PRIMA Vini Wine & Spirits Merchants

PRIMA Vini Wine & Spirits Merchants The East Bay’s premier locally owned and operated destination
for top-quality wines and spirits has expanded to Dublin!

Benefit from 44 years of providing professional, friendly,
knowledgeable service at great prices!

We first met Alan Manley in, of all places, the Bartolo Mascarello cellar in the town of Barolo.  It was Alan who showed...
05/17/2025

We first met Alan Manley in, of all places, the Bartolo Mascarello cellar in the town of Barolo.  It was Alan who showed us around this cathedral of traditional Barolo winemaking until  Maria-Theresa could free herself up for our appointment.  Turns out this American interloper is Maria-Theresa’s right hand man, helping her, not only in the cellar, but also doing the multitude of other tasks that keep this iconic cellar going.  Before that, he told us, he had worked at Altare, Cavallotto and with the late Luciano Sandrone, who first took Alan under his wing and taught him to make wine. Well enough, I guess, so that Alan felt emboldened to make some of his own from a small parcel of rented vines in the Pernanno vineyard in Castiglione Falletto.  One thing led to another, and with the support of Maria-Theresa and another friend, Manley slowly developed his own project, Margherita Otto, the first names of his grandparents.  With Mascarello and others as role models, Margherita Otto (a.k.a. M8- get it?) has become a force to be reckoned with. 

In addition to a very fine Barolo, using fruit from a vineyard at the base of Vignarionda in Serralunga d’Alba, a half-hectare on the fringe of the Ginestra MGA in Monforte d’Alba and fruit from the Costa di Rose and Vignane MGAs in Barolo, Alan made his first Langhe Nebbiolo in 2020 and, we think, he has truly hit his stride with his 2022.  He makes the wine in the most traditional way possible with long periods of skin contact and aging in large botti grande casks. It is, indeed, the M8 Barolo in a minor key with an emphasis on aromatics and early accessibility. First there is the wonderful ‘tar and roses’ nose lifted from a base of warm, dark cherry confit and cinnamon spice.  Medium- to full-bodied with significant gravitas, we think it’s one of the best additions we’ve tasted lately in this crowded category in several years.  I sure don’t begrudge him the price.  By the way, in addition to the Langhe Nebbiolo and Barolo, Alan makes a mean bottle of Barolo Chinato.  We have a few on hand if you’re ready to try one of the most unique after-dinner elixirs made anywhere!

Back by popular demand - the 2021 Tenuta Luisa Cabernet Franc from Friuli, Italy! This was a huge hit at Livermore Valle...
05/07/2025

Back by popular demand - the 2021 Tenuta Luisa Cabernet Franc from Friuli, Italy! This was a huge hit at Livermore Valley's a few years ago, and we're thrilled to have it back in stock.

There is a surprising amount of Cabernet Franc grown all over northern Italy, from Curtefranca DOC in Lombardy to Bolgheri DOC in Tuscany, where it goes into some world famous Super Tuscan blends. But it really takes the spotlight in Friuli, where it is considered a native grape and often produced as a single-varietal wine. The Cab Franc here can take on some very Loire-like characteristics with earthy, savory notes and an elegant fruit profile.

Tenuta Luisa is a small, family-run winery in the Friuli Isonzo zone that starts in the hills (colli) and then follows the Karst, a limestone plateau, down to the Adriatic Sea. It's windy and wild here, and that comes across in the wines. The Franc is fermented and aged in stainless steel with some fine lees contact for 8 months, then it's aged for another three years prior to release for some added complexity.

Come explore the many expressions of Cabernet Franc we have at PRIMA Vini. You can even call it homework for this year's Cab Francapalooza, which is just one month away🍷

It’s time to play Sommelier Jeopardy!  ‘I’ll take obscure Italian white wine grapes for $500, please, John.’ ‘This rare ...
05/02/2025

It’s time to play Sommelier Jeopardy!  
‘I’ll take obscure Italian white wine grapes for $500, please, John.’ 
‘This rare grape is native to the Veneto and most often used to make Passito wines in the small appellation of Breganze near Vicenza.’ 
‘What is Vespaiolo?’ 
Correct!!! 

