Halloween, we helped our friends, Jens and Franz, strip the beams, seal the sinks, and patina the metal panels, assembling the physical details of our now beloved shop space. Daniel and Glenny were recently married, and little Arlot was but a fresh-faced pup.

We’ve come so far since then - our shop, ourselves, our community - that it feels odd to revisit that time of inception and that feeling of stepping into the unknown. Thank you for taking those first steps with us, and for continuing to walk beside us for these many years. Perhaps every day is an opportunity to feel this new beginning, an invitation to change and grow and view the world with awe and wonder. Whatever comes, I’m proud of what we’ve built and I look forward to where it will continue to take us. Come help us celebrate Oakland Yard’s seven year anniversary on Saturday November 11th, with great music, artists, vendors, wine and food.

But first...

THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: California Reds and Spanish Whites
2020 Lioco Indica Mendocino Carignan
2019 Claire Hill Sierra Foothills Zinfandel
2021 Beaver Creek Survivor Petite Sirah
2022 Carballal Sete Cepas Albarino
2022 Celler Frisach l’Abrunet Garnacha Blanca 2021 Gaintza Getariako Txakolina
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 10/28: BURGUNDY Flights
2021 Domaine Perroud Chiras Bourgogne Blanc
2020 Jean-Claude Martin Chablis
2021 Coteaux des Margots Bourgogne Rouge
2020 Michel Arcelain Siserpe Beaune Rouge
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,
Max

I entered my elementary school's costume contest when I was in second grade. I was dressed as Fonzie from Happy Days. Four feet tall. Hair greased back, pegged jeans, black jacket, bright white T-shirt (with a deck of cards my brother rolled into one short sleeve to look like a pack of cigarettes, a late round reveal). For an hour one October evening, we paraded in a circle, surrounded by the congregation of other parents and sibling and onlookers - each round pausing briefly before the judges table for consideration. What started as 50 or so entrants dwindled to a dozen, judges either giving us thumbs up to keep walking, or a sympathetic nod to drop out off the strange procession.  At some point, I adopted the persona entirely. I was no longer simply dressed as Fonzie. I was Fonzie. All eyebrows and grins for the judges with each pass.

Eventually there was only a few of us left, all the others middle school kids with intricate applications or near professional painted faces. And somehow, on goofy charm alone I survived each round, forcing a showdown against the shoe-in: Paul Bailey, in his full Ghostbusters uniform with a homemade proton pack that actually lit up. It was a ludicrous finale. My only props were my thumbs. Part of Paul's routine was hollering the tagline Who You Gonna Call?... to rile up the crowd and get a section of supportive "Ghostbusters!" echoed back. But in the end, the only who anyone should have called was 911, because Paul Bailey was robbed and I was awarded first prize. 

I don't recall what I won. Or much of the rest of the night besides enjoying some candy with my best bud, Jeff Gleason. I do remember being stopped occasionally and asked to take photos with random parents. And a handful of disgruntled Bailey fans lingering in protest (But he's not even wearing a COSTUME!...). And I remember my mom wiping her eyes. I don't think I've ever seen her laugh so hard. 

TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Gruner Veltliner and Red Bordeaux...
2022 Birgit Eichinger Ried Hasel Gruner Veltliner
2022 Kurt Angerer Kies Grüner Veltliner
2021 Phantome Cellars Mokelumne Glen Gruner Veltliner
2019 Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Rouge
2020 Chateau Laubarit Bordeaux Rouge
2021 Chateau Renaissance 'Brèves de Comptoir' Bordeaux Superieur
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

THIS SATURDAY 10/21: TERAH WINE CO.
Special Tasting w/ Winemaker and rising star, Terah Bajjalieh, pouring a flight of her wines! A sommelier and winemaker, Terah studied enology and viticulture in both Spain and France. She completed 13 harvests in five countries, including France, Australia, Argentina, Willamette Valley, Sierra Foothills, Sonoma and Napa. Come taste some delicious and dynamic wines from her current lineup - sustainable and organic offerings made with great care and minimal intervention … bright and balanced and, above all, very delicious. Terah will be pouring four wines from her new lineup including Piquette, Rosé, Vermentino, and a skin contact Falanghina. Tasting flights $20 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,

Daniel

As I prepare to return from my birthplace in what is now called New York state, to my chosen home, known as California, I am filled with anticipation and disquiet. I feel I am a different person from the one who left Oakland last month, grounded by roots, expanded by travel, bolstered by age, balder, and more wizened. The sight of changing leaves awakens in me unspoken memories and reveals aspects of myself I’d forgotten, as do the faces of my aging kin. I continue to feel drawn by both coasts, am grateful for the ability to travel between them, and now, I miss my friends out west, and I’m looking forward to being back in the shop.

Unless you live under a rock - a place I’ve unsuccessfully attempted to reside at various points in my life - you know of the newest horrors abroad. Even at a great distance, it is impossible to avoid the trauma of this scale of violence. It feels important to remember the humanity of everyone involved, and that the powers driving these conflicts do not represent most of ‘their’ people. It is unhelpful to place blame or be righteous in the face of such suffering; we need to support one another and continue to push for peace and understanding, to swallow the urge to justify hatred, as the moon will soon briefly swallow the sun, and come together with love for one another. It feels we need this now more than ever.

I prefer writing happy newsletters about parties and laughter, good times past and future, and I plan to get back to that as soon as possible, but this week, I need to acknowledge the anger, fear, and tenderness so many of us are feeling as a result of the week’s events, and those of the past several years. I said I was looking forward to being back in the shop, and this time it’s not for the wine, or the jokes and smiles, but because I feel the balm of love at Oakland Yard. I find it in our genuinely warmhearted staff, our compassionate customers, our considerate neighbors, and a steady stream of friends who will drop in during these hard times, not so much for a glass of wine as for a hug or a cry or just a moment of connection with someone who cares.

TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Portuguese Reds and Whites:
2021 Quinta da Raza Vinho Verde
2019 Quinta Várzea da Pedra Arinto Óbidos
2021 Luis Seabra Xisto Ilimitado Douro Branco
2020 Penedo Gordo Tinto
2021 Quinta Várzea da Pedra Tinto Colheita
2020 Luis Seabra Xisto Ilimitado Vinho Tinto
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 10/14: Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir flights:
2017 Apolloni Vineyards L Cuvée
2016 Willful Wine Company
2018 J Christopher Basalte
2021 Cameron Winery Dundee Hills
Tasting flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Somberly and with love,

Max

So many summer memories. Parks and picnics, redwood escapes, weddings, and weekend getaways. Parties and pizza pop-ups here at the shop, and the playful pops of countless corks and happy faces at the bar and in the back lot. But in months, and maybe years from now, this will be remembered as the summer of Skippy.

Skippy is (spoiler alert: was) a ladybug. Skippy flew from some bushes outside our front door one day and landed on my five year old's shoulder, in a pledge of eternal friendship. In the days that followed, Skippy was all that my daughter would talk about. When Skippy inevitably flew away or was lost in a car seat (crushed, shhh), I foolishly reassured my little ones that the ladybug would return. And I felt like father of the year when a couple days later I was able to find a passable substitute at Strawberry Creek. What are YOU doing here, SKIPPY?! my daughter hollered with delight. Problem was, she came to expect a certain frequency of Skippy's visits, and I spent hours of summer (of my life) combing through leaves, and tall grasses along the block searching for a new "Skippy". One neighbor's overgrown rosebush proved to be a goldmine, yielding three different "Skippys" in as many weeks. I'd sometimes forget who the charade was for, searching unreasonably long, late in the day, and sometimes catching myself gasping with a new discovery (There you are, Skippy!). All the while our neighbors took in the spectacle, unaware of my plight, perhaps reconsidering my sanity behind pulled curtains. And sometimes weeks would pass, and it seemed like the whole affair had been forgotten entirely. And then, out of nowhere, at a park in Pasadena, or a patch of grass in Guerneville, or a Trader Joe’s parking lot, a tiny shriek: Skippy’s back!...

We're a week into October but summer has returned for one last hoorah. Come enjoy the final gasp and enjoy some cold wine with us. Share some summer memories and sit down and relax with flights and friends, with good music and good company. We'll be pouring rosé flights this Saturday and red and white flights tonight! And with fall weather just around the corner, we've got more parties and pop ups landing here in the weeks ahead - including our 7 Year Anniversary - so stay tuned and follow us on Instagram for more details... 

TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Spanish whites and chilled French reds...
2021 Bohigas Xarello
2021 Tresbolillo Canicas Albariño
2021 PRELVM Raposa Naranja (Skin Contact)
2021 Domaine de la Patience Costieres de Nimes Rouge
2020 Closerie de Lys Rouge
2021 Pas St. Martin Sous le Tilleul Grolleau
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 10/7: ROSÉ FLIGHTS
2022 Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis Rose
2022 Bonneliere Plouzeau Rive Gauche Chinon Rose
2022 Horse & Plow Rose
NV Filipa Pato 3B Sparkling Rose
Tasting flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm


Always returning,
Daniel

An edible construct as elemental and varied as the sandwich, pizza is one of America’s favorite foods. More than three billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States, prompting the question, how did it all begin? There’s no pinpointing the first pizza, but archaeologists in Sardinia have found evidence of leavened bread baked over 7,000 years ago, and flatbreads with toppings were consumed by the ancient Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. These early ‘pizzas’ show up in Virgil’s Aeneid, published in the year 19 CE. Celaeno, the Harpy queen, prophecies that the Trojans will not find peace until they are hungry enough to eat their tables (or plates, depending on the translation). Later in their journey, having arrived in Latium, now part of Lazio, Aeneas and his crew gathered beneath a tree and prepared ‘thin wheaten cakes as platters for their meal’ topped with foraged mushrooms and herbs, after which Aeneas’ son Ascanius exclaims: “Look! We’ve even eaten our plates!” and they realize that these were the ‘tables’ foretold by Celaeno.

Pizza was first named as such in 997 CE, in a text from Gaeta, just south of Rome, in which the son of a feudal lord pledges twelve pizzas to the local bishop as an annual homage, but it was in Naples in the 1700’s that the modern pizza was born. Under the Spanish Bourbon kings, Naples became one of the largest cities in Europe, its population doubling in the first half of the 18th century, and pizzaiolos began selling sweet flatbreads with toppings to the poorest laborers of the city, known as lazzaroni, because their raggedness resembled that of Lazarus. The simplest pizzas were topped simply with garlic, lard and salt, but others included basil, caciocavallo cheese made from horse’s milk, tiny fish called cecenielli, and eventually,
tomatoes. Tomatoes are indigenous to South America, and the Spanish brought them to the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily in the 15th or 16th century. Because they are in the nightshade family, tomatoes were believed by many Europeans to be poisonous, and the low demand made them an affordable topping for the lazzaroni.

Gennaro Lombardi opened the first American pizzeria, in New York City, in 1897, in a grocery store at 531⁄2 Spring Street, with lunchtime tomato pies wrapped in paper and tied with a string for the local factory workers. As the 20th century progressed, regional variations emerged, like Chicago-style ‘deep dish’ pizza, invented by a Texan during the Second World War, and Hawaiian Pizza, created by a Greek immigrant in Canada. ‘California-gourmet’ pizzas can be topped with anything from barbecued chicken to smoked salmon, Pizza Hut in Poland sells a spicy ‘Indian’ pie, and Domino’s in Japan offers such outlandish extras as pickles, tapioca boba, and fish & chips!

THIS SUNDAY, October 1st, starting at 1pm at Oakland Yard, we’re going back to pizza basics, with everyone's favorite mobile pizzaiolo Sam Ciccarelli and his Urelio’s Pizza crew slinging pies. Simple combinations of the freshest ingredients and a piping hot wood oven make Urelio’s pizzas some of the best around, and we’ll have wine and beer to complement the pies, as well as macarons from SOS Bakeshop, and good times for all!

