Safeway’s parent company Albertson’s has been taking wine shipments from a distributor whose former executives are accused of making elaborate bribes in exchange for prime placement on the grocery shelves.

Back in the 1950s, something known as the payola scandal exposed that certain music labels were bribing DJs to play certain records, and artificially create hits. Turns out that in the modern day, something similar may have been happening on the wine shelves of Safeway parent company and grocery chain Albertson’s.  

The Chronicle reports that top executives from the alcohol distribution firm of Southern Glazer’s have been charged with bribery in numerous schemes to determine which wines were placed more prominently on Albertson’s shelves. Per the Chronicle these alleged kickbacks included “included prepaid gift cards, luxury items, consumer electronics and even cash, as well as travel expenses like airfare, hotel stays, expensive meals and golfing trips."

The Chron adds that “A trip to Maui for an Albertson’s wine buyer and his spouse, for instance, was funded with a $30,000 invoice for a ‘seminar’ a year earlier.”

There is no evidence that Safeway stores were involved in any of this malfeasance, Moreover, both Southern Glazer’s and Albertson’s insist that any employees suspected of wrongdoing were fired long ago.

“Southern Glazer’s is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws and industry regulations, and we hold ourselves and our employees to the highest standards of ethics and integrity,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to the Chronicle. “We have cooperated with relevant authorities and will continue to do so.”

For their part, Albertson’s said in their own statement that “The behavior in question was wholly inconsistent with our policies, and we do not, and will not, tolerate it.”

If convicted, the defendants face prison senttences of up to 20 years, and fines of up to $250,000 for each bribery charge.

Related: Wine Country Developer Arrested by Feds, Charged With Fraud and Money Laundering [SFist]

Image: Lynn F via Yelp:

It’s ‘bottoms up’ at more SF movie theaters, as the Board of Supervisors just social-lubricated the red tape around alcohol sales at movie houses.  

San Francisco’s answer to creating economic recovery these last few years seems to be to jst add more alcohol sales to every event and get-together. And you know what? It keeps on working!

So District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill followed suit this past November, and proposed relaxing the rules so that more SF movie theaters could sell beer and wine at their concession stands. And on Tuesday, the SF Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the new rules giving more theaters permission to sell beer and wine.  

“Movie theaters have been threatened by shifting streaming habits, the pandemic, and more,” Sherrill when introducing his legislation. “The theaters who’ve been hit hardest by these tough economic conditions are the small, single-screen historic theaters."

“Serving beer and wine at theaters is good for the bottom line, it’s good for their long-term health and sustainability as businesses,” he added.

The way things stand now, the SF Planning Code holds theaters to a “revenue test” that demands a venue make a minimum of its gross sales on food. That holds movie theaters to the same standard as restaurants, and unrealistic threshold for theaters that hop to sell beer and wine.

“Regardless how much we charge for extra butter, no amount of popcorn is going to make 51% of their revenue,” Sherrill said.

Sherrill’s new legislation related rules on all movie theaters in San Francisco. But the legislation is clearly tailored to the soon-to-reopen Clay Theater in his district. The legislation even contains a line delineating that “certain Movie Theaters in the Upper Fillmore Neighborhood Commercial District [can] sell wine and/or beer without being subject to non-residential use size limits otherwise applicable in the District,” which seems to clearly single out the Clay.

The Clay, of course, shuttered just before the pandemic, and is currently in the reopening process as part of billionaire Neil Mehta’s Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project. And yes, maybe some favoritism was applied that Sherrill chose to single out the Clay for certain benefits  in ths legislation.

But this is the kind of favoritism that most of us can get behind. After all, San Francisco film lovers would be over the moon to see the venerable and historic Clay Theater open again, ad we’re all for anything that can hel facilitate that happening.  

Related: Sup. Sherrill Wants to Make It Easier for Movie Theaters to Serve Booze [SFist]

Image: Lulu L via Yelp

This week’s mix of culture, nature, and flavor includes queer hikes, show-tune karaoke, booza ice cream, an Oakland-based wine company, Lake Temescal swims, Foster City Eichler homes, SF skate history, and bold films at BAMPFA.

Pride in nature

Several LGBTQ+ groups around the Bay Area are hosting outdoor events during Pride Month to create inclusive, welcoming spaces in nature. Activities include birdwatching with Queer Birders Bay Area and Queers of a Feather, which provide gear and beginner-friendly guidance. Queer Surf hosts beach events and lessons that celebrate gender diversity in surfing culture.

