Wine Thieves

Amazing ladies and gentlemen who work there. Excellent wines that are a little off the grid offering a great value. This is the hidden gem of Berkeley

3.5 stars
Wine thieves is a specialty wine and cheese shop, located adjacent to the Claremont Resort property. It’s next door to Rick & Ann’s restaurant on one of the most charming blocks in the Berkeley/​Claremont/​north Oakland area.
Expert advice is on hand to guide you through your selection of wine for that Tilden Park hike and picnic you’re going on today (right??). You’ll also get a chance to taste a few of the delicious and varied cheeses on hand.
We’ll be back next time we’re in town … for that hike, and picnic.

OK wine selections, retail store, inexpensive. they also sell cheeses. If you are not that picky about wine and just want to grab something relatively decent and go then this is a nice little wine shop in the neighborhood, otherwise I would rather go to wineries.

Great selection of wine at great prices. They also have nice premium wines too.

Nice little store with a great wine selection, decent beer selection and cheeses to boot. Great stop on your way home or over to a dinner party.

Wine Thieves is not only an awesome place to buy delicious wine at amazingly low prices from friendly and knowledgeable experts; the Berkeley store is also a great place for a party! I celebrated my birthday here — we brought in our own food, and Wine Thieves kept the store open an hour past closing for a wine tasting party. I chose the wines we wanted to try and John, our host, explained all about the wines while he poured for us. John is obviously very passionate about wines and his enthusiasm rubbed off on the whole group — especially since the wines were so different and really good! We also had yummy cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, which they also sell here. We had the best time and hardly any guests went home without doing their own shopping first! If you’re looking for a place to buy a great wine to bring to a party, or a place to host your own party, look no further. Making the arrangements couldn’t have been easier and I was happy with every bit of my experience from top to bottom. Wine Thieves is definitely my go-​to spot for wine — for the products and for the service.

Decent selection of wines, but the cheese pairings make this special. Kelly, the cheesemonger (or cheeselady) is great. She always has amazing offerings and pairs them extremely well. I usually take a bottle home, but I ALWAYS take cheese or olives home after a visit here.

When I can, I go out of my way to support this amazing small business. The owner is very kind and patient and the cheese is incredible. You can find a great bottle of wine at any price. Go check it out!

I was expecting more of a selection of wine, but I absoltely loved their cheese selection. The employee was very helpful and made some delicious wine and cheese pairings for me. I will definitely return! :)

My mother (who hasn’t had a glass of wine in 30 years or so) stopped by this shop in an effort to pick up some good California Cabs for me (the daughter who works in an east coast wine shop).
They helped her pick out some great bottles, all based on the little information my mother has on my wine preferences. (something along the lines of «she likes red wine and its usually pretty dark.»)
All in all, they sent her home with an impressive and all encompassing selection of CA Cabs, Merlots and Syrahs.
Thanks!

Wine Thieves is the most underrated and overlooked business on East Bay Unilocal.
There. I said it.
I wish I knew more about wine. So when I have to trust a place to find me a good bottle, I trust the Wine Thieves. They’re excellent at talking (without talking down) about their selections. Selections somewhat limited compared to BevMo, but pretty much only the good stuff.
It’s my go-​to place when a solid $ 10 – 18 bottle is essential as a dinner guest gift or as a host.
Amidst their pleasant but unpretentious interior, you’ll find their staff friendly and informative. And you’ll get to sample one or two of their cheese offerings. Or maybe have an impromptu tasting of the vino. If you know your wine, I think you’ll be happy. But if, like me, you wish you knew more, you’ll be very happy you paid a visit.

Great selection of wine from all over at great prices. I got several bottles including a Rose. They have a varierty of Rose to choose from.
They also have a great cheese bar. I got the smoked mozarella and love it!!!
Friendly staff and cute backyard seating area too. I also hear that they have wine tasting events on the weekends and on Friday evenings too.
Definetly check this place out!

Took advantage of the groupon they offered a few weeks back and I’m delighted to have discovered a new wine store– you can never have too many. They were incredibly nice, friendly and helpful and I ended up with a few great bottles of wine. The selection didn’t seem quite as unusual or artisan as Vintage but then again, I was rushing in and out and didn’t really take much time to explore. I’ll definitely be back– they were telling me about their tastings which seem like a great deal.

Great selection & price point! Love to run down and grab a little gift for a dinner party. The cheese selection is great too! The aged Gouda is a personal fav. An added bonus… they offer tastings of cheese and wine frequently.

«Lie to a liar, for lies are his coin; Steal from a thief, for that is easy; lay a trap for a trickster and catch him at first attempt, but beware of an honest man»
~Arab Proverb
A wise person once said, «There is honor among thieves.» In this case if that means that these guys steal wine from the rich and sell at a low price to the poor, then those are just the type of egalitarian principles that I can stand behind.
No one likes a cheap wine, but everyone likes an inexpensive wine, right? Well that’s the philosophy behind a new wine merchant that just opened on Domingo Avenue in Berkeley– which, by the way, is becoming a bit of a Mecca for specialty foods recently… Their whole goal is to provide their customers with wines from all over the world for between $ 15-​$ 20 bucks! Not a bad goal. They do this in a completely unpretentious way, these guys just love wine and love to share their passion with their customers.
I popped in yesterday and met one of the partners, Rod, who was really personable. He informed me that they were in their soft opening so their stock was a bit low, but don’t let that stop you from heading in to check the place out and pick up some good wines at a low price. They’ll be adding more wines over the next few weeks as well as a selection of fresh artisan cheeses from California and around the globe. They’ll also be doing weekly wine tastings in the future as well as working with another newcomer to the neighborhood, Amphora Nueva to do some tastings together.
In all, Wine Thieves looks to be an exciting addition to the neighborhood. I’m looking forward to the day when I can go get fresh baked bread at The Bread Garden, a bottle of wine and some cheese from Wine Thieves and a bottle of olive oil and vinegar from Amphora and head up to the hills to eat, drink and take in the view of the bay.
Gourmet Ghetto, eat your heart out.