The Bay Grape Greatest Hits
cave of wonders
You’re IN! Welcome to our exclusive member portal, where you can always find the current and previous months’ notes, occasional bonus content, plus photos and links to remind you of your favorite wine club-featured bottles. As a reminder, online purchases qualify for your 10% member discount by logging into your account!
Once you’re logged in, you can peep your order history including all wine club bottles you’ve snagged with your membership, plus shop from your home store!
March 2025
March 21, 2025
Hello new friends! What a journey it’s been. We’re so glad you’ve come along with us. From the birth of my daughter just 2 months ago to taking over the shop with my Mother In Law, Lara, the new year has been a whirlwind of amazing life experiences. Thanks for your patience as we begin to settle into the shop.
This March club was a last parting gift from our predecessors and founders of this beautiful community, Josiah and Stevie. We have three beautiful wines for you this month–a crisp refreshing Albarino, a crunchy southern french Syrah and a beautiful bottle of Franciacorta (the “champagne” of Italy).
You’ll hear more from myself, Cameron, and Lara, as we reach out introducing ourselves and our newest updates in the shop.
Of course, if curiosity has not got your tongue (or however that saying goes), please reach out. We’d be happy to hear from all of you with questions, concerns or feedback about how we could make this experience more fun for everyone!
Thanks for joining us on this wild ride. We look forward to meeting everyone in due time.
Best,
Cameron Lara and the Bay Grape Crew
February 2025
February 4, 2025
Hello from the ark, which we are paddling as best we can while giving thanks to the nourishment our fields and vineyards are receiving.
We hope your own kitchens are cozy, your dinner tables are full and festive, and you're sleeping like babies these days! We also hope these specially selected bottles this month bring you as much joy and encouragement as they have brought us. Invite over a friend or ten and open them with a spirit of gratitude and abundance.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our pickup party from 6:30-8:30; bring a friend and a bag to come taste and snag these beautiful wines!
Sending so much love,
Stevie & Josiah
January 2025
January 1, 2025
WE'RE HERE. WE MADE IT. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wow, y'all, wow... what a year it was, and we hope very sincerely that you're resting deeply and calmly today as we usher in this next chapter.
For 2025, our wishes are to keep calm and hold steadfast to what we know to be true regardless of what swirls around us: that community is everything (that includes YOU being HERE!), that good food and wine nourish our bodies as well as our souls, and that we'll continue to let kindness and compassion and grace guide us.
Notes for this month's wines are attached, and take note that due to our annual winter shop closure 1/1 through 1/3, we'll be pouring and hosting our pickup party next Wednesday, 1/8. Remember to bring a bag if you can and a friend if you'd like; we love introducing new folks to our club and favorite wines!
Sending love and lots of excitement and renewal ahead,
Stevie, Josiah, Napoleon, and the whole Bay Grape crü
December 2024
December 4, 2024
Hiya kittens!
Hope you're holding strong, ready freddy for this next month of... everything! I'm so excited to present our December Greatest Hits wines and notes to you (attached). We chose selections this month that conjure cozy, help us feel grounded and sane and remind us to embrace joy. NEED MORE OF ALL THAT ALWAYS. I ardently hope these help you do all of that and more this month.
Don't forget that we've got shenanigans going down tonight for the pickup party from 6:30-8:30pm as well as our BIG CHAMPAGNE FETE THIS FRIDAY from 6-9pm! Come pick up your wine and make merry with us! Bring a bag and a friend or three, and don't forget: We are so, so, so very grateful for your support and membership and your participation in this special little community.
All our love,
Stevie, Josiah, and the whole Bay Grape crew
November 2024
November 5, 2024
Hello!! It’s 6:07pm.
I felt like I should get these notes out now... it's a nice distraction to read about WINE.
We got you on the wine front. C'mon by anytime today or tomorrow for normal provisions; swing in specifically to snag your Wine Club goodies anytime after 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday). Bring a bag! And a friend!
We'll be pouring these three beauties from 6:30-8:30pm tomorrow, and BOY are they BEAUTIES. I'm very very very excited about them, which brings me joy in the midst of everything! Hope they do you, too.
Stay sane.
xo
October 2024
October 2
HELLOOOOOOO, OAKLAND!
It is such a delight to write to you this month, weirdly on one of the hottest days of the year... I hope you're staying cool and keeping your wine cool, too! Don't forget that your wines need to stay, ideally at 70°F or below! Put them in the fridge until things mellow out again! And if you don't have AC at your house, know that our shop does, and we're open 12-10pm with free wifi ;)
TONIGHT IS OUR PICKUP PARTY! We're pouring from 6:30-8:30, and we invite you to drop by for your free tasting! Bring a friend and a bag! The wines are available for pickup anytime 5pm and on tonight, through the rest of this month.
Onto this month's wines: WOW, do we love these. Not only are they outrageously delicious and playing on repeat in our own household (literally, last night we drank the Azul y Garanza while we charcoal-grilled a chicken for Taco Tuesday while we watched the VP debate; tonight we're bumping the Villa Dona with pizza bianco and some procured chanterelles!), but they tell a narrative on a broader scale about wine, its joy-delivering capabilities, its community-fostering facility. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading the notes (attached) and drinking the wines. It sure is an honor to share them with you. Thanks for being a part of this little endeavor :)
All our love,
Stevie, Josiah, Napoleon, and the whole Bay Grape crü
September 2024
September 4, 2024
Hello sweetest of sweets,
WHOA, SEPTEMBER amiright?
