Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Uncorked Spirits: Patrick Rupert, co-owner of Grapevine, pours a glass of Cascina Val del Prete Luet, an Italian white wine. Grapevine opened in March of 2000 and offers wine tastings every Friday and Saturday 5-8 p.m.
Upscale wine products sold at WG Grapevine
By Jim Aquino
Earlier this winter, red wine made news in medical circles when a team of British scientists announced that they might have found scientific proof that wine reduces the risk of dying from heart disease. An 112-year-old Italian named Antonio Todde, the world's oldest living man until his death a few weeks ago, attributed his longevity to daily glasses of wine. Has all this recent praise for wine as a health drink boosted sales at Willow Glen's Grapevine wine shop?
"I wish we could say we've been tracking that and asking people, but I can't say that it has or hasn't. It's always good to have publicity like that though," says Patrick Rupert, the Grapevine's co-owner. "I think that you have to take all these medical studies with a grain of salt because one year, they might say it's great, and then they might do another study and they'll say it's not."
Even though he doesn't pay attention to all the press that wine has been receiving lately, Rupert says he and his business partner, co-owner Cara Finn, have always had a great passion for wine, which was what led Rupert and Finn, both refugees from the Bay Area high-tech industry, to open the Grapevine in March 2000.
"We decided Willow Glen would be the best place to have an upscale wine shop. Willow Glen is an extremely warm and generous neighborhood," Rupert says.
Located at 1389 Lincoln Ave., the Grapevine also sells wine accessories and gourmet items like tapenades, balsamic vinegars and dipping oils.
"It's a shop for both experts and novices. We try to make it easy for people to come into the shop and feel comfortable and be able to choose what they want," Rupert says. "What most of our customers find is that we tend to take the mystique out of wine and get people to feel comfortable about it."
On Thursdays, the Grapevine offers wine-tasting theme nights in which specific wines are spotlighted and served with hors d'oeuvres.
On Jan. 31, five "Big Ol' Red Wines" will be showcased, and then on Feb. 7, the Grapevine will focus on pizza wines like merlots and cabernets (or as Rupert calls them, "cabs"), to be served with pizza provided by Pizza My Heart.
"We call it the 'cheap date night' because it's only $10 per person," Rupert says. "That's a lot of fun. We have a good attendance for that."
In March, the Grapevine will celebrate its second anniversary. Rupert says anniversary plans include a party and a slight remodeling of the interior.
"The downturn in the economy has not really affected our business that much. Last year, we showed a substantial increase in gross sales," Rupert says. "It's been a very good business to us, and I really think that Willow Glen has a lot to do with that. It's got a great community."
The Grapevine, 1389 Lincoln Ave. Open Tuesday-Saturday noon-8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Monday. For more information, call 408.293.7574.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