From 1816 to 1861, under the control of the Spanish Bourbons, the island Kingdom of Sicily merged with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In the spirit of this brief historical unification (and because we just received some delicious Sicilian wine) we’ll feature SICILIAN TASTING FLIGHTS this SATURDAY, September 30th, from 2 to 6pm.

BUT FIRST, TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS:
Varietal tastings of Sauvignon Blanc and Tempranillo
2022 Monte Rio Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
2022 McBride Sisters Sauvignon Blanc
2020 Umathum Sauvignon Blanc
2021 Friend and Farmer La Mancha Tempranillo
2020 Bodegas D. Mateo La Mateo Rioja
2018 Ramirez de la Piscina Crianza Rioja
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 9/30: WINES of SICILY
2021 Gorghi Tondi Grillo
2022 Occhipinti SP68 Bianco
2021 Cantine Madaudo Barone di Bernaj Nerello Mascalese
2022 Occhipinti SP68 Rosso
Tasting flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cordialmente,
Max

My wife asked me to pick up a loaf of bread on my way home yesterday. Standing before the shelves at the market, I was deciding between olive bread or a walnut currant loaf when my eyes scanned a third option - and for a literal split second my brain did its usual Huh?-Haha-GrowUp! that it does every time I see the words Sour Batard, which after several hundred encounters in my life I still always initially read as Sour Bastard. 

My ridiculous misreading habits happen more often than I’d like to admit. I’ll be scanning an article online and there will be some clickbait post that catches my eye that reads: What Your ______ Says About You. The blank might be Wardrobe or Finances or Mustache, etc. And again... every single time, it takes my brain a second to realize they are suggesting that fashion choices may message something about one's personality – not that my pants and coats are talking about me when I'm not around.

I don't know when these cognitive tendencies formed, but I think about such things as my two girls start a new year of school. Seeing things for the first time. Making impressions. Learning, reading, and misreading all along the way. And this time of year, we sort of adopt a back-to-school mentality at the shop too, with new arrivals and new vintages filling our space. So many new faces on the shelves this month, joining us for the fall season. So many regions to learn about and to explore. Staff will be putting in extra time, reading and researching and ready to share their knowledge with you. Check out our new Staff Picks section - or stop in for a tasting this week - and discover all the dynamic and delightful things about these bottles that words may never accurately communicate.

Come taste and explore with us! No sour bastards, please.

TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS! French Whites & Reds...
2021 Chateau Branger Muscadet Fils de Gras Moutons
2020 Tardieux-Gal Touraine Les Parcs Sauvignon Blanc
2022 Domaine Clos-du-Tue-Boeuf Vin Blanc
2021 Domaine Closerie de Lys Rouge
2022 Lebled Ca C`est Bon Rouge
2021 Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Rouge
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 9/16: CHILLED REDS...
Lets drink some expressive and delicious chillable juice, before the fall chill sets in.
2022 Wonderwerk Free Your Mind Piquette
2021 Domaine du Patience Rouge 
2021 Fond Cypres Premier Jus
2022 Foradori Teroldego 'Lezer'
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Daniel

California has about a thousand square miles of wine grape vineyards. That means one square mile out of every hundred and sixty four in the state is planted with grapevines. That’s a lot of vines. For the last ten years, California has produced around seven hundred million gallons of wine per year, though last year brought slightly less, thanks to frost, drought, and heat waves. The 2023 vintage is looking good and hanging late, with vines drenched by winter rain and berries ripening slowly and evenly following an unseasonably cool spring and early summer.

Growing up back east, I learned to gauge the local corn’s progress with the phrase ‘knee-high by the Fourth of July.’ In Lodi, California, Independence Day is also an agricultural marker; it’s when Zinfandel grapes usually begin to change color from green to purple, a process called veraison, which signals harvest time is about two months away. Lodi grape farmer Bruce Fry reports, "Veraison was over two weeks later than last year, but you can't really say later than 'normal' because no one really knows what normal is anymore. Mother Nature is in control, and she can fool all of us, all the time. This won't be the latest vintage we've had. In 1998 we weren't done picking until Thanksgiving! 2023 will be another example of what makes grape growing so much fun. There is something different every day, not all of it expected. That's farming!"

This week, as pickers work the rows in the cool hours of pre-dawn, as wineries come to life, bustling with cellar hands, as T bins, flex tanks, and barrels are filled with berries and juice, we’ll sit back and enjoy the fruit of past harvests, and look forward to the promise of the present. In recognition of the work being done, in salute to a bountiful harvest, to celebrate the exciting new directions and diversity in our industry, and to support the passionate and beautiful people producing the wines we love, Oakland Yard will pour all-California wine tasting flights this week. Saturday’s tasting flight is an all-star lineup featuring four of our favorite ‘New California’ producers, all of whom happen to be women! These knowledgeable, experienced, hard-working women all started their own labels in the last ten years, they all work exclusively with organically grown grapes, and they’re making what we think are some of the most compelling wines in the world, right here in California. Come taste for yourself and see what we’re so excited about!

SATURDAY 9/16: CALIFORNIA FLIGHTS - all organically farmed & produced by women
2021 Martha Stoumen Post-Flirtation White
2022 Margins Chenin Blanc
2022 Birdhorse Heliotrope Red
2022 Claire Hill Zinfandel
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

But first...TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS!!! ALL CALIFORNIA Reds & Whites
2021 Loella Pinot Gris
2021 Phantômé Gruner Veltliner
2021 Luuma Chardonnay
2022 Folk Machine Village Series Pinot Noir
2021 Portalupi Lupi Red Bland
2021 Beaver Creek The Survivor Petite Sirah
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

Cheers,
Max

Max and Julia had their wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago. Sweetly enough, while they were in New York celebrating, my wife and I were up near Armstrong Woods that same weekend, at the farm in Guerneville where we were married (by Max!) seven years ago this summer. Walking around there, I could still see all the warm faces and joy all about, family and folks and friends who had come from all over to congregate and celebrate our story. 