Branching Out Adventures and the Rainbow Sierrans lead hikes and camping trips with a focus on accessibility and community-building. The San Francisco Hiking Club, active since the 1980s, continues to connect queer people through weekly scenic treks.—KQED

Show tunes and karaoke

A Broadway-themed singalong bar is opening in SF’s Marina District on June 26, offering a full immersive musical theater experience, including show-tune karaoke, red carpet photo ops, and themed cocktails like the “Ozmopolitan.” From Hamilton to Phantom, it’s your chance to belt it out with fellow fans. Early reservations are now open via SFBucketList.—SFBucketList

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by San Francisco Bucket List (@sfbucketlist)

Summer swims and scenic trails at Lake Temescal

Lake Temescal, a serene reservoir in the Oakland Hills, is open daily for the 2025 summer swim season. Just under an hour from SF via BART and bus, it features a sandy beach with lifeguards, a peaceful trail, fishing, picnicking, and WPA-era architecture.

Temescal Creek was dammed in 1868 to provide drinking water to the East Bay, and the lake’s stone beach house dates to the 1930s. Two playgrounds and shady groves round out this East Bay gem.—Secret San Francisco

San Francisco’s skateboarding culture and legacy

SFGovTV’s new short documentary explores how San Francisco helped shape global skateboarding culture. More than just a pastime, skating is part of the city’s identity—etched into its hills, plazas, and neighborhoods. The film highlights its gritty history, iconic street spots, and influential skaters.—SFGovTV

Booza in the Bay

Booza, a stretchy traditional Arab ice cream, is making its mark on the Bay. The rare treat is available at Berkeley’s Roast & Toast, where Palestinian owner Fadi Alhour serves classic and cardamom-rose flavors topped with pistachio and crispy kataifi.

Booza is also sold at Levant Dessert in Menlo Park and SF’s Dalida, and a few local markets carry packaged versions made in Texas. Its elastic texture comes from orchid root and tree resin, making it dense and slow-melting—perfect for summer.—Chronicle

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chronicle Food & Wine (@sfchronicle_food)

Changing the face of wine—from Oakland

Jonathan Yang and Tiffani Patton are reimagining wine from their base in Oakland. As the duo behind Laughing Gems, they craft natural wines that reflect their Chinese American and Black and Korean American heritage—designed to pair with the bold flavors they grew up with.

Their fizzy Muscat Pet-Nat and orange Muscat “Florascent” cut through rich foods, and their labels feature playful designs by local artists. They got their start at Purity Wine in Richmond, and now they're building a culture that feels like home.—EaterSF

Eichlers, bayfront living, and fair housing

Foster City is home to 200 Mid-Century Modern Eichler homes built between 1964–1966 across three neighborhoods. Known for their open layouts, glass walls, and indoor-outdoor flow, the homes reflect a bold vision of equitable housing championed by developer Joseph Eichler, who sold to buyers of all races when discrimination was still legal.

While some have been remodeled, others are being lovingly restored. Their legacy is matched by Foster City's original vision of blending modern living with open space and nature.—The Eichler Network

Global stories and bold directors at BAMPFA

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive’s Summer and Fall 2025 film lineup explores memory, identity, and endurance across international cinema. Programs include Robert Altman at 100 and In Lonely Places, expanding noir into uncanny suburbs and isolation.

Retrospectives of Tsai Ming-liang, Mikio Naruse, and Tarkovsky highlight solitude and human connection, while works by Vivien Hillgrove and Bruce Conner showcase transformation through editing. From The 400 Blows to A Photographic Memory, it’s a season of storytelling that spans continents and generations.—Broke-Ass Stuart

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (@bampfa)

Top image: Still from 'A Photographic Memory,' screening at BAMPFA on June 28 and July 20

Previously: Field Notes: New Peninsula Trail Network, Nesting Falcons, and Black History in California

This Pride Weekend, plenty of wine will be sipped by LGBTQ+ people and their allies at parties around the country. But a new generation of winemakers, wine sellers, and advocates are trying to raise awareness among consumers about where their wine comes from, and to push for more representation in an industry with a longstanding reputation of being cis, white, straight, and male.

San Francisco is at the epicenter of a growing movement in which female and queer winemakers are being increasingly centered and spotlit — and many of these winemakers are focusing on the trend toward natural wine. Within this movement is a push for both representation and diversity, on wine lists as well as in tasting rooms and wine bars, as well as a growing conversation around less invasive, less manipulative modes of making wine.

