Thursday, August 28, 2008

Beltramo's Wines & Spirits - Since 1882

Beltramo's Wines and Spirits
1540 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

(650) 325-2806
(888) 710-WINE (9463)
(650) 323-8450 fax
sales@beltramos.com

From Beltramo's website - History:

In 1880, Giovanni Beltramo arrived in California with Nebbiolo and Barbera grape cuttings from his native town of Castel Nuovo di Don Bosco in the province of Asti, Italy. He cultivated a vineyard in Menlo Park, and in 1882 he established a wholesale-retail wine and spirits business in town. After Prohibition his son Alexander moved the family business nearby to the store's current site. The store is half-way between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose, and just a few minutes away from the Stanford University campus, and although the family no longer cultivates any grapes, the store is within driving distance of the finest wine cultivating regions in California.

Since the late 1950's, Beltramo's has carried the largest selection of fine wines and spirits in the San Francisco Bay Area. Still a family-owned business, John R. and Daniel Beltramo, sons of Alexander Beltramo, have been guiding the store since the mid-1960's. The store was one of the first to specialize in imported wines. In the mid-1970's you could find 1947 Petrus for $99.00, 1967 Chateau d'Yquem for $27.00 and Domaine Dujac's first vintage of Morey St. Denis for $9.95. With the expansion of the California wineries, Beltramo's introduced the first vintages of new wineries such as Spottswoode, Chalone, Duckhorn, Silver Oak, Chateau Montelena and Ridge to the Bay Area's wine lovers.

Continuing with the family tradition of excellence in service and selection, Beltramo's has also been voted "Best Place to Buy Wine" in local polls of Menlo Park and Palo Alto for the last 10 years in a row. It has received recognition over the years as "Retailer of the Year" by Market Watch, the wine industry affiliate of the Wine Spectator and by the state of California by the National Liquor Stores Association with further recognition as “a top wine shop” from publications such as Food and Wine Magazine’s Wine Guide and The New York Times.

The Beltramo Family remains committed to keeping Beltramo's Wines and Spirits one of the world's finest wine stores, with a broad selection to suit everyone’s tastes and budget.

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Beltramo's has a nice wine tasting room. See website for their wine tasting schedule. I have found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. I recommend a visit if you haven't been there.

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