At my niece's wedding last month, when all the speeches concluded, they took the mic to share some words and thank everyone for being there, for being a part of their story. It was sweet gesture and something I wish I had thought of on our day. As someone who tells a lot of stories, I suppose I was also quite comfortable on our big day listening to others' tales and memories and connections from our pasts to that moment. 

But this morning, thinking about the big market party we're hosting this weekend, I was trying to find another relevant story to tell (Hijinks at a shopping mall in my youth? A surprising find at my first flea market?...). But instead of one of my stories, I'd like to extend an invitation to you... to come enjoy the stories of these artisans, vendors, artists and chefs who will be here in a couple days. Their talents elevating each season, their curations ever-evolving, ever new, ever them. We are thrilled for all of these fine folks to be a part of our story and we're delighted to be a part of theirs. Come experience their newest chapters in real time, come enjoy these brilliant characters and their unique treasures. 

And if you'll allow me the mic one last moment, I'd like to take a page from my niece's book, and thank you all for coming should you be able to join in the joy. It's quite possible I'll be too happy, to chatty, too stuffed, or too quickly running about to tell you directly. But thank you for coming. I can't wait to see you all around, enjoying the stories, enjoying the celebration. To look back and see your smiling faces in all the photos from such a happy day. 

***OAKLAND YARD ARTISAN MARKET: THIS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9th!  Spread the good word...There will be bubbles, music, oysters and other food, raffles and prizes, as well as a fantastic collection of artists, curators, builders, and culinary wizards... And lots and lots of wine! Tasty treats from XULO & DARUMA KIOSK, Shuckbuddy Oyster Bar, and SOS Bakeshop! Vendors and artists include PRETTY PENNY CLOTHING I BASALT VINTAGE, The Plant Queen, Pablo Cristi, C.A.Vintage Vintage, Ladha Jewelry, Leopard Lodge, WestWind Succulents, Pothead Ceramics, Like Family. Hope Bryson,  and vintage clothing from Homebody Vintage! There will be an outdoor beer and wine garden in the back lot too! See you there:)
--

But first, tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Whites from Savoie & Italian reds
2021 Domaine Labbe Abymes Blanc
2022 André & Michel Quenard Savoie Les Abymes
2020 Franck Peillot Altesse Roussette du Bugey Montagnieu
2020 Il Palazzotto Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba Sori Cristina
2021 Corte Bravi Valpolicella Classico
2018 Terra d'Aligi Tatone Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Daniel
 

I spent much of this week indoors, dutifully tasting wine samples and stocking the shelves, oblivious to the mounting heat, until I registered the red-faced looks of sudden joy and relief on those ambling in, surprised by the coolness of our air, and newly in the mood for a restorative breather with a chilled glass of vino. The temperature was still in the mid-eighties yesterday when the sun sank into the distant city haze and an extra-bright, super blue sturgeon moon (or was it a super sturgeon blue moon?) rose in the east and shimmered over Mosswood Park toward the ocean. Far in that distance, the winds of Idalia weakened a bit over the Atlantic, and made a bee-line for the Carolina coast. It’s hard to believe, but there may be a little rain for us here tomorrow morning before we dig into this already very welcome holiday weekend.

Once we’ve celebrated the contributions of the American labor movement with parades and parties, it may then feel as though the season has changed, but the sun’s not about to quit next week, and it’s still technically summer until the 23rd; and you know, September summer is when we fully shake the gloom and really shine. To make the most of this cusp, from dog days to fall, you may decide to procure a gift for a friend, or perhaps you desire something unique and beautiful to lift your own spirits, or maybe you just want to get out in the world and mix with your fellow Temescaleros. In light of the news of San Francisco’s Westfield mall closing and this week’s shenanigans down at Bay Street in Emeryville, all I can say is skip the malls; you’re guaranteed to have a better time, and find way more fly goods, at our upcoming flea, the Oakland Yard Artisan Market. Who wants to buy the same big-box wares you see all around town? Nobody. As Oakland’s own Kreayshawn will tell you: “basic bitches wear that shit so I don’t even bother!”

The weekend after Labor Day, Saturday September 9th from 12 to 5, in the lot behind the shop, we’ll be featuring local vendors with carefully curated vintage clothing, handmade ceramics, artisanal jewelry, distinctive houseplants, stylish art prints, California olive oil, and hand dipped beeswax candles. We’ll have wine and beer available, and Shuckbuddy will be back with scores of cold, sweet, salty oysters, while XULO brings handmade burritos with the freshest summer fillings, and DARUMA KIOSK serves up their superbly decadent Japanese street food and SOS Bakeshop brings the mouthwatering macarons. Tell your friends and don’t miss the fun!!!

Oakland Yard will be open normal hours this weekend, including this Monday from 4 to 8pm.

Tonight: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS - Italian Whites and French Reds
2022 Pra’ Otto Soave Classico
2019 Cantina Comero Colline Novaresi Erbaluce
2022 Conestabile della Staffa Litro Bianco
2021 Domaine Maurice Charleux et Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir
2021 La Parenthèse Pineau d’Aunis
2020 Cèdre Héritage Cahors Malbec
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 8/19: SOUTH AMERICAN tasting flights Featuring four wines - whites and reds - from Argentina and Chile
2021 Santa Julia Blanco Natural Torrontes
2021 Maturana Wines Naranjo Torontel
2022 Louis-Antoine Luyt Quenehuao Tinto Pais
2018 Familia Furlotti Malbec
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,
Max

I just had my first Back to School Night as a parent. My daughter started kindergarten last week and we were invited to check out the classroom and to get to know the teacher and meet other parents. Entering her classroom, I stood before a wall displaying some of their work. A large banner above read: Hope and Dreams... Beneath that, evenly spaced and framed by colorful construction paper, each kid's piece had them finish the same sentence by filling in the blank (My hope is _______), decorated with an accompanying illustration. Most elected for personal aspirations (My hope is __ to learn how to read/write) while one or two went far grander or more altruistic, wishing to go to the moon, or hoping for world peace. My daughter's was brief, and said quite plainly: My hope is__ to eat pasta. 