You could say that there is some kinship there, between a group of marginalized wine lovers and winemakers who have had to fight for much of their lives to be who they inherently are, and the practice of letting grapes and terroir show off what they inherently are — and not forcing them to be something they're not.

"There's a really cool new-wave of (mostly) women making really interesting natural wines right now," says Michael Wells, wine director at SF's LGBTQ social club The Academy. "It's really growing a lot — and San Francisco is definitely the center of it."

Wells has curated a wine list at the Academy that is committed to representation, featuring only female and/or LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC winemakers — and making sure to avoid wineries whose owners give to anti-LGBTQ causes or candidates.

As he says, there's been a much greater emphasis in the last couple of years on this kind of representation.

"People have started really caring about who is making the wine," Wells said. "Maybe it didn't matter as much before, but when we started looking introspectively through the Black Lives Matter movement especially, the wine community realized that most wine was being made by cis-white-straight male winemakers. And now, less mainstream circles of wine are being amplified."

One person in the Bay Area trying to raise the profiles of female and queer winemakers is Pamela Busch, who founded the social-justice nonprofit The Vinguard.

"What’s most important is making our presence known in parts of the country with high wine consumption that are simultaneously implementing regressive policies towards LGBTQ+ people, such as Florida and Texas," Busch says.

The Vinguard puts on an annual event called WINeFare, featuring women who make or import natural wine. And The Vinguard also joins with Co-Fermented, a local group founded by Darwin Acosta devoted to "creating awareness and facilitating representation for the LGBTQIA+ community within the wine industry," to put on an event called Wine Flare, an event specifically focused on queer-identified winemakers and importers.

"There are more 'out' queer people in the wine industry than when I first got into it 33 years ago, no question," Busch says. "This is true of most fields, so I wouldn’t say it’s indicative of wine being more progressive than other professions."

Busch adds that "there’s a lot of pinkwashing" in the industry too. "You’ll find wine companies that hire LGBTQ+ people for management positions or do something else that presents a friendly public face but [then they] also give money to politicians trying to suppress the gains we’ve made, especially for trans people."

Wells believes that while not every member or guest at The Academy may care about anything aside from how a wine tastes to them, he's gearing his wine selections to wine drinkers who do care, and who want to feel seen and represented in spaces like this.

"For the lesbian wine drinker, for instance, coming in to a club like this and who may start by feeling more marginalized, it's important to them to find out that every glass on the list is coming from a female or queer winemaker or a winemaker of color," Wells says.

Some of Wells's favorites include Sonoma winery Eco Toreno, which was founded by Mark Lyon, one of the first openly gay vineyard owners and winemakers in the county; and Gary Farrell, the Russian River winery where queer winemaker Theresa Heredia makes his favorite Pinot Noir.

A new favorite is local rising natural wine star Terrah Bajjalieh, a queer female winemaker and certified sommelier who has recently launched her own natural wine brand, Terah Wine Co.

Terah wines are all very small-production, using only organic grapes, and they range from a funky, orange-style Pinot Gris to a very delicious and refined-tasting old-vine Grenache. She also leans into varietals not often found in California, like a Verdejo made with grapes from a farm in Paicines, in San Benito County.

With diversity in winemakers comes diversity in offerings too, and Bajjalieh's label is indicative of that. She's made a wine for two years now, "a new low ABV cuvée I call Agua Fresca," she says. It's a "wine tea" made from grape pumice, otherwise known as piquette, and while it's becoming trendy among the natural wine set, Bajjalieh says for her it's "an ode to Mexican food and culture, their support in agriculture, which I have a deep affection for being a Bay Area native."

So, this Pride season, head to a wine bar or wine shop stocking some of these wines — Bottle Bacchanal in the Castro is a good place to start, or the women-owned Decant SF in SoMa — and show your support for the burgeoning queer wine world.

"Even though there are more queer wine professionals now than in the past, our industry is still rife with inequities toward people of color, women, and vineyard workers," Busch tells us. "So, while we might take the time to celebrate Pride this weekend, the fight continues on Monday in solidarity with all marginalized groups."

While this year’s epic rainstorms have wiped out crops and damaged property for some farmers, Northern California grape growers are optimistic the wet weather will yield a banner year for them after several years of drought conditions.  

We’re just over three months into 2023, and here in northern California, that’s been three months of seemingly nonstop heavy rainstorms. (KGO meteorologist Drew Tuma cautions we may still see two more big ones.) And the storms have caused plenty of hardship for some farmers, but the agricultural landscape at large may really benefit from all that rain. Some parts of the state are likely to see one heck of a super bloom this spring, and a new report from KPIX says that Northern California wine grape growers are hopeful for a bumper crop of extra-delicious fruit thanks to the rain.