I hope your summer was full of cannonballs and stargazing and that you're excited about this next cool-it-down season. We've got wines for you that embrace this shoulder season, that take advantage of the harvest bounty and prepare you for the grounding days and weeks ahead.
In Oakland, we're gearing up for holidays already and are planning many events--hit us up if you'd like us to help host yours! In Napa, we're refreshing the state liquor board website 20-200 times a day waiting for that license transfer--this month's club and the next few will be collaborations with our/your new friends at Decant! You should have gotten a separate email with all those deets, but don't hesitate to drop us a line if you have questions.
Bring a bag and a friend when you come by to taste and pick up :)
In addition to these amazing wines (notes attached!), our current obsessions include Midnight Snack tomatoes, slow and cool just-before-bedtime walks with Napoleon, America's Sweethearts on Netflix, and "Westbound Train" by Flowering Inferno and Quantic. Let us know what you're digging :)
xo
Stevie, Josiah, and the whole Bay Grape crü
August 2024
August 1, 2024
Hello sunshines,
May this turn-of-month be full of serenity, easy sipping and sunshine for you, completely able to enjoy the last month of summer! YOU DESERVE IT.
Notes for this month's lovelies are attached, and we hope you come out to toast and commune with us! Do also bring a friend and a bag so you can introduce someone new to what we do and also help save the planet a little bit. We thank you in advance for both!
If you don't yet have plans for Friday night, we also invite you to our First Friday Fizz featuring Tsar Nicoulai caviar and Gounel-Lassalle Champagne by the glass! Remember--YOU DESERVE IT.
We're so grateful for you,
Stevie + Josiah + the whole Bay Grape crü
July 2024
July 3, 2024
Hello wondrous, loyal, beautiful humans,
HI from the sweaty depths of summer.
I keep singing this Inner Circle song ( "a la la la la long..." ) while we sweat out this heat wave.
Suggestion: Come snag your July wines (notes here!) anytime tonight after 5pm, tomorrow 12-6pm (we're open 12-6 for the 4th!), or this weekend and beyond. Stash one in your Bay Grape Stay Chill sleeve to ice 'er down, and then get outside and crank up that grill!
Sending you all the gratitude for your support, and all the hopes for hot dogs and cannonballs (*perhaps not in that order) this weekend...
xo
Stevie and the Bay Grape crü
June 2024
June 1, 2024
The warm weather is here, and we’re running out the door to go jump in a cold body of water. Notes for this month are here, and the wines are ready for chilling (both themselves and your mood)!
Love and camping vibes,
Stevie and the Bay Grape crü
May 2024
May 1, 2024
Hellooooo dearest Greatest Hits members!
I am writing to you half-blind. Hrrumppph. I had eye surgery to improve my vision last week, and 9 days later everything is still kinda doubly and especially lousy on screens like this computer, hmmm, so if there are typos in this or the notes, you'll have to forgive me. I am told this is "fine" and I'll be improving in the next few weeks(!).
Anyway! Thank you for listening to my complaints, and now, onward with the notes (attached) and the fabulous wines that I hope you absolutely LOVE!
TONIGHT we host our monthly pickup parties (yes! It's the first Wednesday of the month!), from 5:30-7:30 in Napa with Josiah rocking it in-shop, woot, and from 6:30-8:30 in Oakland with our beloved wine club manager, Wei, running the show. Come see them and bring a friend and have your free drinks! Don't forget a bag and good attitude :)
Thank you sincerely as ever for your support,
Stevie and the Bay Grape crü
April 2024
April 2, 2024
HELLOOOOOO SUNSHINE!!!
I gotta get my body outside to soak up this sun and warm my bones, and I hope you're about to do the same. The notes for this month's beautiful, bright and uplifting wines are here. You can come and snag them anytime after 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday)! We'll be hosting our monthly pickup parties tomorrow as well, which we very much hope you attend, from 5:30-7:30 in Napa and 6:30-8:30 in Oakland. Cruise through if you're in town, and bring a friend and a bag!
Thank you so very much for all of the ongoing support. We're honored by your presence and so thrilled to share these wines with you!
xo
March 2024
March 6, 2024
HELLO!
I'm going ahead and pretending spring is here and the sun is shining and I'm warm, wearing shorts and sunglasses, sipping on a cool glass of wine. I need to fake it until we MAKE IT. We are totally gonna make it, y'all! These wines are going to help. They are as springy and buoyant as they come, and I hope they bring you as much joy as they have brought us recently.
Notes on the wines are here, and we urge you to come out to the Napa shop 5:30-7:30 or the Oakland shop 6:30-8:30 for our monthly pickup parties! Don’t forget--ALL y'all--that if you want us to select some extra bottles to pack up for you, simply fill out this nifty form! We'll take it from there.
