Uncorked kicked off its grand opening celebration on April 4 and 5, attracting almost 200 people to its new retail wine shop specializing in quality wines and packaged gourmet food items as well as wine-related gift baskets.

"The event was spectacular," said Richard Kerns, who stopped by while taking a stroll in downtown Saratoga with his girlfriend. "I had to come in to see what the commotion was all about."

Sherry Hanson, one of the three owners of the business located on Big Basin Way and wife of co-owner Mike Keogh, said she knew that there would be a lot of people coming in but did not anticipate seeing such a great turnout.

Local businesses also participated in the two-day event. Viaggio, located about a block away, provided food for the celebration, while others donated gift certificates and T-shirts as raffle prizes.

"The amount of support we've been getting from neighboring business owners and community members is beyond overwhelming," said Hanson. "We've been getting a lot of customers from other cities like Willow Glen and Campbell. We've also had visitors from Michigan, Utah and North Carolina. It's all about word of mouth."

Patrick Rupert, who also owns the business, said that Saratoga is a perfect place to open a wine shop because of the sense of camaraderie in the community. He also said he hopes the shop will encourage more foot traffic and boost nightlife activity in the area.

The owners offer more than quality wine—they also offer their expertise in more than 100 wines and encourage novice drinkers to learn more about different wines at their tasting area, permitted for those 21 and older.

"We are intimately involved with our wines," said Hanson. "We've tasted everything in our store and can tell you almost anything you want to know about it."

Friendly service and expert advice are the main reasons Patrick James employee Cliff Peterson said he would not go anywhere else to buy wine.

"It's a good place to learn about wine," he said. "They're right on top of it. They really know their stuff."

Peterson, who considers himself to be far from expert in wine tasting, said he's glad to have something different and unique in the area.

"It's a viable beginning of a mix of businesses," he said.

Greg Pache, general manager of The Plumed Horse across the street, said he agrees that the wine shop is a good addition to the downtown area.

"We've never had a retail wine shop in Saratoga before," he said. "The timing is great. Wine is popular with Saratoga residents."

Pache said he hopes the business will attract more people to the area and encourage them to shop.

"They seem to be having good activity in the store, and hopefully it will encourage other creative merchants to come to Saratoga," said Bill Cooper, owner of Bella Saratoga. "It's also nice to see something open in the evenings."

Uncorked is open seven days a week. For more information, call 408.741.9000 or visit www.uncorked-wines.com.