"You know, in 2017 we had something very similar," Napa County’s William Harrison Vineyards & Winery general manager Rod Santos told KPIX. "We had a very wet winter after five years of drought."

Much of wine country had experienced “severe drought” conditions for the last several years in a row, so the rainstorms, for them, are welcome. Vintners and wine grape growers say the last three annual seasons have been short and dry, but they’re optimistic that the 2023 crop will produce both quantity and quality of grapes that they haven’t seen in years.

"I think what it does is it relaxes the vines," Santos added. "They know they're not going to be as stressed looking for water. So they'll tend to give us more fruit, as you expect. More water equals more juice. But also, if it doesn't get too hot, they tend to give us a little juicier flavors and a little easier to drink wine. It's farming. At the end of the day, the wine business is all about the farm.”

The bigger-picture issue here is whether the wet winter, and one of the deepest Sierra Nevada snowpacks ever recorded, will eventually benefit us with fewer, less severe wildfires. Recall that the 2020 wildfires ruined a ton of grapes with smoke taint.

There’s a school of thought that says more moisture will inhibit wildfires, as the Chronicle explains. But there’s also a school of thought that says those acres of lush green grass will dry out over the summer, and paradoxically increase the wildfire risk. Plus wind is also a huge factor in the spread of wildfires, and you don’t need us to remind you that 2023 has seen exceptionally heavy winds thus far.

Related: Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Reverberates Through Bay Area Wine Industry, Tech Startups [SFist]

Image: Trent Erwin via Unsplash

Don’t be a turkey and run out of alcohol on Thanksgiving Day! Even if you drink through your supply on Thursday, there are many 11th hour beverage and grocery establishments that will gladly ring you up to refill your stock on Thanksgiving Day in SF.  

With Thanksgiving just about upon us, the Chronicle ran a nice list this week of  wine shops that are open on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a handy list! But it is geared toward, shall we say, a certain demographic (I’m not paying Plumpjack prices, I’ll tell you what), and it focuses more on wine than beer and hard liquor. We’ll include the Chron’s findings at the bottom of this list, but we’ve broadened it to beer and liquor sales, and your budget-friendlier grocery chains that are also open Thanksgiving Day.

We can’t possibly include every corner store in San Francisco, so you can keep an eye out for those hours in your neighborhood. But we confirmed that all of these Bi-Rites, BevMos, Whole Foods and various other grocers with the full beer, wine, and liquor aisles are open on Thanksgiving Day, and we’ve listed their hours along with them. (Note: The hours listed are only for November 24, 2022.)

BI-RITE MARKET

Alamo Square: 550 Divisadero Street, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Mission/Castro: 3639 18th Street; 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

BEVMO!

Bayview: 201 Bayshore Boulevard, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Nob Hill: 1301 Van Ness Avenue, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Laurel Heights: 3455 Geary Boulevard, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

WHOLE FOODS

Castro/Duboce Triangle: 2001 Market Street, 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Mid-Market: 1185 Market Street , 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Nob Hill: 1765 California Street , 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Noe Valley: 3950 24th Street, 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Oceanview: 1150 Ocean Avenue 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Potrero Hill: 450 Rhode Island Street, 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

South of Market: 399 4th Street, 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Stonestown Galleria: 3251 20th Avenue, 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.  

Upper Haight: 690 Stanyan Street, 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.

SAFEWAY

Castro/Duboce Triangle: 2020 Market Street, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Potrero Hill: 2300 16th Street, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Mission/Bernal: 3350 Mission Street, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Excelsior: 4950 Mission Street, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Glen Park/Sunnyside: 625 Monterey Boulevard, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Inner Parkside: 730 Taraval Street, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Diamond Heights: 5290 Diamond Heights Boulevard, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Outer Sunset: 2350 Noriega Street, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

South of Market: 298 King Street, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Inner Richmond: 735 Seventh Avenue, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Outer Richmond: 850 La Playa Street, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Fillmore/Japantown: 1335 Webster, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Embarcadero: 145 Jackson Street, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Fisherman’s Wharf: 350 Bay Street, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Marina: 15 Marina Boulevard, 5 a.m. - 6 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO WINE STORES