Thank you as ever for all of your beautiful support of these wines, the amazing and resilient producers who crafted them, and our broader community of fabulous people like YOU out here trying to do good by drinking well.
xo
February 2024
February 6, 2024
Hello sweets,
Happy Black History month, happy almost Valentine's Day, happy Wine Club Pickup Party time! Tomorrow night (Wednesday) we release these babes and host our monthly shindig where we showcase the wines, you drink free, and you get to bring a friend or neighbor to introduce them to the club!
If you can't make it by OR we're shipping these goodies to you, know that we are still every bit as grateful and delighted for your support. January was a rough month, woof, but we've got exciting happenings and in-store glass features plus hecka great new wines on the shelves, and we're always stoked to get them into your hands. Truly, thank you for being a part of what we get to do.
WE HOPE YOU LOVE THE WINES THIS MONTH! Check out our notes here, and Cheers!
January 2024
January 10, 2024
SWEETS!
We're so grateful you're here! Woof, dry January, not a fun time for a wine shop... but luckily we've got all sorts of housekeeping projects we can tackle in these slower days, and perhaps you saw my latest weekly missive about my own "wet" January? Whether that resonates with you, or whether you're taking a little hiatus but smartly kept your membership active for the month knowing you'll be thirsty come February, we're so glad to have you and think you'll be so glad to have these wines in your stash.
I hope you've got a good book on-hand (hit me up if you need recs; I made it my mission to read more in 2023 than I have since college) and some serious soup recipes at the ready (also, gotchu) to pair with these beauties. Stay warm, stay dry, stay present in your communities (like ours!)... on which note:
PICKUP PARTIES GO DOWN TONIGHT IN BOTH SHOPS! BRING A FRIEND AND A BAG! We know it's cold and rainy, but we're dry and warm and excited to serve you inside. See you there :D
Sending love,
Stevie and the whole Bay Grape crü
December 2023
December 6, 2023
Helllooooooo sweets,
First, THANK YOU for being here. It has been a crazy and difficult year, we've heard from so many of you, and that fact makes your membership in our club and this community--your support of us, of our shops, our team members, the producers' whose wines we sell--even more meaningful. Being transparent, we watched several friends' and inspirations' wine clubs go out of business this year--and so we are even more grateful to still be rocking on! Elon and Bezos are doing well; your membership and shopping with small local businesses like ours means that us little folks have at least some chance of staying in the increasingly difficult-to-play game. Again: THANK YOU.
We know also that, with our announcement of putting our beloved shops on the market, some of you have wondered what will come of us, of this club, of these notes, of this community. We wanted to say that we're not going anywhere for now... promising conversations and negotiations may be underway, but there are so many moving pieces that all need to fall into perfect place before anything changes (if anything changes). And if all those pieces do fall into perfect place at some point in the future, you'll be the first to know, and this club will still be available to you--maybe in even greater fashion ;) We truly hope you continue to stick around for the journey (if nothing else, hopefully the booze is good!).
This month we tried to choose wines that, amidst all the division out there, have the potential to bring us together--to unify us via their fascinating back-stories as well as their deliciousness. This is a season for coming together in spite of (maybe even to rally against!) the cold and dark. We hope these bottles help you do just that!
Your notes are attached, and we hope you c'mon out TONIGHT to join us for our Pickup Parties (5:30-7:30 in Napa; 6:30-8:30 in Oakland)! Bring a bag and a friend to introduce to the club!
Sending all the love plus SO MUCH hope and joy this season,
Stevie & the whole Bay Grape Crü
November 2023
October 31, 2023
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, KITTENS!!!
I am getting ready to pick up my little lemur from school, put on my homemade Reese's peanut butter cup costume, and get to trick or treating!! I hope y'all are out there gorging on candy too right now.
Tomorrow comes the party for folks our age: involving WINE. Wine Club Pickup Parties go down tomorrow in Napa from 5:30-7:30 and in Oakland from 6:30-8:30! We would absolutely love to see your faces. Bring a bag and a friend :)
We also want to take this moment to thank you again and again for your support. I don't know if you follow hospitality or food or wine news, but it's a doozy out there--many in our industry saying this year is absolutely worse than 2020 for business(!!)--and we're frankly FLOORED that we are so lucky to still be here doing the damn thing, getting to serve you, getting to employ such a gracious and delightful team, getting to lift up such beautiful bottles made by such intentional, forward-thinking humans.
This month we watched an old friend and big inspiration wave goodbye to their own wine club, and national wine news is all over the collapse of clubs as the pandemic's unprecedented spike in memberships has now receded into a puddle of flop. Yet we are holding strong and steady, and it is thanks to y'all being interested in what we have to offer up, being curious, being a committed part of this community we've spent the last decade building up. A monthly "commitment" to a small, local, independent business is single-handedly the greatest support you can give to shops like us as we face down wild times in this post-Covid world.
WOW, and THANK YOU for this honor.
Especially this season, if you love our club and know someone else who deserves this monthly treat, consider gifting it to them! Or at least shoot them the link. Or at LEAST bring them by the shop for the pickup party or to get in on your complimentary monthly member tasting flight! We hope we can continue to delight and refresh you. Thanks for letting us do this.
SO MUCH LOVE,
Stevie
October 2023
October 4, 2023
Hello sweet beloveds!
