The Oakland wine scene is vibrant and growing. One recent addition that is getting a lot of attention is Oakland Crush. Fine wine in a fine setting, this is definitely a wine shop worth exploring.
Oakland Crush opened on the edge of Jack London Square on December 15, 2015 to great reviews. The bright and airy interior, full of hand-crafted tables and shelves, displays every wine bottle like an object of art. Each bottle has a hand-written price tags and is spaced apart from its neighbors for easy viewing. Something of a shrine to the art of winemaking.
Not your ordinary wine shop, Oakland Crush features small, independant and family-owned wineries, with a focus on sustainable practices. If there’s time to linger, Oakland Crush sells snacks and permits drinking any store-purchased wine on premises without a corkage fee. To build on the community vibe, there is a long, beautiful live-edge wood table that begs to be lingered over.
Oakland Crush has featured wines by the glass most days. On the day we visited, Ludlows Spritz was the star. A light and fruity spritzer that is perfect for a summer afternoon. Yet another good use for that amazing table, sipping on some Ludlows and snacking on some gluten-free crackers! More in-depth wine explorations (called “thematic tastings”) take place on Wednesday nights at 5:00 and Saturday afternoons at 2:00. Definitely something to put on our “to do” list.
After browsing and sipping, snacking and chatting, we finally had to move on. We picked up more of their amazing gluten-free snacks and set off for our next winery.
Welcome to the Oakland wine scene, Oakland Crush!
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
