The first pet I ever had was a dog named Gretchen. She was a small mutt, some sort of dachshund/spaniel mix I think. I can't say for certain. I was very little. I mostly just remember her enthusiasm. I can recall specifically returning home one summer, falling out of our van after a multi-week camping trip and Gretchen tearing down the hill toward us, leaping into the air, repeatedly. She looked like she was trying to fly while having an epileptic fit. It was spastic and sweet.

Now, you might wonder why a family would leave their dog with their neighbors when they left for such extended vacations. That's the funny (and slightly pathetic) part. I didn't learn until much later in life- almost twenty years later, and long after she had passed - that Gretchen was not my first pet. She was never our dog at all. She belonged to Bill and Cathleen, to our next door neighbors. 


OAKLAND YARD is not ours, not really. Its every neighbor's. It's yours and yours. Its here when you get back from that vacation. It's here to send you off to the next adventure. When you want to go out or remain at home, we'll be here for you.

We'll stay.


THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS from 4-8 this evening at OAKLAND YARD. Feel free to fall in love with one of these wines and call it yours. We'll be pouring whites from France's Loire Valley: all clean, minerally-driven and refreshing. The Red Flight focuses on Carignan: ranging from bright and electric to dark and lush and easy-drinking. Choose your own adventure from 4-8PM tonight!

SATURDAY at OAKLAND YARD from 2-5PM we welcome Cory Gowan of Mission Wine Merchants (Oakland, CA) and local winemaker, John Donaghue of Thee & Thou to take over the tasting bar. They will be pouring an amazing and eclectic lineup from the Mission portfolio, including John's Patois, a lively and delicious Syrah/Carignan blend.

Come connect at OAKLAND YARD. 

See you soon,

Daniel