We are so excited to send our October wines your way--ready for pickups tonight or shipping out to you this week! If you're coming by to the pickup parties (5:30-7:30 in Napa with pouring from yours truly; 6:30-8:30 in Oakland with pouring from our amazing Wine Club manager Wei), don't forget a bag, and maybe bring a friend :D the parties have been quieter lately, and we'd like to remind you that It's All About the Community, and getting to know each other at the pickup parties is such a cool opportunity to be in community! (also to drink free!)
These wines are all about DELICIOUSNESS this month, and we hope if things are feeling hairy or hectic for you that the wines boost your energy and bring you invigoration. If things are feeling cool and confident, we hope the wines reinforce and reward you.
Notes are attached! We're so grateful for your support,
Stevie & Josiah and the whole Bay Grape crü
September 2023
September 5, 2023
DEAR ONES!
Hello, hi.
Big times over here, aren't they?! We are feeling calm, good, excited... and we hope this season brings you, too, a sense of looking forward.
Notes for this month's gorgeous wines (WOW are they some real gulp-worthy ones) are attached, and I hope I see you in person sooner than later. If you feel like it, drop me a line and let me know what you're up to, what you're working on, or when/where/with what/with whom you drink one of these... I always love to hear the news :)
A reminder that tomorrow (Wednesday!) we host our pickup parties (5:30-7:30 in Napa; 6:30-8:30 in Oakland), so these wines are currently getting all packed up and sorted out by our amazing teams. You may stop by to pick them up anytime after 5pm tomorrow! Try to remember a bag (or even bring back several; we'll happily re-use them!) and a friend who also deserves a good drink.
Love,
Stevie
Click to download the full September 2023 Greatest Hits notes
August 2023
August 2, 2023
Click to download the full August 2023 Greatest Hits notes
AUGUST?! Are you kidding me?? What is tiiiiiiiiime??? Who am IIiiiiiiii??
This is how I feel. Is the universe, like, actually expanding and time speeding up? Is that a thing, or do I have it backwards? Is time real?! Is it always going to feel like this?!
I dunno, but we are still out here swimming. On which note, these wines would totally pair well with a pool day, which I hope you and weget sometime very soon!
Can't thank y'all enough for the ongoing support and for letting us share these gemstones with you. We're pretty obsessed with these wines, and it's a huge joy to get to share them with so many of you. At the end of the day, we love the hell out of our jobs because of this exact reason: getting to bring you little bits of joy via bottles made by thoughtful, fantastic humans. Thank you for tangoing with us.
Pickup parties are TONIGHT! 5:30-7:30 in Napa; 6:30-8:30 in Oakland. Bring a bag and a friend! Notes are attached... happy reading and drinking :)
So much love,
Stevie
July 2023
July 5, 2023
Happy early morning after the 4th, chickens! I hope y'all stayed up late like us last night :)
It's been a busy one over here, but I've got the notes for this month's wines attached for you!
If you're not celebrated out, tonight are the pickup parties (5:30-7:30 in Napa; 6:30-8:30 in Oakland) where we reveal all the wines and pour for y'all. Bring a friend! Bring a bag!
Keep cool, and thanks so so sincerely for the support,
Stevie
Click to download the full notes for July ‘23 Greatest Hits
June 2023
Click to view or download OAKLAND June 2023 Greatest Hits notes
June 7, 2023
Helloooo beloveds!
WOW do I miss you. Sitting here under my fuzzy blanket (since the rain and drear and decidedly cooler-than-I-hoped-for temperatures are keeping me cozied up with second cups of tea--scowl face), I wish I was working behind the counter pouring glasses and dancing to Tame Impala and laughing with y'all!
I'm rooting for sunshine. And while I LOVE our child, I wish kindergarten hours were, like, 6-10pm or something so I could do my wine bar job instead of Mom job. Whateverrrr!
Anyway! Our notes for this month's club wines are attached, and I hope the wines bring you as much joy and restoration as they have us.
TONIGHT we host pickup parties: These are the best way to get a free sneak preview of these beauties, while also getting to toast in community with your fellow members and our dear team members! Parties go down 5:30-7:30 in Napa and 6:30-8:30 in Oakland. Bring a friend! Bring a bag!
All our love,
Stevie, Josiah, and the whole Bay Grape Crü
Click to view or download NAPA June 2023 Greatest Hits notes
May 2023
click to download the full May 2023 Greatest Hits notes
May 3, 2023
Dearests,
Wild times over here... wild times! What on Earth were we thinking, launching three businesses and trying to have a healthy and happy family? Anyway.
I've been thinking a lot about how many of you have been with us for YEARS AND YEARS--and how incredibly honored I am by that (also, personally miss your faces). There are others of you who have joined much more recently, and while Josiah and I aren't physically able to be present and greeting you every day, our amazing community perseveres due to the hard work and joyful presence of our team members and due to the grace and trust of YOU. All of us--guests and team--work together to make this show go, and that means the world to me. So, thank you.
I hope that we all get to put on more shorts and skirts and flip flops ASAP... and that these wines wash down all the gorgeous produce and all the emotions.
April 2023
Click to download the PDF of the full April 2023 Greatest Hits notes
April 5, 2023
Oh hey, there.
