4 Best Shopping in The Bay Area, California

Credited with taking American appreciation of old-world wines to a higher level, this small shop is a great place to peruse as you educate your palate. The friendly salespeople will happily direct you to the latest French and Italian vintages, varietals, blends, and bargains.

This Grand Lake stalwart deserves an enormous amount of credit for showcasing small-producer, low-intervention wines (what some like to call natural wines), and for making wine an approachable, hip subject. Whether you're enjoying a glass at the bar with some cheese or browsing the impressive selection of retail bottles, this is the local game-changer that made boutique wine as trendy as craft beer and cocktails.

Some 200 regional and international wines as well as local Skywalker wines (from George Lucas's ranch) line the walls of this cozy shop, which has an indoor tasting room and outdoor seating for sipping by the glass or bottle.

Daily free tastings of organic and small-production wines take place at this neighborhood wine shop, which specializes in both local and domestic vintages and is situated in a beautifully restored water pumping station.