The Bay Area was one of the first places in the U.S. to have a “natural wine scene.” That culture is thanks to a couple of factors: The now-iconic wine shop Vineyard Gate opened in Millbrae in 1998, and the legendary natural wine bar Terroir—the first on the West Coast—opened in 2007. (It closed in 2022.) San Francisco has also long had a robust fine dining culture, and it has been home to many influential wine professionals.
Oakland is a beautiful microcosm of the whole Bay. It’s a big city of friendly people who like to know their neighbors—and it’s a fabulous place to drink wine (or sake or cider). The city has a rich wine history because of its proximity to regions like Sonoma, Napa and the Sierra Foothills, and there’s a clientele that, in my experience as a wine professional, is guided by curiosity. As a result, the options are broad and the bartenders are sharp. At most local wine bars, you can get a great glass for a fair price, or you can drink the whole bottle there for just $10 or $15 more than retail.
If you want to do what I’ll call The Full Oakland, I’ve compiled the essential establishments to visit. I’ve ordered them as a suggested walking path, factoring in the hours that the businesses are open and their offerings. The total walking distance is only 6.6 miles. You can start at noon and hit them all, if you’re feeling thirsty and ambitious.
As a disclosure: I’ve worked at or done business in some way with almost all of these bars. I hope that makes you feel that I’m extra qualified, rather than compromised, to share some of the best of this natural wine bar capital.