And for all of you playing at home: Vespaiolo is deeply-colored cultivar often harvested late or dried over the winter to become the prized Torcolato dessert wine. When vinified dry, it can be  paired with another local grape, Friulano, to make Breganze Bianco DOC, an extremely local white you’re more likely to find in a wine bar in Verona than here in Dublin.  But when grown in the right, mineral-rich volcanic soils and handled by the right hands, Vespaiola can also make an extremely interesting, downright delicious varietal white that marries fruit and mineral like few other wines. The ‘vespa’ in Vespaiolo refers to the wasps (vespa in Italian) that like to swarm around these vines due to the grape’s ability to absorb a lot of sugar and ripen far into the fall.  In this case, the Vespaiolo is organically grown by Mirco and Gloria Gottardi at Contra Soarda, just outside the town of Bassano del Grappa.  They are committed to making Vespaiolo a household name and ferment it cool and slow in stainless and bottle it fresh to preserve its totally unique rich-but-flinty character. The fruit is copious and leans towards the tropical- blood orange, dried pineapple and dry honey but there are also very enticing floral, mint and lemongrass notes. Full on the palate, it finishes with amazing petrichor mineral and a citrus-y zip.  The perfect wine, we think, for a platter of smoked meats and cheeses, a bowl of cacio e pepe pasta or richer poultry and pork dishes.  One of my colleagues put it this way- it’s as close to one of the complex whites from Friuli as one is likely to get in the Veneto. Take that Soave!  It’s a very fine deal.  


2023 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico DOCG It’s not like it’s hard to find a nice bottle of Chianti Classico ou...
04/08/2025

2023 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico DOCG 

It’s not like it’s hard to find a nice bottle of Chianti Classico out there.  There are plenty these days from which to choose.  But once in a while one comes along that reminds you just how much fun a good ol’ bottle of Chianti can be, and why the Classico region stands out from the rest of the Sangiovese-producing world as ground zero.  Castellare-in-Castellina has been hiding in plain sight practically since it was formed by Paolo Panerai in the early 1970s.  Panerai’s vision united four separate existing wine estates in an amphitheater high in the hills over the village of Castellina-in-Chianti, creating one larger, fully integrated agricultural property with protected open space (hence the signature wild birds on the Castellare label that change every vintage), olive groves and, of course, plenty of grapes. 

He isolated the oldest, best clone of Sangiovese on the property- the true ‘Sangioveto,’ and made that the basis of his Chianti wine program planting also only a little Canaiolo, another indigenous grape, for its role in adding backbone and color to the blend.  Sitting at about 1200 feet, Castellare’s vines are amongst the highest in the Chianti Classico denomination and a Castellare Chianti is always a cooler, fresher version of Chianti- more about elegance than power or rusticity.  Despite its venerability and the beautiful ancient stone building the cantina occupies, Castellare has always been a progressive winery and you won’t ever find funky, old school wines produced here- this fresh, lovely 2023 was aged in a combination of smaller French oak barrels and larger casks and is ultra-sleek, with Sangiovese’s violet-type florals, cinnamon-y spice and brilliant but cool compact red, almost blue, fruit on vivid display.  There’s obvious old vine concentration here and nice richness on the palate, but it’s satiny too and the wines structure is hidden underneath all that silk.  We loved its elegance and elan. 

For those who want a ‘House White’ that hits all the high notes; a wine you can open any time of the day with any kind o...
04/03/2025

For those who want a ‘House White’ that hits all the high notes; a wine you can open any time of the day with any kind of food on the table, or none at all, this is a very special opportunity from Spain.  We all love Albariño around here. Our own Fran Cunniffe is a particularly ardent fan and is responsible for keeping several of her favorites stocked here for the regulars that clamor for it.  Albariño’s saline and mineral snap can reveal underneath, in the best of them, a plethora of complex but refreshing flavors, and is known as the ultimate compliment to a platter of fresh mollusks!  Is there a better wine to serve with oysters, crabs, clams, fish of all sorts or even pork or poultry?  We think not!  But, just as important, a good Albariño shouldn’t be so austere as to be an unpleasant drink on its own either.  

Terras Gauda (means Land of Happiness, what else is there to say?) has been championing the Albariño grape for 35 years and is one of a small handful of wineries responsible for the recent international success of Galicia’s Rias Baixas appellation.  The O’Rosal district, at the southern end of the appellation, is ground zero for the best examples of Albariño and Terras Gaudas’ Fonseca family blends a bit of several other local whites (Caiño Blanco and Loureiro) and engages in a bit of lees stirring to add texture and complexity to this, its most important wine- their O’Rosal Blanco. What a lovely glass of white this is!  Intensely aromatic of white flowers, lemon/lime, sea salt, slate and a bit of peach pit, it manages to be both light on its feet yet satisfyingly textural, savory and just plain delicious at the same time.  Drink it now for all of the reasons listed above and make sure you get enough to have plenty for the warm weather ahead.  You’ll go through A LOT!  