I admit I initially rolled my eyes, but thinking more on it I found the simplicity or her ambition hard to argue against. I was reminded of a quote a friend shared, from Luciano Pavarotti: "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating". Indeed, the sentiment of taking a moment to eat, to drink, to reflect and commune with friends, family, or even oneself is a recurring theme in our weekly letters. We hope our bottles find their way to your tables or to your porches or picnic blankets. To cabins or campsites. That they bring some delight and connection. A humble aspiration. Yes, maybe even a hope or a dream.

Thanks to all who came out for Urelio's Pizza pop up last weekend. We were over the moon to host them once again and look forward to the next time! Until then, we have more culinary treats, and all kinds of food and fun, in the days and weeks ahead for you (and your friends)...

THIS SUNDAY 8/27: DARUMA KIOSK Returns to OAKLAND YARD! Cal-Japanese inspired Takoyaki & Izakaya food from @darumakiosk! Daruma Kiosk Food Pop Up from 1-6pm. Wines by the glass all day until close!

The feasting, gathering, and good times continue at the OAKLAND YARD ARTISAN MARKET on SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9th! Just over 2 weeks away! Mark your calendars and spread the good word...There will be bubbles, music, oysters and other food, raffles and prizes, as well as a fantastic collection of artists, curators, builders, and culinary wizards... And lots and lots of wine! Tasty treats from XULO & DARUMA KIOSK, Shuckbuddy Oyster Bar, and SOS Bakeshop! Vendors and artists include The Plant Queen, Pablo Cristi, C.A.Vintage Vintage, Ladha Jewelry, Leopard Lodge, WestWind Succulents, Pothead Ceramics, Like Family. Hope Bryson,  and vintage clothing from Homebody Vintage, The Material Soul, and others! There will be an outdoor beer and wine garden in the back lot too! *Event is all ages and FREE* See you there:)

But first...Tonight 8/24: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS - French Reds and Whites tonight. Lively, fresh reds for the warm weather this week, and three bright, mineral Aligotés for the white flight. Our friends TACOS OSCAR are OPEN next door TONIGHT all weekend too - tacos welcome here with flights or glasses anytime!:)
2022 Coteaux des Margots Aligote "La Pie Rouette"
2021 Domaine Dujardin Bouzeron Aligote
2021 Domaine Goisot Aligote
2021 Petit Perou Pisse Vielle Brouilly
2022 Fond Cypres "Premier Jus' Corbieres Rouge
2020 La Grange de Piaugier Cotes du Rhone
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 8/26: SPANISH tasting flights
2022 Bidaia Txakoli
2022 Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis Rose
2021 Sindicat la Figuera Montsant Garnatxa Negra
2021 Mas Martinet Priorat Menut
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,
Daniel

I am both bereft and thankful this week, thinking of my wife, Julia, and my father, Jim, of companions closeby and family far afield. I’ve been warmly welcomed back to Oakland, enjoying dinners among friends old and new, catching up with customers, and tasting wines freshly on the market. Our teachers, students, and parents are occupied with returning to class, and we all feel the summer wrapping itself up, as we remember and restart the routines that got us through last fall, or decide instead to lead with a different foot. Recent years have taught us to expect the unexpected, so turning points may come with trepidation.

For me, the end of August brings two important anniversaries: that of my marriage, sixteen years ago, and that of my father’s birth in 1940. I will celebrate these events differently this year, without the presence of said key celebrants, but with all the love and joy they’ve given me, and that I carry, armor-like, with confidence and gratitude. With these two dear ones in mind, I’ll go about my August business, hoping to share some of their buoyancy and strength with my east bay chosen family. May we all have people in our lives like Julia and Jim, to bring smiles to our faces, support us when we’re discouraged, and call us on our cockamamie bullshit, so that we may move boldly and happily forward!

Tonight: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS - Three Albariños and Three Barberas. Taste three of the same varietal and find which is, as Goldilocks might say, just right.
2022 Sete Cepas Albariño
2022 Berryessa Gap Albariño
2021 Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho Contacto
2021 Ercole Barbera del Monferrato
2020 Berryessa Gap Barbera
2021 Oddero Barbera d’Alba Superiore
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 8/19: CALIFORNIA tasting flights
2020 Côte West Sauvignon Blanc
2022 Margins Clarksburg Chenin Blanc
2022 Tessier Soul Love
2022 Broc Cellars Got Grapes Red
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 20th, URELIO'S Pizza returns! Former Chez Panisse cook, Sam Cicarreli, brings his roving pizza oven to our lot for an afternoon of pizza and wine. Oyster bar and outdoor beer and wine bar too! Scoops and sweet treats from De La Creamery. Pizzas sold individually from Urelio's truck from 1-5 pm (or until sold out!). Oysters from Shuckbuddy Oyster Bar. Wine and beer by the glass from us at our outdoor bar. Event will be in the back lot, enter through OAKLAND YARD. All are welcome! See you there!!!

Cheers,
Max

My 5 year old daughter started kindergarten this week. I was relieved to see her select proper pants and a shirt to wear on her first morning, as opposed to her usual proclivity for pajamas as daily attire. In a peculiar role reversal, her little sister, Simone, has taken up the torch and insisted on wearing a nightgown to preschool (this after also insisting on wearing a full length dress to bed). 

Kindergarten drop off brought back all kinds of elementary memories, all the nerves and cliques and all the silly fads and trends. Bucket hats. Baggy Pants. Skinny jeans. Acid wash. Cardigans off one shoulder. Jelly bracelets, friendship bracelets, slap bracelets... the list goes on.