It’s 5am. I woke with a throat on fire and some song whose name I don’t know, whose lyrics I think sing, “I’m on fire!” subbed with “throat on fire!” blaring through my head. I chew a popsicle while I wait for the kettle to boil. There are helicopter sounds outside in the dark. Unfortunately, the half of my life spent in Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Oakland make me wonder who is on the run and when they’ll be caught. I realize with a cringe my bias—and that I am in Napa now… and that it’s 33°F out. The helicopters are frost fighters, sent to circulate the air so the baby buds don’t freeze on the vine. I am very pensive. Do I have a Covid test kit still lying around? Covid or not, how long should I stay home given this “throat on fire!” situation? Exactly three years ago I would have been sweating the real possibility of death via sore throat on account of Covid. Two years ago, precisely, I would have been imagining it was a side effect of my first vaccine shot. And a year ago, hell, I’d have assumed it was from the stress of our restaurant, MAMA Oakland, almost burning down last night (yeah, that happened). This year… I’m fairly certain it’s just a cold—or allergies; the seasons are changing; spring is here. What is this world we’ve navigated these past few years? Where are we headed from here? And how the heck does any of my blabbering here relate to this wine club wine, anyway??
My meditations are around what changes—severely—and what stays the same—astonishingly. Our lives changed so extremely on both a global and an intimate, personal level these past few years. And yet, I’m still (we’re still) and will always be profoundly human: sensitive, resilient, tenacious. The vines are, too, with their timely buds bursting, ticking right in sync with universal solar patterns, determined to bear new life even when it’s too damn cold.
Writing these notes this month was impossible. You'll have to bear with me. The wines are so beautiful, but I am so sick, my head can't function other than to send these ramblings about my 5am wake-up... don't let my bumbling deceive you, and we hope you adore these bottles as much as we do. Further, we hope you know how grateful we are for your support through this wine club!
Our pickup parties go down tonight: 5:30-7:30 in Napa, and 6:30-8:30 in Oakland. While I will be in bed, our INCREDIBLE teams will be there to serve you, delighted by your support and presence. Bring a bag--and a friend to taste with you!--to pick up. If you can't make it tonight, the wines will be waiting for you all this month and through the 25th of next month. If you're getting this wine shipped to you, keep an eye out for tracking info next week!
That's all for now. Throat on fire... with gratitude...
March 2023
Click to download OAKLAND Greatest Hits notes for March 2023
March 1, 2023
Hello dear ones,
I'm shivering on the outside but toasty-warm on the inside as I write these March Wine Club notes... the rain is BEASTLY, with more and more and more in the forecast, but we are especially grateful for you this time of year while we remember how you've gotten us to even be here considering what went down almost exactly three years ago... talk about resilience. Whew.
Anyway, THANK YOU for your support not just of us but of these wines and producers from around the world. It's so fun to get to share them with you and think of all of us in community drinking them over the course of the next couple of months!
The pickup parties goes down tonight (Wednesday), and these March wines are available for pickup anytime after 5pm today (Wednesday). Bring a bag! Bring a friend! As a member, you'll taste free! We hope to see you.
Click to download NAPA Greatest Hits notes for March 2023
February 2023
February 1, 2023
Click to download the PDF of February 2023 Greatest Hits notes
LOVERS!
I'm in a glass case of emotion over here this week, have been sorting through the ongoing delights and simultaneous challenges of being human and a [several] small-business owner, and am basically literally teary right now with gratitude to you all for supporting us. "I don't know what we would do without you!"
The best part of our jobs is getting to see and serve you (okay maybe also drink the wine we sell, and kind of a lot of it). Thanks for the opportunity. Thanks for keeping small, local businesses alive. Thanks for being so damn cool and kind to us and our team members. Thanks for being down for adventure and trying fun new stuff. Thanks for spreading the word. Thanks for being fellow humans connected by these tasty bottles! Your notes are attached :)
Pickup parties are tonight! In Napa 5:30-7:30 and Oakland 6:30-8:30. Bring a friend! Bring a bag! Bring back your Cousins Merlot bottle! Bring a smile!
We love you,
Stevie, Josiah, and the whole Bay Grape crü
January 2023
January 11, 2023
Click to download the full January 2023 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
IT'S TIME!
A glimpse of sun in between all the rain: January Wine Club wines and pickup parties are HERE! C'mon by tonight (5:30-7:30 in Napa; 6:30-8:30 in Oakland) for the pickup parties and to claim your wines!
If you can't come tonight, no stress, you've got until 2/25 to get these puppies.
But if you CAN come tonight, we strongly encourage you to do so. It is a dreadfully dreary time of year; I myself have been suffering all week with some intense SAD; businesses are floundering left and right because they're literally drowning and flooding with way too much water and way too few customers. It's a great time to get out and support spots like us and others still doing the damn thing. We can speak from experience: a really lousy week (not to mention an entire month like we're having) due to weather can literally put a hospitality business under, and while we're able to sustain due to the amazing regular support of our MEMBERS LIKE YOU, you should definitely know that little shops and small restaurants you love would be so very very very very grateful to have you patronize them right now. If their team members rely on tips (and you don't in your own job), try to be a little extra generous--it really means the world when budgets are so tight. The rain is SO NEEDED, but so is your support of independent businesses. PLUS! Read this if you need proof that you'll feel better after getting out of the house.