Biondivino, 1415 Green Street, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bottle Bacchanal, 4126 18th Street, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Dolores Deluxe, 3500 22nd Street, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Dolores Outpost, 698 Guerrero Street, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Gemini Bottle Co., 2801 22nd Street, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Jug Shop, 1648 Pacific Avenue, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Millay, 691 14th Street, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Noe Valley Wine & Spirits, 3821 24th Street, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

PlumpJack Wine & Spirits, 3201 Fillmore Street, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

PlumpJack Wine & Spirits, 4011 24th Street, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Swirl on Castro, 572 Castro Street, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Tofino Wines, 2696 Geary Boulevard. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

William Cross Wine Merchant, 2253 Polk Street , 11am - 3pm

Wine Impression, 3461 California Street, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Related: 12 Best Alcohol Delivery Services In SF [SFist]

Image: Lesia via Unsplash

A little-recognized region just got a big new wine attraction, as the family behind prestigious Napa brand Caymus has opened a luxe outpost in Suisun Valley, with an Apple Store-esque design and a retro cassette-tape room.

I was surprised to learn just today that Suisun Valley is a designated American Viticultural Area (AVA), a geographic pedigree given to certain regions for the distinctiveness of their wine grapes. In fact, that region (which is kind of better known for a state prison and Travis Air Force Base) is the second-oldest AVA in California, the oldest being Napa. But the very few, mom and pop-style wineries and tasting rooms in Suisun Valley just got a splashy new addition, as the Chronicle reports that famed Napa wine brand Caymus just opened a “mega tasting room” in Suisun Valley.

“Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, an architecture firm behind Apple Store and Blue Bottle Coffee locations, Caymus-Suisun almost feels like a resort, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a promenade of palm trees,” Chron wine critic Esther Mobley writes after a visit to Caymus-Suisun Winery, which appears to have opened in the first days of May.

You can see some renderings of Caymus-Suisun Winery and tasting room from the architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which feature floor-to-ceiling windows. Per the Chronicle, it has a luxe tasting room that seats 150, and a private area for events “complete with leather swinging chairs on a secluded deck." And "as a nostalgic touch," that private room sports an old tape deck and "a collection of cassettes (the room gets too much sun for vinyl records).”

The place has a reasonable-by-Napa-standards $25 tasting fee, though that’s waived if you buy bottles — you should know that Caymus Cabernets tend to start around $400, but Caymus-Suisun Petite Sirah is retailing for just $40. And they also let you pick some free produce from the surrounding farm if you please. Tellingly, the Chron notes that “visitors will be routed through a wine retail room” on the way out, so you’re kind of prompted to buy wine. There’s also an espresso bar serving Camellia Roasters coffee on the way out, which is complimentary with your admission or wine purchase — something that's customary at Australian wineries.

You would think the existing Suisun Valley wineries would not be happy that the bigger and more prominent Wagner family with their famed Cymus brand has muscled in. In fact, they are thrilled.

“We’ve been waiting for this our whole lives,” nearby Tolenas Winery owner Lisa Tenbrink Howard told the Chronicle. The Chron adds that reps for several other Suisun Valley wineries all "expressed optimism that the Wagners could raise their collective profile.”

And the Wagners do have quite the Napa profile. The Wagner Family of Wine are Napa legends, and while they do also produce brands Emmolo, Mer Soleil, and Conundrum, their flagship brand Caymus has a Special Selection Cabernet that has the exceedingly rare distinction of winning Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year twice.

That said, they have other curious distinctions. Patriarch and vintner Chuck Wagner has been a vocal critic of California and Napa regulations, and sued Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 for not allowing non-essential businesses like tasting rooms to reopen. Wagner has also been dinged within a $1 million fine for producing more wine than his Napa permit allowed. The expansion to Suisun Valley may be driven less by terroir, and more by Solano County’s looser restrictions that permit hard liquor at tasting rooms, allow weddings at wineries, and other amenities that Napa generally prohibits.

Whatever the motivation, though, it’s great to see more investment and development in Solano County. You know, rising tides and all that jazz, it will help the California economy to have another renowned wine region. If you’re game, the tasting room is now open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., though as they say on their website, “Reservations are strongly encouraged – Please schedule your tasting.”

Related: Rodney Strong Winery Accidentally Dumps Almost 100,000 Gallons of Wine Into Russian River [SFist]

Image: Suisun Valley via Facebook

Two successful break-ins, plus another attempt, show a pattern where the perpetrator is interested in stealing Italian wine — while leaving cash and other valuables untouched.