Jinsei, a Japanese word meaning "life," perfectly captures this wine’s freshness, vibrancy, and graceful evolution over ...
03/25/2025

Jinsei, a Japanese word meaning "life," perfectly captures this wine’s freshness, vibrancy, and graceful evolution over time.

The 2017 Jinsei Pinot Noir is a limited-production Pinot sourced from a spectacularly beautiful site in the Russian River Valley. Part of a 19-acre parcel that is a conservation forest, Tobias Glen Vineyard sustainably farms a mere 4 acres of vines. 

Taking a very minimalist approach to crafting the Jinsei Pinot Noir, winemaker Stephane Vivier of HdV fame (and his own eponymous label) expertly captures the essence of the cool Russian River climate.


This is our kinda wine!  Rich, characterful, lovely to drink and affordable!  Even Frank, PRIMA’s ‘Minister of Value’ ag...
02/20/2025

This is our kinda wine!  Rich, characterful, lovely to drink and affordable!  Even Frank, PRIMA’s ‘Minister of Value’ agrees, Chateau La Chapelle’s certified organically-farmed 100% Merlot cuvee from Bordeaux’s Right Bank St. Emilion is stone deal!  We’d never heard of this small property before because, it turns out, almost its entire production disappears into Paris and Bordeaux itself where it is considered a top bistro wine.  Family owned for four generations, several parcels of the hillside vines next to the Gironde estuary for this cuvee, La Chapelle’s main wine, are over a hundred years old! 

The guy that imported this told me he bought all he could get his hands on but that was a drop in the ocean compared to what he thought he could sell.  We agreed!  It’s dark, juicy and oh-so-pleasant to drink- even now- with plenty of Merlot’s dark plummy, dusky fruit leading the charge with surprising nuance to a nose that offers up cedar, a touch of smoky wood and hints of of tapenade, tar, dried blueberry and woodsy spice.  Midweight but mouthfilling, it’ll probably only improve over the next five to eight years but we can’t really think of a good reason to wait any longer! 


 

Happy Valentine's Day, PRIMA fam! Shop in store or online at www.primavini.com today through Monday, and take advantage ...
02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day, PRIMA fam! Shop in store or online at www.primavini.com today through Monday, and take advantage of a special 10% off sale on select bottles.

We Chablieve it's a pretty sweet deal❤️❤️❤️

If you're looking for a Valentine's Day gift for the wine lover in your life, what could be more perfect than a bottle o...
02/13/2025

If you're looking for a Valentine's Day gift for the wine lover in your life, what could be more perfect than a bottle of San Valentino?

This aptly-named wine comes from the hillside vineyard of San Valentino in Montefalco, Umbria. Think Tuscany but a little more wild and less full of tourists. There are fields of sunflowers, lush vineyards and forested hills at every turn. And like its more famous neighbor, Umbria makes some pretty great wines. They're not quite as world famous as Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino, but they are most certainly deserving of some attention.

This Umbria Rosso is made from 70% Sangiovese, blended expertly with the local superstar grapes of Sagrantino and Montepulciano. Paolo Bea and his son Giampiero have championed minimal intervention winemaking in their region, and the result is this beautiful, terroir-driven wine full of red and black fruits, earthiness, and fresh herbs, with an absolutely gorgeous texture from some extended maceration and aging. It somehow manages to capture the essence of this lovely, rugged land.

It's great on its own but even better paired with a romantic meal and conversation. And who knows, after a glass of two, maybe you'll even plan a trip to Italy ❤️🍷🇮🇹




Viña Bosconia comes from the Lopez de Heredia vineyard in the Rioja Alta called El Bosque. Originally, Rafael López de H...
02/01/2025

Viña Bosconia comes from the Lopez de Heredia vineyard in the Rioja Alta called El Bosque. Originally, Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a Francophile of the first order, named his vines and wines after their French counterparts.  Viña Bosconia, originally, was intended to be a Burgundy-style wine that used a high percentage of Pinot Noir, called “Rioja Cepa Borgoña,’ or ‘Rioja made with the grapes of Burgundy.’ The Pinot Noir is long gone now- replaced with Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo (aka Carignan) and Graciano.  El Bosque is situated next to the river Ebro at an altitude of 465 meters, one kilometer away from the winery.  The vines are planted on the south-facing foothills of the Sierra Cantabria range providing them with the perfect conditions for ripening. The soil is a mixture of clay and limestone and the average age of the vines is 40 years.  

