Definitely worth checking out for East Bay wine and beer fans is a serious new store called simply (and descriptively) "The Cellar". In their well-stocked store on San Pablo Dam Road, you'll find a tasting bar where you can try before you buy, and an impressive and eclectic selection of wines and spirits ranging from esotetic collecter's treasures to simply delicious, approachable and everyday wine, beer and spirits at non-extortionate prices.
The cigar selection is relatively small, but well chosen and impeccably kept in a cedar-lined humidor. I'm only a bare beginner with cigars, but I certainly enjoyed the wonderful smells wafting out from the opened display case as the owner pointed out the various brands - vintage Portofino Macanudo, aged Dunhill Altamira, Artuo Fuente Hemingway and Double Chateau, and an interesting-looking cigar from Paris called the Pleiades. The sweet, potent cedar reminded me deliciously of a very good Port or Cotes du Rhone.
Some of the selections from the tasting bar this week include two excellent Chilean red wines of great extraction and flavor that are also easy on the pocketbook ($6.99, Luis Felipe Edwards Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and a beautifully forward and fruity 1993 Louis Martini Barbera. Ask, and you can probably sample some beers as well, depending on what's available that day.
I was certainly impressed by the beer and ale selection. While not quite as large as the massive shelves of Beverages & More, the storage is considerably better in their temperature-controlled back room, and the array seems thoughtfully chosen. Along with the serious staples like Guinness and Rogue, I found bottles of Old Peculier (an excellent Yorkshire ale not always easy to find in stores) and some very nice imported lambics in the refrigerator case.
I found out about the back room by asking the owner skeptically why he would want to keep Guinness in the refrigerator. "Americans want cold beer," he replied ruefully. "So I have to sell it to them." But, he pointed out, he kept cases in the back at 55 degrees for folks who preferred the classic brew at the classic temperature.
Intrigued, I asked for a peek into the store's namesake, the real Cellar. Although it isn't underground, it definitely meets all the other requirements, and I'd store my own wine collection here without thinking twice. I left with significant envy in my heart for the expensive temperature control system and concrete insulation, and few or no worries about buying a skunked or cooked bottle here.
Some older wines and a treasure trove of rare, exotic liqueurs in handblown bottles are worth a look, if only for their museum value. Don't miss taking a peek at the $300 bottles of awesomely aged cognac and esoteric eau de vie, and if you're really in the money, a $1500 bottle of blended cognacs from the 1800's awaits, as well as a small but tasteful selection of 50-year old scotches for a mere $15,000. Each.
Even if you're shopping on a budget, there are some bargains to be had, most notably in the Chilean wines as well as some excellent California vintages with prices equal to or in a few cases less than their going rate at the winery. And if you're looking for something special, don't hesitate to ask the owner for it. "We do special orders, no problem," he assured me breezily. Looking around at the already impressive selection, I believed it.
There are a few solid comestibles worth mentioning here as well. There are some interesting chocolates and biscuits from England as well as a yummy selection of cheeses and English crackers that are just right to accompany a glass or two from the tasting bar.
The Cellar is located at 3550 San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante. From
the Highway 80, take the San Pablo Dam Road exit and head up the hill
(right if you were on the 80 East, left if you were headed west). Look
for it after the bend in the road on your right hand side in the second large
shopping center.
Bon appetit,
Tanith Tyrr
Bay Gourmet
"There are people who strictly deprive themselves of each and every
eatable, drinkable, and smokable which has in any way acquired a shady
reputation. They pay this price for health. And health is all they get
for it. How strange it is. It is like paying out your whole fortune for
a cow that has gone dry."
- Mark TwainMore Fun Food Quotes
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