OK, enough preaching ;) We truly are beyond grateful for your support and hope that these wines this month bring you the warm fuzzies that we all desperately need this season.
Lots of love and cozy socks,
Stevie
December 2022
Click to download the full December 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
December 6, 2022
Hello dearest wine club members!
What a huge pleasure and privilege to write to you in December of this year. WE MADE IT. WE'RE STILL GOING.
I am proud of you and of us! And we're in this together. Whew. Could not do it alone. Would never want to. This has been a major year for us: emergence from the Darkest Days We Ever Saw, reacquainting ourselves with social situations, reevaluating priorities and the meaning of sustainability, building new (hopefully improved) systems, and learning learning learning messing up learning again getting it wrong but then making it better learning some more perseveringgggg.
On a more concrete level, we grew this--our Greatest Hits--wine club into a family consisting of six total wine clubs! We switched to an entirely new website, ecommerce platform, POS system and wine club management software! We formalized several of our diversity and sustainability initiatives and began our B-Corp Certification process! We grew our private off-site in-person and virtual class and tasting services! IT WAS AWESOME!! These are all privileges we earned as we got to mindfully de-mask and put some energy toward anything other than Covid. What a JOY it was for us. We hope all of these things have enabled us to serve you better. We always welcome feedback. Let us know if there are ways we could serve you better or become a place for more friends to shop and sip.
We hope that 2022 was good to you and that 2023 brings even more calm, worthiness and content. Enjoy our wine club notes (attached) and BE SURE TO READ THE PART ABOUT THE REFILLABLE BOTTLES WE'RE ASKING YOU TO RETURN TO US!!!
A few final reminders:
Pickups begin at 5pm TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY).
The pickup party is TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY) 5:30-7:30pm in Napa and 6:30-8:30pm in Oakland! Members taste free, and guests are welcome to join for $20!
Bring a bag! You can also bring ANY used bags from ANYWHERE back to us; we'll happily re-use them for other guests to save our planet!
If you can't make it to the party tomorrow, wines are available to pick up anytime after 5pm Weds through 1/25. SHIPPING members: Your wines will be en route next week!
The Cave of Wonders password is now... Refill!
You no longer need any code to enjoy your member discount, whether you're online (just be sure you're logged into your account; see links up above on this page) or in-store (be sure to let our team know who you are so they can associate your account with your order).
November 2022
Click to download the full November 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
November 2, 2022
Hello darlings!
WHEW, what a month October was for us. Many of you will recall anxiety-ridden correspondence from us (thanks for bearing with it!) as we fully segued our ENTIRE order processing system (in-store! online! wine club!) to a brand new setup and scrambled to get properly updated payment info and make sure we're doing all the things properly. It's fine. We're fine. Really.
Anyway, all that to say we are beyond grateful to each one of you for your support of our business and the producers' whose wines we share. We're beyond grateful to you for your encouragement, grace, kind correspondence, and just general sense of community. We're beyond grateful for the opportunity we have to serve you! When things get spicy for us, we're so honored to get to step away for a second and remember that we truly LOVE WHAT WE DO. Thanks for being a part of it and for letting us do it!
OK, enough blabbering. Your notes for this months' wines are attached. They're longish notes--I couldn't keep myself concise--but delicious too, and we hope the wines are equally enjoyable. These super fit this season, each in their own special way, and we hope you can find an appropriate occasion over the next couple of months to let them each shine in your glass. Share them with friends and family!
Finally... hey. It's the time of year when you often need extra wine for yourself and for gifts. And YES you can gift our wine club, and YES we can ship it, and YES we can also hook you up with extra wine and goodies for your team/client/family, and YES we'd be so thrilled to help. YES we do events. Virtually or in person. YES we send mixed packs. YES we gift wrap. We got you.
Pickups for these wines start at 5pm tonight at both locations! Bring a bag! The party goes down 5:30-7:30 in Napa or 6:30-8:30 in Oakland! C'monnnnnnnn out!
xoxoxo
October 2022
Click to download the full October 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
October 2022
Well dear ones,
We’re croaked. We launched the new system. The new system is amazing, but difficult, and the learning curve is steep. One big note and takeaway for you: If you’d like to shop for more of these, you’ll need to choose your shop location first, then browse further or place your orders. EVEN BETTER: Be sure you log in to your account to get your member discount—now available online or in-store, all the time!—and to easily click to reorder any of your previous wine club wines!
We’re exhausted and en route to a family vacation wherein we will likely drink through a full case of this Moroccan rosé. Thank you for your support, and catch you next month.
September 2022
Click to download the full September 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
September 2022
Dearest members,
Hello! Are you staying cool ok? Do you need anything? We have AC in both locations if you need to come work or just relax and read and take a breather!
I was meditating on the notes I drafted this month... trying to figure out what to tell you about the wines we chose... During the darkest days of the pandemic, these notes doubled as a diary for me and—so I heard—a salve for many of you members. This was because, ironically, we all shared a devastating intimacy… via our separation. In isolation, everyone was going through the same anger, fear, loneliness and desperation together. I never, ever want to go back to that time. But I do confess: I long for the rapport. We’re now all scrambling back into our respective nests of overcommitment; feeling the creep-up of sundry fears buried for two years; relationships, resentments and reconciliations all resurfacing in different ways for different people. We’re coming back together in person, but we’re not all on the same page, and that makes writing personal notes a more delicate matter. All of this to say: I hope you're faring ok, wherever you're at on this new path. I hope these notes and wines still resonate; I hope you still love the wines; I hope you still feel like you’re a part of something when you read them and—more crucially—when you drink the wines.