Wine heists have captured our collective imagination since the infamous Christmas Day 2014 French Laundry wine theft caper, a job that robbed the Yountville prix fixe destination of $550,000 worth of big-name Burgundies. That haul of wine was found a month later 3,000 miles away in North Carolina (with just four bottles missing) but the suspects remained at large for nearly a year and a half until their April 2016 arrest exposed a web of similar high-end thefts. The story exposed us to a secret, underground world of secondary criminal wine markets and rumored "inside jobs."

It’s all happening again, though this time closer to home (and at shops more within our affordability range). The Chronicle reports on a number of recent Russian Hill wine thefts whose patterns and geographic concentration indicates we may have the same thief or thieves with a taste for premier Italian wines.

Security video provided to the Chronicle shows a break-in attempt at the top-rated Green Street wine shop Biondivino, in an incident at about 5 a.m. on March 18. The perp was unsuccessful at breaking in, first trying a crowbar, and then a blowtorch. But two others nearby break-ins showed a pattern.

Hyde Street’s Habibi Bar (a pop-up within Bacchus) suffered a break-in on Wednesday, March 25 or early the next morning, and the Chron reports “65 bottles of wine worth a total of $2,253.43 were stolen — mostly Barolo and Barbaresco, two types of high-end wine from northern Italy.”

Just four blocks away, William Cross Wine suffered a break-in and burglary last May that specifically cleaned out the supply of those same two Italian wines, though other champagnes and cabs were stolen there as well.

The William Cross burglary reportedly involved two suspects. Video from Biondivino shows only one suspect. It’s unclear how many people broke into Habibi Bar.

But there are other similarities, notably, that cash, iPads, and laptops were all left sitting untouched as the thieves absconded only with premium bottles of booze. Some of the wines were from 'allocated' vintages, making them rare and irreplaceable. “Some of those Barolos we’ll never get again,” Habibi co-owner Essam Kardosh told the Chronicle.

That the prowler(s) knew exactly what they wanted and where to find it certainly raises the possibility of an inside job, one that could involve a third-party vendor or regular customer. There’s also a possibility of a double inside job — that is, the thief also having connections with restaurants that would knowingly or unknowingly buy hot bottles of Italian wine. “If they had an inside link to restaurants, that would make it possible to sell the wine,” William Cross owner Steve Sherman told the Chronicle. “It would be easy for a restaurant to put the wines on their list.”

Kardosh said he’d watch the online wine sales sites to see if they pop up, but also wonders if the thieves have simpler motivations. “Maybe they’ll just sell them out of the trunk of their car for pennies on the dollar,” he told the Chron.

Anyone with information on the above incidents, is encouraged to call the SFPD tipline at 415-575-4444, ot text TIP411 (847411) to send an anonymous text.

Related: Why Are SF Safeways Suddenly Putting Their Booze Behind Bars?

Image: Courtesy Biondivino

As we wait to learn the exact extent of the damage in the ongoing Tubbs, Atlas, Nuns, and Patrick Fires burning in Sonoma and Napa counties, what is already all but certain is that this will be the greatest combined fire event to impact the Bay Area's winemaking industry in many years, if not ever. The Tubbs Fire, burning in more densely populated Santa Rosa and into Napa County in Calistoga, was the largest of the four as of Monday morning, but by Monday afternoon the Atlas and Nuns fires had reportedly grown to almost the same size, to between 20,000 and 25,000 acres.

Also we are now hearing that at least seven people are dead as a direct result of the Tubbs Fire, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, via Sherrif's Department Capt. Mark Essick.

The Tubbs Fire claimed the historic Fountaingrove Inn and next-door Fountaingrove Round Barn, as well as the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country hotel, and nearby Willi’s Wine Bar, as the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. The Chronicle reported that despite the loss of the inn, the concierge at the Fountaingrove was still dutifully tending to stranded guests on Monday.

Other fires burning further north in Mendocino have claimed at least one life, and the largest, being called the Redwood Complex Fire, has consumed at least 10,000 acres.

To the south and east, however, the Nuns and Atlas fires appears to have had a far greater impact on vineyards, homes, farms, and ranches in the area.

Earlier we heard via the Chronicle that relatively new and large outdoor cannabis farms dotting Sonoma County were being either threatened or destroyed. Erich Pearson, founder of SPARC who has two medical dispensaries in San Francisco and a barely nine-month-old farm near Glen Ellen said on social media that he was staying on the farm, and it was unclear how much damage had reached the latest crop, which was set to be harvested on Tuesday — the extent of the damage there remains unclear. The California Growers Association reported via their weekly call with growers that six of their 18 "regional leaders" were either being evacuated or helping neighbors who were.

