NAPA VALLEY WINERY EXCHANGE

We specialize in Small-production, Rare and Vineyard-specific gem wines.

Welcome to the Napa Valley Winery Exchange, downtown San Francisco’s finest wine store featuring California wine gems from the area’s smallest producers. We are within walking distance of over 5,000 hotel rooms and this makes us the perfect shopping destination if you are visiting San Francisco!

We are also only 90 minutes away from the world famous Napa Valley. This unique proximity gives our store an obvious advantage in obtaining top rated, small production wines not found in other parts of the country. If there is a new winery, if there is a new vineyard project, we hear of it first and are able to pass this knowledge and availability on to you, our customer!

The Napa Valley Winery Exchange was established in 1988. We pride ourselves on the high level of customer service that we provide, including shipping, gift wrapping, delivery, wine country advice and more. Our knowledgeable staff can help you to select wines for your personal drinking pleasure, your cellar, your special events or gifts. We have corporate programs and can provide professional and seamless service for your event planning or seasonal gift giving.

The Napa Valley Winery Exchange has been endorsed by a host of food, wine and travel publications including: The Wine Spectator, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, Decantur, The San Francisco Chronicle, Qantas in-flight magazine and the in-flight magazine of Japan Airlines.

Our Staff

RICK JONES

General Manager Certified Specialist of Wine

Born and raised in San Francisco, Rick has spent his entire adult life in the food and wine industry. Having experienced virtually every side of the business over the course of time, beginning with restaurant management and ownership here in the Bay Area. During that time, he’s developed and managed award-winning wine programs, as recognized by Decanter Magazine in 1999, as being in the Top 50 worldwide. With over 12 years as a wine judge in annual wine competitions around the Bay Area, he’s been a contributor to the SF Chronicle’s Panel Tasting Program and the “100 Best of the Year” column. In 2001 he transitioned into the sales and distribution of fine wine, working for local distributors in various capacities and responsibilities. Rick has found a home at the Napa Valley Winery Exchange where we are fortunate and privileged in leading our team along with some of the very best people in the industry. NVWE has a long history and reputation for providing the finest wines California has to offer at every price level. Culling those wines from the seemingly endless list of weekly samples is a demanding task, but one that everyone at NVWE takes seriously. NVWE continues to be a leader in sale of CA wines, and it’s a tradition and Rick is very proud to be a part of the NVWE family.

Donald Gillette

Senior Wine Specialist

Yes, the rumors are true, I have been selling wine retail since the Flood. My tasting notebooks began accumulating sometime around 1972. People say that my opinions are strong and I confess that I spend little time on the fence. If there is a desert island somewhere, stocked with old Riesling, I shall retire there. I first began tasting and selling wine in Santa Barbara more than thirty years ago. I liked the job from the beginning and enjoy it even more working in San Francisco. During my first fifteen years in the industry I tasted and sold wines from around the world, learning to appreciate the best examples from Europe's great appellations, while experiencing first hand the explosive growth of our local wine industry. Since 1988 I have sold small production California wines almost exclusively. My first and most important function at NVWE is to taste wine. I evaluate wine in a straightforward, orderly manner. I first survey impressions of scent, then flavor and it's ability to linger on the palate; then I progress to the wine's mouthfeel and textural impact; this leads to decisions about its varietal accuracy, internal harmony and overall appeal. All these impressions are tallied before I make judgments concerning its value, appropriate drinking times, market demand or appropriateness for our store.

曽志崎 友里 - Yuri Soshizaki

Wine Sales & Marketing, Japan

ワインはなんだか難しくとらわれがちですが、優しく楽 しくワインを楽しむお手伝いをします。私にとって、ワインは人間と一緒!個々のワインの特徴を知っているからこそワインと貴方のベストマッチメーカーとして、まだまだ知られていない最高のカリフォルニアワインの魅力をお伝えします。ワインスペシャリストとしての知識・情報・コネクションをフル活用して貴方ためのワイン選び、ワイナリー訪問のお手伝いができることを楽しみにしています。群馬県生まれ。2009年からカリフォルニア州ナパバレーに居住。公私ともにワインに深く関わる中でカリフォルニアワインの虜になり、ナパバレー大学(Napa Valley College)にてワイン醸造学を学び、各種ワインと食品関連の資格取得。ナパバレー観光の目玉施設「ナパバレー・ワイントレイン社」勤務。ワインの買い付け・販売・マーケティング、ワインスペシャリストとして1日376名以上のお客様のワイン選びに従事。最高のワインを沢山の方にご紹介させていただきました。日本人経営ワイナリーKenzo Estateワイナリーでイベント・法人営業マネージャーをしながら、ワインのみならず、飲食関係の資格を多数取得し、ワインと合う料理や飲食に関する知識・資格を活かしてお客様に最適な情報をトータルでご提供いたします。現地在住ならでは穴場ワイナリーなどの情報提供・アドバイスを得意としています。日本人の料理や舌に合うワインを知り、ワイン知識・情報をお届けします。現在、ワイン通訳、ワインスペシャリスト・ワインコンサルタントとして活躍中!