Trends come and go in the wine world too. Most come in waves and never quite fade completely. Everything gets cool again at some point. Rosé fans are here to stay, and skin contact and orange wines are still enjoying their spotlight. Chillable reds and Pet Nats remain in high demand too. Folks come into the shop and more frequently ask about the wines of Portugal or Greece or Eastern Europe than in the past. But one region that continues to trend hot and stay cool - that continues to captivate and call to curious palates is Sicily. Grapes like Grillo, Catarratto, Nero D'Avola, and Frappato (among others from Sicliy) are more often requested and we've found that wines from producers like Occhipinti, Cornelissen, COS, Cantina Horus, and Ayunta don't sit on our shelves for long. Stop in SATURDAY from 2-6 for flights of Sicilian wines and taste and explore with us... and discover what all the hype is about.

SATURDAY 8/12: WINES OF SICILY
Marino Abate Inzolita Frizzante Inzolia Pet Nat
2021 Tenuta Gorghi Tondi Grillo
2020 Ayunta Rosso
2021 Cantine Madaudo Barone di Bernaj Nerello Mascalese
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

And while you're dreaming of Italy... 
NEXT SUNDAY, AUGUST 20th, URELIO'S Pizza returns! Former Chez Panisse cook, Sam Cicarreli, brings his roving pizza oven to our lot for an afternoon of pizza and wine. Oyster bar and outdoor beer and wine bar too! Scoops and sweet treats from De La Creamery. Pizzas sold individually from Urelio's truck from 1-5 pm (or until sold out!) and Shuckbuddy Oyster Bar .Wine and beer by the glass from us at our outdoor bar. Event will be in the back lot, enter through OAKLAND YARD. All are welcome! See you there!!!

But first... Tonight: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS featuring Chenin Blanc and Languedoc Reds...
2022 Haarmeyer 'St Rey' SRV Chenin Blanc
2022 Domaine Fouet l'Ardillon Saumur Blanc
2021 Force Celeste Chenin Blanc
2021 Château La Roque Pic St Loup Rouge
2019 Les Clos Perdus Année Rouge
2021 Jean Orliac Le Loup dans la Bergerie Pays d'Herault Rouge
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

See you soon,

Daniel

Someone walked into the bar last night and asked, “Are you doing Thursday Night Flights?” “Yes, tomorrow, when it’s Thursday,” I answered, trying not to sound snarky, and they chuckled at their momentary confusion. I understand, there’s a lot to keep track of. Sometimes the day of the week can be a bit of a surprise, as can the year in which we live, a number that climbs faster with age. So, just to get everyone on the same page, it’s Thursday again, and now August of 2023. What a time to be alive!

I’m back in town after many weeks away, and though a few things have changed here and there, Oakland Yard still feels like home. Or more like a room in someone’s home with tons of wine, a well-stocked refrigerator, and a revolving cast of familiar characters. Already this week, I’ve seen Oscar, talked with Sunny and Clyde, reconnected with Gemma, Penny, and Stefan, and met Natsumi’s mom, sweet as pie she is. And I’m looking forward to more of these little reunions in the coming weeks, as well as the slew of friendly faces I’ll surely find at the Urelio’s pizza and oyster party we’ve got planned for Sunday the 20th.

As summer wanes, some of you are leaving on last-minute jaunts, others returning, readying for school. In the waters to our west, humpback and blue whales are reaching peak abundance, and sea lions are pitching their final woo. Beyond the Oakland hills, winemakers are monitoring brix and acid levels, gathering crews for the coming harvest, and here at Oakland Yard, I’m back to help do what we do, pouring wines by the glass - all day, every day - with tasting flights on Thursdays and Saturdays. Hope to see you soon!

Tonight: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS with Joe Manekin from Mission Wine Merchants.
Not your average Joe, the erudite and jovial Mr. Manekin will be pouring red and white flights featuring wines from Spain, Portugal, France, and Chile.
2020 Tardieux-Gal Touraine Les Parcs
2022 Nortico Alvarinho
2021 Vinos Tresbolillo Las Canicas Albariño
2021 Vina Maitia Aupa Pipeno
2020 Athlètes du Vin Chinon
2017 Olartia Rioja
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 8/5: Tasting flights of ROSÉ from around the world
2021 Casa Rossa Rosé from CORSICA
2022 Rosner Rosé vom Zweigelt from AUSTRIA
2022 Trail Marker Rosé from CALIFORNIA
2021 Oda Family Naked Ojaleshi Rosé from GEORGIA
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,
Max

I enjoyed a farewell meal with Ezra just before he departed. While inquiring about dessert, our server scraped the crumbs from our table with a small silver utensil we'd both seen countless times before, yet neither of us knew the name for it. Most just call it a crumber, our server replied with a smile. 

A simple, delightful and fitting name considering its application. And I would also contend that my five year old daughter thinking sunscreen is called sun-scream is equally fitting, particularly with how that application generally goes with her. I think about the peculiar names of things a lot. Cheerios and Triscuits. Ordinary objects like the spatula. My niece's old toy horse she named Charlicka. My other niece's doll she named Lumpy. Aglets on the end of my laces. The lunula of a fingernail. Someone at the bar taught me last week that the cardboard sleeve on my paper coffee cup was called a zarf.

What's in a name? Folks who stop in here may recognize the names of more common grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, or Syrah gracing some labels. Perhaps these familiar names guide their preference or suggest to a reasonable degree what flavors, aromas (or body, texture, etc) one might expect from those particular offerings. But what to make of the hundreds of obscure grape varieties overlooked and unappreciated due their peculiar sounding names? Happily, more folks are willing to give Grüner Veltliner a try - and have discovered its bright, crisp, easy-drinking and exceptionally food-friendly nature. We also see many more readily reaching for Carignan or Counoise or Grignolino these days... but what about Altesse? Nerello Mascalese? Hárslevelű?? So many buried treasures in the world of wine - and right here at the shop. Come put (at very least) a taste to these names and explore these delightful obscurities with us tonight...

THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Tasting Flights of obscure and unusual (and delicious) grape varieties!  
2021 Bohigas Xarel-lo
2022 Zafeirakis Assyrtiko
2020 Királyudvar Tokaji Sec
2018 Vaeni Naoussa Xinomavro
2018 Milos Plavac Mali
NV Pierce Ranch Cosecheiro Monterey Touriga
Red and white flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close

SATURDAY FLIGHTS: Chillable Reds from around the globe...
2021 Aupa Pipeno
2021 Pomalo Plavina
2022 Les Lunes Astral Red Blend
2020 Karim Vionnet Du Beur Dans Les Pinards Beaujolais-Village
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until close.


See you soon,

Daniel

SUMMER WINE HAIKU

Always you like red...
When summer sun breaks records,
How ‘bout Lambrusco?

A floating ice cube:
Faux pas more than forgiven
In heat such as this.

Resting on their skins,
Some wines take on more color...
Orange or rose.

There are no rules -
In late July you may pull
Red wine from the fridge.

At home, no A/C:
Leave behind your computer,
Oakland Yard is cool.
 

Tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: FRENCH WHITES & GAMAY from France & Italy
2021 Bernard Fouquet Domaine des Aubuisières Cuvée de Silex Vouvray
2021 Domaine Grivot-Goisot Côtes d'Auxerre Bourgogne Blanc
2019 Chapoutier Marius Carte Postale Viognier
2021 Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais Villages
2021 Maison Angelot Bugey Gamay
2022 Grosjean Freres Gamay
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 7/22: SPARKLING WINE flights from Austria, France and Croatia
2021 Pomalo Debit Petillant Naturel
NV Domaine Julien Braud La Bulle de l’Ouest Pet Nat
2019 Domaine Mittnacht Crémant d’Alsace Terres d'Étoile Extra Brut
2021 Meinklang Prosa Sparkling Rosé
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Keigu,

Max

An older gentleman was at one of the bar tables a couple weeks ago, enjoying a glass with a friend, and he asked me about a particular bottle he was eyeing on the shelf. Having recently tasted it, I'd described the wine as vibrant right now but noted that those particular releases were also very age-worthy. I shared that I was fortunate enough to have tried wines from that producer with 20-30 years of bottle age and was blown away by how fresh and lively they still were. I suggested that those with time and patience would be rewarded to hang onto that bottle for a while. He offered up a light chuckle and said "well I have patience...but the problem is, I'm not sure I have the time".

The remark was left with some levity, but it echoed what a winemaker I assisted a few years ago shared about the limits of his vocation: "If I'm lucky", he remarked, "maybe I get to do this 20 more times?". And it got me thinking (again) about the ephemeral nature of all of this. Of these singular, natural delights on our shelves, and indeed of all the infinite and finite joys we share, or hold for ourselves, well beyond the shop walls. 

And I'll be thinking of time passing as I celebrate my father's 80th birthday this weekend. And watching my little ones play with their cousins - or perhaps trying their first root beer float. And I'll be appreciating days and years and many happy memories in between as our manager, Ezra, pours someone a last glass (from him anyway:) this Friday before he heads off to new adventures and a new home in Chicago.

As a fictional teenager from that city famously noted, life moves pretty fast. Let's keep our eyes open. Lets keep the cellars of our hearts full. Come enjoy good company, good music, good times and good wines with the good folks here. We've got THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS tonight, featuring FRENCH REDS and CALIFORNIA WHITES...
2022 Berryessa Gap Albarino
2021 Haarmeyer Chenin Blanc
2021 Field Recordings SKINS
2021 Damase Grenache
2021 Catherine Bernard La Route des Cretes
2019 Château Renaissance Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

THIS SATURDAY 7/15...Importer GRÉGOIRE MONTOT at OAKLAND YARD 
Everyone’s favorite Savoyard pours flights of two whites and two reds from his superb selection, including two stunning wines from Burgundy and some delights from Alsace and Loire.
2022 Charles Frey Pinot Blanc 
2021 Yannick Cadiou Petit Chablis
2021 Domaine Delobel Pineau d’Aunis
2021 Quentin Jeannot Hautes Côtes de Beaune Rouge 
Flights from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,
Daniel

The summer I graduated from college, after my classmates went home or out into the world, I stayed on in Poughkeepsie to continue studying music. Soon after, I would arrive in California and begin learning about wine in earnest, but that summer, I served lunch on the patio at the Beekman Arms Tavern and drove once a week to Luis García Renart’s Hudson Valley home in Red Hook for cello lessons. I was at the height of my musical powers, thanks to Luis, an incredibly gifted Catalan musician and teacher who had studied with Casals and Rostropovich in the late 50’s and early 60’s and enjoyed a successful solo career as a young man before deciding to become an instructor. By the time I met him, Luis looked a little like a gray-haired teddy bear, and more than any other teacher I’ve had, he treated me firstly as a friend.

I’ve been practicing the Bach Suites Luis taught me, on and off for the last thirty years, and over that time, I’ve thought of him often; how easily he would smile, how he would put down the cello and voice a passage in solfège, how he would light up a cigarette in the middle of a lesson, and how every note for him was integral to a musical phrase. He told me he had traveled to all of the great cities of the world as a concert cellist, but had seen nothing but the inside of auditoriums and music halls, so he decided to quit the circuit and live as a teacher. When I told him I was moving to California and planned to learn to improvise, he asked me if I had a way ‘to keep body and soul together’ and I assured him my experience in restaurants would allow me to continue pursuing my love of music.