Vineyards, wineries, and homeowners are likely to sustain the greatest economic impact, with tasting rooms, farms, and many other structures either burned or under threat.

The Chronicle reports from Napa that buildings at Stag's Leap winery have been destroyed, as has the entirety of Signorello Estate winery, on the Silverado Trail, and Mead Ranch on Atlas Peak. Also, Nicholson Ranch in Sonoma is reportedly destroyed. The Press-Democrat adds to that list Paradise Ridge Winery, and reports on social media suggests that other wineries along Highway 12 in the area of Glen Ellen are being impacted as well, including Imagery and B.R. Cohn, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.

Per the Chron, Scribe Winery in Sonoma was reportedly safe as of Monday afternoon, as was most of St. Francis Winery. Because so many vintners and winery workers have been evacuated, we still can not know the state of things on the ground.

Grape harvest primarily takes place in August and September, however some grape varietals continue ripening into October and November. As Quartz notes, a single acre of grape vines can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.

Updates as warranted.

Related: North Bay Wildfires Destroy Countless Homes & Businesses; Power Lines & High Winds Could Be To Blame

Debuting on Tuesday, October 3, is The Salzburg, a much anticipated new Austrian-themed wine bar project from the team behind nearby spots Union Larder and Little Vine. Hoodline first had word of the project, in the former Cinecitta space at 663 Union Street, over a year ago, and now Tablehopper has some photos of the space which "feels as if an Austrian chalet was dropped into North Beach."

On the menu, in addition to wines from California producers working in Austrian/Alpine styles, you'll find "wines you’d find around the Alps, from regions like the Jura to Valle d’Aosta and Slovenia," per Tablehopper, like Riesling, Zweigelt, etc. And there's a whopping 45 wines by the glass, with some on tap, starting at a reasonable $10 a glass.

It sounds like there's a fairly full food menu with complete dinner options from chef Ramon Siewert (Union Larder) as well, including fondue, spins on shnitzel and spätzle stroganoff, and housemade sausages.

The big bonus: There's a well protected back patio with a fire pit, and the crew is hoping people will take advantage of sitting out there, Alpine style, well into the winter.

There's apparently a small chance they won't open in time as there's an inspection or two still pending, but expect hours, after October 3, to be Tuesday & Wed 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The 2017 vintage may be a tough one for many Napa and Sonoma winemakers after last week's heatwave, which hit right before harvest for red varietals like Cabernet. The harvest had been shaping up to be a good one, as the Chronicle initially reported just as the heatwave struck, but then came three consecutive days of 110-degree temperatures in St. Helena, and a generally sweltering weekend all over wine country, and winemakers are left assessing the damage.

As the Chronicle reports now, "raisining" is happening all over vineyards up north, given to the fact that some grape varietals couldn't be harvested in time. Lots of the whites for 2017 should be fine, since they get harvested earlier, mostly in August. And some Pinot Noir producers were able to rush out and harvest ahead of the heatwave. But for other who needed the extra couple weeks in September to achieve ripeness, they're stuck with half-dried clusters of grapes that literally cooked in last week's sun.

"I’ve been making wine for 34 years, and I don’t think Napa’s ever seen this excessive heat at this stage of ripeness,” says Pam Starr of Crocker & Starr Wines in St. Helena, speaking to the Chronicle.

Hirsch winemaker Anthony Filiberti says that about 20 percent of his grapes are done-for, either due to water evaporation or raisining.

The other problem has come from a labor shortage among migrant grape harvesters, and when suddenly everyone want to rush to harvest at once, that creates a greater shortage — the workers can't be everywhere at once.

Now winemakers are left to sort the grapes as they harvest them, separate out the raisins, and hope that this year's wines don't all taste like jam.

Inside @AliceWaters' refrigerator. #berkeleylife pic.twitter.com/SkJrueKvIq

— Kim Severson (@kimseverson) August 11, 2017

Alice Waters, the Bay Area "food philosopher," powerful person, and founder of Chez Panisse might not seem to have much in common with ordinary schlubs like you and me. While she can pen an open letter to Jeff Bezos regarding Amazon's Whole Foods acquisition and assume that he'll at least read it, the rest of us, uh, don't.

Reading that lofty note to Amazon's CEO, in which she urged him to "change our food system," one might assume that the last place we might find common ground with Waters is inside our refrigerators! However, if this photo tweeted by Kim Severson, a food correspondent for notorious fake news purveyor the New York Times is to be believed, her fridge is the same mess of booze, condiments, and crap that didn't make it into tupperware as any mere mortal's might be.

