Enhanced offerings include updated menus, improved gourmet assortment, the debut of a wine club, extended hours, and renovated outdoor dining
OAKVILLE, Calif. (August 13, 2019) – Oakville Grocery, the general store that has been a gathering place for locals and tourists for nearly 140 years, has been enhanced since joining the Boisset Collection in January. Visitors to both Oakville and Healdsburg will now find an emphasis on local sustainable, organic and Biodynamic food offerings as well as an expanded wine selection that includes exclusive, highly allocated wines by the taste, glass or bottle. These new items, as well as the grocery’s signature favorites, can now be enjoyed on renovated patios during extended summer hours.
Photo Credit: Scott Chebegia
“We are so excited to bring new life into community landmarks in Napa Valley and Sonoma County,” said Jean-Charles Boisset, proprietor of Boisset Collection. “Oakville Grocery is a phenomenal destination where guests can spend a relaxing afternoon trying a selection of amazing wines; fresh, healthy and local cuisine; and fabulous craft beers!”
The historical legacy of the Oakville destination has been made more prominent through extensive signage throughout the property that tell the story of its founding role in Napa Valley. In addition, the property next door — 1881 Napa Wine History Museum & Tasting Salon — features tastings of wines from 13 sub-appellations of Napa Valley as well as an archive of wine relics open for complimentary visitation and has published its own history of the region.
A unique feature of both Oakville Grocery locations is that guests can taste some of the most sought-after wines from rotating producers that have included Opus One, Screaming Eagle and Kosta Browne by purchasing cards and using them in Napa Technology dispensers.
“Normally wine lovers have to wait on allocation lists for years to purchase these bottles,” said Ed Maass, Oakville Grocery Wine Program Manager. “We are thrilled that we can make these beautiful wines more accessible and offer them by the taste and glass at Oakville Grocery, and through our Oakville Wine Society.”
Throughout each store, the wine selections have been significantly expanded and diversified as well as organized by appellation. In the Oakville location guests can discover wines from nearly 300 Napa Valley vintners and in Healdsburg they can browse through an equally large selection of Sonoma County producers. The flagship location in Napa Valley also has two new spaces dedicated to wine: a “cave” where guests can sample the highest-end wines from the Napa Tech machines as well as a wine vault that guests can enter and make selections from, as if they’re pursuing their own wine cellar at home. A wine vault is also planned for the Healdsburg location, which has a revamped and upgraded main floor wine section.
Photo Credit: Scott Chebegia
The robust and diverse wine offerings are now available through a unique wine club. The Oakville Grocery Wine Society offers wine enthusiasts the opportunity to continue their journey through the wine country of Napa Valley through quarterly shipments of wines, many of which are small lot and hard to find. Society members receive access to private tasting experiences as well as a 10% discount on reorders and store purchases. The society has four different levels: Embarcadero, with a three-bottle allocation averaging $225; Expedition, with a three-bottle allocation averaging $450; Quicksilver, with a 3- or 6-bottle allocation averaging $1,050 or $2,100; and Savant, which offers the selections of the most exclusive and hard-to-procure wines, and is available exclusively by invitation for the most discerning collectors.
As a community fixture in the hearts of Napa Valley and Healdsburg, Boisset welcomes chefs, friends, neighbors and visitors to come in to shop. Oakville Grocery is also committed to its community and invites artisans and purveyors to bring in their products for consideration for sale. A steadfast practitioner of Biodynamic and organic farming, through the new food selection at the groceries, Boisset is spreading its mission for people to “take a stand for the future of food” and carefully consider what they are putting in their bodies. As part of this ideal Boisset has improved and expanded the line of Oakville Grocery-branded proprietary offerings — such as vinegar, olive oil, preserves, tapenade, mustards, charcuterie and beer — while at the same time ensuring they derived from more local sources.
“Our motto is ‘Eat Local, Drink Local, Picnic Local.’ We want to sell products that are made as close to Oakville Grocery as possible,” said Oakville Grocery General Manager Barry Dinsmore, referencing both the Oakville and Healdsburg locations of the store. He estimated that 70% of products in the stores hail from California, with another 20% from the U.S. and the remaining 10% international.
One of the new food providers Oakville Grocery has partnered with is Ohm Coffee Roasters. The Napa Valley-based company led by former sommelier and wine marketing professional Derek Bromley is the exclusive coffee provider for both the Oakville and Healdsburg locations. The Oakville location now has a coffee machine from La Marzocco, the benchmark Italian brand, as a central feature of the upgraded coffee program.
In addition to new foods and wines, the Oakville location has a renovated patio with new furniture and umbrellas to better enable guests to take in views of some of Napa Valley’s most notable landmarks—the Mayacamas Mountains and the landmark To Kalon vineyard to the west and the valley’s highest point, Mt. St. Helena, to the north. Guests can soak up the atmosphere while enjoying sandwiches and salads from the deli cases inside; delicious pizza, burgers and sandwiches made in the wood-fired outdoor oven; or locally raised roasted chickens from the rotisserie, along with wine selected from the grocery or the new, adjacent 1881 Napa tasting room. The Healdsburg patio, which has 40 seats and is one of the only outdoor eating spaces near the Healdsburg Plaza, will also soon have an updated look.
1881 Napa derives its name from the history of Oakville Grocery, which was founded in 1874 as a general store by P.B. O’Neil and then transitioned into a community hub in 1881 under the auspices of Jim and Jennie McQuaid.
“None of us own 1881 Napa or Oakville Grocery. We are just guests in their history. These places will outlive us,” said Boisset.
More Information
In Oakville, Oakville Grocery is located at 7856 St. Helena Highway. Oakville Grocery is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday through September. The phone number is 707.944.8802, and the catering team can be contacted by emailing cateringnv@oakvillegrocery.com.
In Healdsburg, Oakville Grocery is located at 124 Matheson Street and is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday through September. The phone number is 707.433.3200, and the catering team can be contacted by emailing cateringhb@oakvillegrocery.com
About Boisset Collection
Boisset is a family-owned collection of historic and unique wineries and lifestyle destinations led by Jean-Charles Boisset and bound together by a common vision: authentic, terroir-driven wines in harmony with their history, their future and the land and people essential to their existence. With more than 25 historical and prestigious still and sparkling wineries in the world’s preeminent terroirs, including Burgundy, Beaujolais, Jura, the Rhône Valley, the south of France, and California’s Russian River Valley and the Napa Valley. Its California wineries include DeLoach Vineyards, Raymond Vineyards, Buena Vista Winery and JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset; its French properties feature Domaine de la Vougeraie, Jean-Claude Boisset, Bouchard Aîné et Fils, J. Moreau et Fils, Louis Bouillot, Henrie Maire, Fortant and Bonpas. Each house retains its unique history, identity and style, and all are united in the pursuit of fine wines expressive of their terroir. Wine is at the center of Boisset’s mission, and is complemented by spirits, beer, cider, gourmet foods and luxury goods, both of its own design and from partnerships with historic companies such as Baccarat, Lalique, St. Louis, Riedel, Christofle, and Bernardaud. To learn more about the Boisset Collection, please visit www.boissetcollection.com.