WE still feel incredibly connected to you all, and always so extremely grateful.
Tomorrow are our pickup parties! Wines are available anytime after 5pm tomorrow, and the Napa party is 5:30-7:30, the Oakland one is 6:30-8:30. Come discover this month's three wines; come hang IRL; bring a bag or return a pile of old ones to us--we and the environment thank you! If you're a member who gets their wines shipped, know that we're keeping these babies cool for you until next month when temps are safer to ship your wine.
Final reminder: Whenever you pick up your wines, you're eligible to claim your free monthly member flight! Unfortunately we cannot defer your tasting to a later date, so please be mindful that when you pick up your wines is also when you can take your flight. We're excited to share with you!
Thanks for the love. In community,
Stevie
August 2022
Click to download the full August 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
August 2022
Lovers,
May I present to you: Our August 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes! If you've been with us for a while, you already know what I always have to say: WE ARE SO GRATEFUL to each and every one of you. When I write these notes every month and pour a ton of emotion into them and think about the community of you, dear guests, who get to enjoy these wines that mean so much to us, and who support our family every month like this, it frankly puts me in awe.
Life has been insane lately. Maybe you've been feeling it too. (I don't think it's going to stop.) But in this moment I'm also feeling tremendous joy and gratitude for the bigger positive energy I feel emanating from our community and for the ways we're plugging along, head down but chin up, in spite of what may be swirling around outside. Whatever you're after, we're here for you, cheering you on and sending all the energy we've got--plus wine ;)
Final reminder: Tonight are the pickup parties in both Oakland (6:30-8:30) and Napa (5:30-7:30), and we'd love to see you come out and hang and drink! Your wines will be ready for pickup anytime after 5pm today! Bring a bag if you can. If you're a shipping member, take note that all shipments are on temperature hold until October, so thanks for your extra patience this next bit so we can make sure your wines arrive delicious and fresh!
With gratitude and in community,
Stevie, Josiah, Napoleon and the whole Bay Grape family
July 2022
click to download the full July 2022 Greatest Hits wine club notes
July 2022
Dear members:
Down to the wire this month, folks! I'm proud to say we've got our ducks in a row and now--just before the 5pm call time--without further ado, I'm sending along our JULY wine club notes! These bottles were chosen for their very high makes-mouths-happy quotients and their height-of-summer pleasurability, so we hope you LOVE.
Our pickups always commence at 5pm sharp on the first Wednesday of the month, so thanks for your patience... it makes us happy you're so excited to come claim these :D You can come by anytime after 5pm on the first Wednesday (that's today; now!), and the pickup parties happen from 5:30-7:30 in Napa or 6:30-8:30 in Oakland. If you come any other time during the month, remember to claim your member tasting at that point.
Thank you as always for your incredible support as we've grown this little club and as we get to support and promote small wineries around the world through our efforts and your love. It's our greatest honor! See y'all real soon, and remember to bring a bag when you pick up :)
June 2022
Click to download the full June 2022 Greatest Hits wine club notes
June 2022
Phew!!! Barely was able to complete these notes, y'all—between world news breakdowns, an under-the-weather family, lack of childcare over a long weekend and now our entire Square POS and invoice processing system is busted. Life is feeling really... life-like these days, wouldn't you agree?
URGENT NOTE FOR THE MOMENT: Our automated invoices were supposed to charge this morning for all of your wine club payments. Because Square Online is fully inoperational (apparently at all locations using Square worldwide, so that's fun!) right now, none of you have been charged yet. We are waiting on word from Square on what to do (also So Much Joy, they're suuuuuuper responsive)... will we need to manually charge each and every one of you? Will Square re-charge automatically? NO ONE KNOWS! (Desperate, panicked laugh.) Please stay tuned and stay patient if you are coming tonight to pick up your wine, as we will be unable to give away wine that has not been paid for, and we may need you to re-provide payment info so we can manually charge you.
Reminder that pickups begin at 5pm at both locations; please note we'll be scrambling all day today to get this resolved before then.
ANYWAY. This is one of the reasons why I drink wine. I love getting to the end of my day and relishing the privilege of getting to crack into a bottle and savor the taste of another place and time. Yeah, I like to escape. I trust you do, too, which is part of the reason you're a dear member with us. And we're honored to get to share these bottles with you. Thanks for the support, and I hope you're hanging on ok today.
Thanks, lovers!
May 2022 Greatest Hits wine club notes
May 2022
Hi dearest precious Wine Club members!
