Looking for a great local wine shop? PlumpJack Wine and Spirits could be exactly what you're looking for. PlumpJack will be one of our awesome local businesses participating in the Cow Hollow Microhood on Thursday October 23, so I asked them a few questions to find out what the wine pros are all about.
What’s the story behind the PlumpJack Wine Store?
PlumpJack Wine Store was started in 1992 as the first business for the PlumpJack Group, by then founder Gavin Newsom. It’s mission is to make the wine-buying experience approachable and to remove the intimidation factor. In 1992 we had more than 100 wines priced at under $10 per bottle. We now have more than 300 selections that are $25 or under and an expansive collection of spirits and domestic craft beers.
What is a little known secret(s) about your business?
If you buy a bottle of wine from the wine store and take it across the street to the Balboa Cafe, there is no corkage fee. And we will deliver your wine and spirits for FREE in San Francisco proper for all orders over $100. Gift wrapping and enclosure cards are complimentary.
Can you tell us a little about your clubs?
Our Monthly Wine Club (2 bottles) has been operating for more than 20 years, and in that time we have featured wines from all over, from California and Oregon to France, Portugal, Greece and beyond. Our members love that the club gives them a chance to discover new wines from different regions every month. These wines are carefully chosen and are always small production, hand-crafted wines with unique stories.
Our Red Rogues (not rouge) club is a quarterly club that no one else is doing. This is where we pick three red wines that have a unique combination of character, varietal, viticulture, and appellation that members can experience the difference in style and terroir. For example, past features have included three Amarones from Italy; three Pinot Noirs from Oregon; or three different Shiraz from the same winemaker, but from different appellations. It's a fabulous way to compare and contrast wines that have similarities but display differences as well.
The Case Club is a perfect way to design your own parameters on a monthly or bi-monthly time frame so that you always have a stash of wine to drink, to give as a gift, or to take to someone's house. Become a member if you don't have time to shop, if you have unexpected guests frequently, or you are tired of grocery store selections. You set the pricing parameters as well as the varietal type, countries, all red, all white, all rose, or all sparkling—then we do the work so you don't have to trouble yourself with parking or picking up. We deliver right to your door.
When you become a member, you sort of become a member of our wine family. We host annual parties with our members where we try out new wines, do blind tastings and taste small bites with different wine. Members frequently come in to the store to chat and get advice on everything from what to drink with take-out Chinese food to where to locate the best Sugo di Cinghiale (wild boar sauce) in Italy. There are so many wine clubs out there, and most of them are the same, we really personalize our club and put a lot of thought and energy into our selections and our tasting notes.
What kind of events do you host?
We have really fun and interactive wine tastings at our bi-monthly Pop Up Wine Bar that we hold at our sister business, MatrixFillmore. Paul Birman, our resident wine expert and wine buyer, chooses a spectacular array of interesting wines from different countries, regions, and AVAs.
On some occasions we do spirit tastings, like our recent Tequila tasting featuring both Tequila and Mezcal. Our next event will feature PlumpJack’s three wineries: Cade Estate Winery, PlumpJack Winery, and the newest member, Odette Estate. We’ll have six wines available to taste and the winemakers will be in attendance to talk about their wines and sign bottles. Information is available here.
What do regular customers love most about your shop?
First and foremost, our selection of wine is very robust and it’s full of everything from the bigger names to smaller production, boutique wines. Our spirits selection has grown a lot over the years and now includes a lot of intriguing bourbons, Scotch, gin and liquors, and a growing selection of domestic hand-crafted beer.
We really pride ourselves on getting to know our customers and having them become our friends. It’s not unlikely for our team to know your name and your favorite style of wine on the second or third time you come into our store.