I have that same milk in my fridge right now! And the same kraut (which for me was a much-pondered purchase as it runs buyers a freakin' Hamilton at my local co-op). Apparently, I'm not the only one heartened by Waters's normalcy:

It's unclear why Severson was rooting around in Waters's fridge, but I agree with this respondent:

Please tell us you got shots of that, too, Kim! The people deserve to know!

Previously: Alice Waters Pens Idealistic Note To Jeff Bezos About The Future Of Whole Foods

An overnight theft deprived a Lower Pacific Heights man of two things most beloved by San Franciscans: wine and a bicycle.

According to the San Francisco Police Department, the heist went down at some point between 9:30 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, at a home on the 1700 block of Lyon Street, which is between Pine and California Streets.

Police say that the 40-year-old male victim was at home when the crime occurred, making it what's known as a hot prowl burglary instead of a regular old garden variety theft.

But other than that detail, little is known about the case. According to the SFPD, while at home the victim discovered that his garage door was unlocked, and that wine and a bike stored in the garage had been taken.

Police don't have information on any possible suspects, they say. As of publication time, no arrests have been made in the case.

Related: Hot Prowler Swipes Champagne

Trader Joe's once again has a hit on its hands, cheap booze-wise. Their Simpler Wines, released in April, which come canned in four-packs for $3.99 — equivalent to a 750 ml bottle — are proving huge hits, likely because they're perfect for picnics, require no openers, and are basically cheaper than most beer.

Business Insider reports that the canned sparkling wine, which comes in white and rosé, has been a runaway hit for the store since its April release, with their whole inventory selling out and recently needing to be replenished from the supplier.

Trader Joe's explains on their website that they partnered with an Italian wine supplier to create two sparkling varieties, noting that the Simpler Wines White has "notes of juicy honeydew and fresh cut herbs" and goes great with "fresh bread & olives or Parmigiano Reggiano." Also, "The elegant, mineral notes and red fruit flavors of Simpler Wines Rosé are a natural fit for fresh pasta, seafood or sweets."

As for what they really taste like, some honest reviewers over at BuzzFeed tried both varieties early on in May and decided they both basically "taste like soda," or like "seltzer and grape juice," but they're still, "pretty good," and "let's be honest, even bad rosé is better than no rosé..."

TJ's of course ushered in the modern era of cheap, arguably drinkable wine with their Charles Shaw label in 2002, which at $1.99 a bottle quickly earned the name Two-Buck Chuck. It's good enough for some winos still, and now retails for $2.99 in California, and you can read more about why it's still so cheap here.

At $1 a can, Simpler Wines marks a return to this spirit, and while the equivalent of a bottle is a dollar more than the Charles Shaw, consumers clearly like the convenience and portability of the cans, and the ability to not have to open a whole bottle.

Expect to see a lot of these littering Dolores Park from now until they run out again.

Previously: Trader Joe's On Market Street Opening Two Weeks Early, Next Thursday

The Modesto man who pleaded guilty in December to the heist of over a half million dollars worth of wine from The French Laundry in Yountville was given a sentence of 15 months in prison, as the Associated Press reports. He was also ordered to pay $585,000 in restitution to his victims.

44-year-old Davis Kiryakoz was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in San Jose on one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods, having admitted that he was the thief who stole 76 bottles of high-end wine on Christmas Day in 2014. He also admitted to stealing $320,000 worth of wine from Alexander's Steak House in Cupertino, some 39 bottles, as well as 142 bottles in 2013 from Fine Wines International in San Francisco. In total he was accused of robbing seven different businesses.

The trove included verticals (multiple vintages) of sought-after labels like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, a Burgundy producer whose wines regularly sell for upwards of $3,000 apiece, and can sell for as much as $15,000. Not long after the heist, in January 2015, the wines turned up in North Carolina where a wealthy collector realized that his recent purchase had been pilfered from the famed restaurant, and he cooperated with authorities and returned the wines — whatever hadn't already been opened anyway.

It would be more than another year before the FBI arrested Kiryakoz, along with an accomplice, 53-year-old Alfred Georgis of Mountain View, who were seen on surveillance footage at the site of one of the crimes.

As the Chronicle reports, Kiryakoz's attorney had asked for a sentence of probation only, due to the fact that his client is caring for an ailing mother.

Georgis will no go on trial separately in May.

Previously: Man Pleads Guilty To $550K French Laundry Wine Heist