I had not seen Luis in over twenty-five years when I learned that he had passed away on July 6th of 2020, but more than I was sad, I am grateful for his teachings, and his friendship, and I know from his dedication, and over a half century of teaching, that there are many like me who continue to carry him in their hearts and minds. In the spirit of Luis, a proud Catalan, and our own Pablo Vasquez, who is visiting his family in Madrid, and summer in general, which lends itself to the storied Spanish lifestyle, Oakland Yard is featuring wines of Spain at the tasting bar this evening. Come join us and lift a glass to those who have inspired you!

Tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: ALL SPANISH Whites and Reds
2022 Carballal Sete Cepas Albarino
2018 Josep Masachs Ulls de Mel Xarel-lo
2022 Gramona Gessami Blanco
2020 HG Wines El Hato y el Garabato Cotexa Tinto
2020 Honoro Vera Monastrell
2018 Ramirez de la Piscina Rioja
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

THIS SATURDAY 7/8: ROSÉ from around the world
Sample four dry pink wines from California, France, Portugal, and Austria! 2022 B Kosuge Rosé
2022 Château Soucherie Anjou Rosé
2022 Herdade Dos Coelheiros Rosé
2021 Umathum Rosa Rosé
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Fondly,
Max

This is a hard one to write. Our manager, Ezra, will be flying off to new skies and heading for the Windy City in a couple weeks. I tried to think of a word or story to tell today that might best demonstrate his unique personality or magnify what kind of person we will soon be missing. Last night I scrolled through a decade of gmail history and found our very first correspondence, a brief email he sent to me on March 28, 2012. It was just one short sentence: Would you and Glenny like to come over for dinner this Saturday after work?

I had just started working with him at Copain winery that week, having just moved back to CA from Brooklyn, eager to learn more about winemaking and excited to be on the Sonoma coast among the redwoods and rolling hills and vineyards, the winding ribbon of the Russian River tying it all together. Ezra managed the tasting room at Copain, bringing an enology degree from Davis along with experience in cellars in Sonoma, Mendocino, and an internship (a scholarship) to study in Burgundy. I smiled finding his first email to me, because that one simple, short sentence he wrote suggests as much about Ezra as any story could. Ezra is an invitation.

A warm and welcoming soul. Gregarious and generous. Fastidious and funny. A lover of food and wine and well-made cocktails. A good story teller. A great listener. Quick to make friends and good at keeping them. Always making new connections, always open to new experiences, new adventures. It is this spirit that propelled him around the world, traveling the globe and settling in Copenhagen for some time before eventually returning to the East Bay. We have been so very lucky that Ezra decided to make a home here at Oakland Yard the past two years. And we are forever grateful for his time, talents, and contributions - for all that he brought to this shop and to this community.

Come wish him all the best. Stop in this weekend (or in the next couple weeks) and raise a glass to a great man, a great manager, a great friend - before he heads to Chicago for his next adventure. As noted, he is exceptional at maintaining friendships, so we are certain to see him again.

In the spirit of Ezra, we extend an invitation to join us. To travel the globe in one way at least. Come meet new friends or reconnect with old ones. Come explore and try new delights, make new connections, find new joys.

Tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: FRENCH Whites and ITALIAN Reds

2021 Grivot-Goisot Côtes d’Auxerre Blanc

2021 Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray Cuvée de Silex

2021 Domaine La Cabotte Cotes du Rhone Blanc

2020 Carussin Barbera d’Asti

2018 Casa Scarpa Barbera d’Asti

2021 Ercole Barbera

Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY: NEW ADVENTURES...

We'll be traveling around the globe and highlighting some hidden gems from countries and regions that may not have their own section on the shelves here, but should not be overlooked! Come explore and check out these dynamic bottles with us from 2-6.

2021 Mother Rock Force Celeste Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

2021 Swick 'City Nights' White (Oregon)

2022 Louis-Antoine Luyt Tinto Chileno (Chile)

2018 Milos Plavac (Croatia)

Flights $20 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,

Daniel

As Oakland Yard enters its seventh summer, I again watch from afar, monitoring inventory’s ins and outs, injecting infusions of fresh juice culled from springtime samplings, picking spears, late and thin, from the asparagus bed of my youth, and watching peonies burst and drop their petals, the sunniest plots exploding first. The Finger Lakes are timeless in their way, as is my mother’s kitchen. I’ve heard the bay’s been gray and tepid, as is typical, but I trust our shop can still warm hearts. Here are snakes and deer and thunderstorms, country roads named after farmers, and the wilds that made me.

I had a friend who, as a child, thought when they switched the TV off, the show would stop and ‘wait’ for their return. We all know now, nighttime happens while we sleep. The world goes on without us. I have no fear of missing out, rather I’m delighted so much can happen in my absence. I trust that Oakland Yard is buzzing with friendly faces, both familiar and brand-new, and that Alyson’s fascinating floral arrangements, siren-like, draw every eye to our back bar, where you may find a friend, meet a stranger, or simply drink in peace.

My thanks to Daniel, Ezra, Erica, Claire, Gabrielle, Pablo, Bibi, Caleb, Natsumi, and Sarah, for playing their parts in keeping Oakland Yard not just afloat, but radiant - the vibrant, welcoming, stimulating, comforting, positive space it continues to occupy in my mind. Please enjoy the Yard while I’m gone. I’ll be sending new wines your way from time to time, and wishing you both sun and rain. Know you’re in my thoughts until we meet again a little later in our seventh summer.

Tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: ALL FRENCH Reds and Whites
2021 Labbé Abymes Jacquère
2021 Perroud Chiras Bourgogne Blanc
2019 Ribeauville Alsace Riesling
2021 Delobel Pineau d'Aunis La Parenthèse
2021 Sylvain Badel Si le Vin Syrah
2021 Jean Orliac Le Loup dans la Bergerie
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

This SATURDAY 6/24: MOMMENPOP APERITIF TASTING with JARED MURRAY
Jared will be pouring spritzy flights of Blood Orange, Seville Orange, and the new Makrut Lime. And we can only hope he’ll be spinning classic soul LPs again from his dad’s dazzling collection.
Aperitif Spritz flights $15 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

Fondly,

Max

Fondly,
Max