First let us reiterate how damn grateful we are for your presence, your contribution to our community, your support of these wines and the families that make them. Now more than ever we are mindful of how our routine spending can make a huge impact on our world and the planet, and it means so much to us that you A) shop with us at all and B) spend your wine budget on small producers working mindfully to preserve our planet for the next generation. Love notes aside, we're hot-n-bothered over this month's selections. They feel particularly seasonally spot-on, urging us to get outside and get enjoying this weather and the amazing produce starting to flood our markets--not to mention get us enjoying each other's company. On that note, tonight we host our monthly pickup parties: In Napa from 5:30-7:30 and in Oakland from 6:30-8:30! As a member, you taste free, and you're encouraged to bring new friends who can also taste for $20. If you can't make it tonight, you're welcome to snag your free flight whenever you do come in to pick up your wine this month. As a reminder, that complimentary flight is good only for you the primary member and only at the time of your wine pickup (no saving it for later... logistics for us = boooo). Also as a reminder, we and our blessed planet LOVE when you BYO bag to pick up. Finally, a reminder that your Cave of Wonders password and your online checkout discount code are both currently: AlwaysFresh
Notes are attached!!
Thanks again for all the love,
Stevie and the entire Bay Grape team
April 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club notes
April 2022
Hello sweets,
Anybody else battling insomnia out there?! I haven't been able to fully shake it since the pandemic started, when days and nights all blurred together because there was nothing to do and nowhere to go, and our work was all shut down but I also felt the urgent need to worry myself through all potential solutions. I'm down from a nightly toss/turn ritual to just 1.5 nights per week of total lost-cause awake, which I think is actually pretty good... but here I am at one of them, and then I cleverly remembered: I need to send out the wine club notes! May as well be productive ;)
April wines are coming in hot for you starting tonight! Both our locations will be slanging the good juice at the pickup parties, and you're welcome to come claim your wines anytime after 5pm today! PLEASE BRING A BAG. The supply chain mess is no joke, and bags are a precious commodity around here. Also: The Planet.
Reminder that while we're pouring free flights for all y'all tonight, you're also now welcome to come claim your complimentary flight anytime this month. Flights of the Greatest Hits wine club wines go tonight only; our California Love flights and a rotating "hot picks" flight are also now on tap for each location for you to redeem when you pick up your wine club wines. Again, you must pick up your wines at the same time you claim your flight. Don't forget your ID and your bag!
We're so grateful to you.
Stevie
March 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club Notes
February 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club Notes
march 2022
It’s a huge month over here! We’re rolling out with SIX—yes, SIX—new wine club offerings. Meanwhile, our OG Bay Grape 3-6-9 club, aka our Greatest Hits, runs wild with one of our favorite offerings yet. Please bear with us during this transition, and thank you for the support!
FERUARY 2022
Hello dearests!
It's time. Three hours until pickup time! 5pm is the official "you're welcome to come grab your wine" hour! Until then we're scurrying to get our ducks in a row, take payments, arrange cases, etc. Whew!
If you're joining us tonight, we're excited to have you; if you can't join us tonight, you can come anytime all month to grab your wines. Bring a bag! The environment needs us! If you're getting your wines shipped, keep an eye out early next week for your tracking info :)
Notes are attached! Huzzah!
We hope we are emerging from the darkness. It's been a lousy winter and most of us are still struggling to stick it out, but the recent spat of sunshine is already bringing us renewed hope--and more fresh faces like yours gracing us with your presence! THANK YOU. As humans, the best we can do is keep our chin up through the rough patches and keep our hands held out to help others during the bright spells, knowing all along that we're not alone. It's an honor to work though it with you, our loyal members, sipping alongside us in spirit if not in person. As you enjoy each wine this month, may you feel that connection with us, with your neighbors, with the producers and their families. CHEERS and happy 2/2/22.
In community,
Stevie
January 2022 Greatest Hits Wine Club Notes
january 2022
Hello dear ones,
It is with a humble and SO-FULL heart that I write you this afternoon to present our delicious January 2022 Wine Club notes!
Our pickup parties are from 5:30-7:30 in Napa and 6:30-8:30 in Oakland TONIGHT! C'mon by if you like!
If you're new here... WELCOME. I'm certainly biased, but I think this is one of the most special little corners of our commercial-capitalist world, where your $$ and support makes a direct, BIG impact on lots of little families: starting with mine and our team members' (we would not exist without you!), down to the distributors and importers representing little-winemakers-who-could, and finally down to the individual men, women and folx busting their butts in their vineyards and cellars around the world to craft beverages we all hope bring you glimmers of joy. It is our collective greatest honor to bring you these wines each month and to feel like, in some small way, we're coming together in community when we crack into them.
I have been meditating a lot around the notion of resolutions and what 2022 can bring to us, so you'll find some musings on that in the attached notes that also outline the stories of why we chose these wines in this moment. We hope you LOVE every bottle we send your way, but even if one doesn't strike quite the right chord for you in that moment, we hope you can appreciate the thoughtfulness and intention that went into its production, and we hope it likewise brings YOU joy and a sense of community.
NOW FOR BUSINESS:
Wines will be ready for pickup beginning today at 5pm sharp! We're still scrambling like little raccoons over here trying to square up memberships and track down outstanding payments and box up shippers, so please do not show up until 5pm or after!
You may pick up January wines anytime this month or up until 2/25.
Bring a bag! The planet needs us!!!!!
Stay tuned for lots more communication about wine club as we roll out some new programs and systems over the next couple of months!!!
That is all. Lots of love,
Stevie