LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – After nearly three decades under the same leadership, one of Lafayette’s most distinctive wine shops is taking a new path.
Wine Thieves, the neighborhood wine store and tasting room at 3401 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, is now owned by Orinda residents Daniel and Gennie Gorback. The Gorback family purchased the business from longtime owner Jim Meyers, and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce formally celebrated the transition with a ribbon cutting on July 9.
My wife and I stopped by for a tour, a glass of wine, and a conversation with Gennie Gorback during one of Wine Thieves’ Thursday night music events (more on that below.)
Meyers opened Wine Thieves with his longtime friend and business partner Bennett Burke in 1999. The “Thieves” part of the name might be a bit confusing, but it actually has two meanings, Gorback told me: it emphasizes the store’s focus on “steals” (great wines that are inexpensive and overlooked), and is also the name of a device used in winemaking.
The new owners are not planning to discard the store’s formula of sourcing and selling inexpensive, excellent wines. In fact, the Gorbacks were regular customers before they ever considered buying the shop, and are planning to preserve everything that makes it great.
From Favorite Hangout to Family Business
Gorback described Wine Thieves as a place her family returned to repeatedly, not only to buy wine but to spend time together. (Gorback’s children and my children went to school together years ago.)
Some of the family’s favorite visits involved sitting on the back patio with their daughters, playing Uno and trying a couple of wines, often during less-busy Sunday afternoons. The shop could accommodate both a quick stop for a bottle and an unhurried afternoon outside.
Easy parking behind the store helps, too!
When the Gorbacks learned that Meyers was preparing to retire after 27 years, the opportunity aligned with Daniel’s longstanding interest in owning a small business. He plans to continue practicing law full time while working with Gennie and Wine Thieves’ existing staff to guide the business.
That second bit is important; Gorback told me that the store’s long-serving staff is staying on. Collectively, they provide lifetimes of wine knowledge, as well as old-school service. Gorback told me that guests are often surprised when a staff member offers to carry their wines to their car for them, a touch that you won’t find at big-box wine stores.
More Reasons to Stay on the Patio
Wine Thieves’ new owners are working to enhance that personal, community element of the store.
Under the Gorbacks’ ownership, Wine Thieves has expanded programming on the shop’s patio, including Saturday Patio Pours and Tunes, with curated wines and live music. The shop is also continuing Thirsty Thursday events featuring local musicians, food and wine flights.
We stopped by for one of those and enjoyed the informal atmosphere, with a local band performing and staff pouring selected wines and beers in Mason jars.
The shop’s established Saturday afternoon wine flights remain part of the experience. Each weekly flight includes four wines connected by a common grape, region or theme and is offered from noon to 6 p.m.
Wine and beer are also available by the glass during regular business hours. Gorback encourages people to stop in casually and spontaneously to try a new wine or beer. A sign out front emphasizes this.
Wine Thieves’ patio can be reserved for private gatherings of between 15 and 30 people, and the shop also conducts off-site tastings.
Keeping Wine Approachable
The events are expanding, but much else about Wine Thieves won’t change. The decor–including an original mural–has stayed the same, with the exception of several original art pieces that Gorback “hid” around the store. The store will soon have a new sign. But that’s about it.
The staff, again, will remain. The store’s roster of suppliers are still there–Gorback told me that they sample up to 100 wines in a given week, albeit without actually imbibing that much!
And perhaps most importantly, the store’s DNA won’t change. That DNA centers around a laser focus on finding great deals: wines that won’t show up in grocery stores and might be little known, but are terrific and deserve recognition.
As Gorback told me, most wines in the store are priced around $20-$25. It’s hard to find a good wine at that price point these days. And Wine Thieves prides itself on filling the store with just such wines.
That clear focus–as well as the increased emphasis on music and community–are the Gorback’s new vision for the store. For the new owners, that experience is what made Wine Thieves worth buying in the first place.
Wine Thieves is located at 3401 Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette. Current posted hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
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