Cavemasters

 

---Wine Negotiant/Storage---

 

Normally wine collectors don’t like to give out where they get the good stuff. The key to collecting, by the way, is not buying the most expensive wine, but buying inexpensive wine that takes like the expensive stuff, and running into great buys.

 

In the early 1960’s, when I first arrived in San Francisco, I used to visit Buena Vista, Louis Martini, and other wineries in Napa.  It was “cowboy” country to me.  Living in an apartment, there were two problems---temperature and storage.  I made friends with the corner grocer, a Chinese man named “Lee.”  Not only did he sell me meat after 6pm ( the union did not allow meat sold after this time without the union meat employee), but he let me store wine in his cooler.  I gave him a couple of bucks, but I think he liked me.  I used to get tickets from our sports announcer Bill King or Bob Fouts or the marketing manager, and I wasn’t a sports fan in those days, so some I gave to Lee.  I don’t think he used them personally, as I think he worked all the time, and I never asked him. He did wear a 49er cap, and 49er jacket from time to time. When I left the city I had over 20 cases of wine, or more.

 

I then stored them at a delicatessen in San Bruno, where I made friends with the owner’s son, who was a very close friend of a friend, and he also liked wine.. When I moved to Santa Clara, I made connection with a commercial wine/liquor storage to store my wine.  It grew to several pallets and at one time over five as Iaid per pallet. I also was able to buy wine, as most wine makers do not have the capacity to store the wine they want to sell, plus it is a distribution point.

 

While I have a “cellar” and commercial wine cooler at home, I still have the need for storing wine. Luckily, my good friend Larry Stepek opened one in the Old Town Shopping Center ( in the basement---and you can drive in the back way almost to the door ).

 

(408) 395-6891

 info@cavemasters.com

http://www.cavemasters.com/

 

They will ship wine to states that accept UPS delivery. You can also have wine shipped directly to him for storage.  Larry can also buy boutique wine, special vineyards, and add a profit cheaper than you may get at the winery direct or from a retail store. 

 

I have known Larry since his days at Liquor Barn, then going to work at The Plumed Horse as wine steward, then sommelier, then General Manager; he and his wife bought a house in France, they import wine, and in between he was the Wine Buyer and General Manager of California Cafe in Los Gatos.  Besides Cavemasters, which his wife is the key to the operation, Larry is also general manager of Cafe Marcella in Los Gatos, which keeps him in touch with many who not only visit the popular restaurant, but wine salesmen who want to sell wine, as the restaurant has a pretty good wine cellar itself:

 

www.cafemarcella.com

 

Larry has an excellent palate and memory.   And remember, the key to buying wine is not spending the most money, but finding a wine that in five years will taste like an “expensive wine.”   While many use price as the guide line to what you are getting, putting wine away is a lot less expensive and worth the effort.  Five years passes very quickly.  I would say the best time to drink red wine is five

to eight years from the date on the bottle, depending on the vintage.  Many last a lot longer, especially in a larger bottle.

 

 

Also for the best up-to-date Wine news, no selling:

 

http://www.cavemasters.com/news.htm