Bosconia is much smaller in production than their flagship Tondonia bottling and is always meant to be the more elegant, more ‘Burgundian’ of the two wines. Barrel aged for five years, instead of the six for Tondonia, it has evolved perfectly showing a deep ruby color with hints of orange at the edges. Its nose is persistent, heady and totally engrossing.  Full bodied and showing a lot of mature fruit, it’s round, smooth, weighty but still fresh and very elegant. While it’s a little more concentrated and hefty than usual, this 2012 is a lovely, lovely wine.  

For those of you in the know, you won't be at all surprised by our latest wine acquisition. The Colli Tortonesi DOC in t...
01/24/2025

For those of you in the know, you won't be at all surprised by our latest wine acquisition. The Colli Tortonesi DOC in the Piedmont area of Northern Italy is going viral with its vibrant white wines made from the Timorasso grape variety. It's just fun to say 'Tee-mor-AHS-so' so who wouldn't want to drink it too? 

This is a unique grape variety that almost went extinct but was revived in the '80s by Walter Massa, Elisa Semino of La Colombera, and other locals. These days, you'll also see several of the most highly-regarded Barolo producers with a Timorasso in their lineup because as it turns out, it's an incredibly complex grape with long aging potential. There is nothing quite like it. But if you need a comparison, think Erbaluce x Chenin x Riesling. Except even cooler and in all the hip wine bars. 

This newly released 2023 Timorasso from Cascina Penna-Currado (CPC) is the winery's first vintage of Timorasso, but it's certainly not the winemaker's first. Because, you see, CPC is the new artisanal wine project by Elena Penna and Luca Currado Vietti, which they started with their children after selling the very famous Vietti Winery a few years back.

Vietti was one of the first Barolo producers to begin sourcing Timorasso from the limestone marly hills (colli) surrounding the ancient city of Tortona, or Derthona, as the Romans called it. And Elena Penna has been one of the grape's biggest champions for decades.

Farmed organically and meticulously in the same Tortonian limestone marls that help make incredible Barolo wines in the Langhe, this Timorasso has great acidity but also texture from a brief skin maceration and submerged cap ferm (unusual for Timo but often seen in the Langhe with Nebbiolo). It's still a fresh, saline and mineral-driven wine with just enough fruitiness to balance those savory notes.

Your resident wine geeks highly recommend trying it before it's sold out! Link in story🔗🔥

Pictured: Timorasso grape leaves from one of the Colli Tortonesi's most historic vineyards at La Colombera during Fran and Brandon's visit there in May.



For Dry January and Beyond: Proxies ‘Blanc Slate’ Crisp & Zesty White & Proxies Big Red These are totally unique beverag...
01/18/2025

For Dry January and Beyond: Proxies ‘Blanc Slate’ Crisp & Zesty White & Proxies Big Red

These are totally unique beverages and, if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic alternative to wine at the dinner table, for whatever reason, these are well worth your money.  Proxies first got our attention because they are endorsed, and even promoted by several wine-loving chefs who evaluated them as beverages to enhance their respective cuisines.  In order to pass muster, they needed to have the attributes of good wines, but not the alcohol.  And they had to hold their own alongside their food and taste good to boot.  Given those criteria, two of the Proxies we tried definitely qualified.  They’re not wine- they’re created with wine grapes, teas and a variety of essences and botanicals- and understanding that is important.  But as partners to your fine cooking, just like a fine bottle of wine, these are pretty damned interesting! I’m definitely going to bring a few bottles home too.  

Note:  Once opened, these will last open in a bottle a week or more so if you open one, there’s no rush to finish.

The white called Blanc Slate is a totally unique experience.  Aromatic and fresh, with lifted hits of hibiscus flower, lychee, yellow peach, a dash of dried pineapple and cut lemongrass on a medium-full palate with a nice zingy finish. The literature says it’s based on Sauvignon Blanc grapes but, at the table, it could be matched with anything with which you’d pair a Chardonnay as well.     

The ‘Big Red’ is totally cool!  It’s herbal, spicy and highly nuanced on the nose and packed with black cherry, black raspberry fruit and earthy, iron-y black licorice and cedar notes that really pop out of the glass.  ‘Big Red’ is a bit of misnomer in that, while certainly big in personality, it’s a little lighter and fresher on the palate than you might expect- not more than medium weight.   It’s like Barbera and Beaujolais had a non-alcoholic baby! 

We like this stuff.  So might you.


Address

6890 Village Pkwy
Dublin, CA
94568

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 6pm
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+19259451800

Website

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