‘Somm’ star’s hit N.Y. wine shop, Verve, is coming to S.F.
San Francisco is getting an outpost of Verve Wine, the New York shop owned by master sommelier (and “Somm” star) Dustin Wilson and partner Derrick Mize.
The new shop at 2358 Fillmore St., formerly the footwear boutique Gimme Shoes, will open May 12. Sommelier Eric Railsback will be the S.F. shop’s director of operations.
Wilson, a onetime RN74 sommelier, is no stranger to our city. Recently, he was a consultant (with Railsback,
another RN alumn) on the short-lived, wine-centric Mason Pacific restaurant (now AltoVino). The idea of having a San Francisco location was part of Verve’s plan from the start, Wilson says. In fact, he signed a lease on the Pacific Heights space almost a year ago, shortly after opening in New York in late 2016.
“We know that the market in San Francisco is really great for the kind of wines we’re into,” Wilson says, describing Verve’s inventory as leaning toward small, familyowned wineries who “represent well their place in the world,” typically working with sustainable practices. “We’ll have everything from really accessible, easy-drinking crisp whites from Spain up to grand cru, collectible Burgundy with age.”
At 1,200 square feet, the Verve S.F. location is much smaller than our other recent New York wine shop expansion: the 3,500-square-foot Flatiron Wine & Spirits, which opened in SoMa in 2016. Wilson says his S.F. store will hold about 500 SKUs, though Verve carries 3,000 labels online.
Having a West Coast home
for Verve also appeals because direct shipping and online sales represent an increasingly large segment of the business, says Wilson, and “logistically, having locations on both coasts makes that easier.” Once it’s up and running here, California residents who have bought wine online from Verve will see their shipping costs decrease.
Retail has been a major shift for Wilson, whose career as a sommelier in top restaurants put him in the national spotlight. The 2012 documentary “Somm” chronicled Wilson’s quest to pass the notoriously difficult master sommelier exam. (Spoiler alert: He passed.) He then stepped into one of the restaurant world’s highest-profile sommelier positions, as the wine director of New York’s Eleven Madison Park.
Yet Wilson says he’s enjoyed bringing a sommelier’s perspective to running a wine shop. “Retail is a totally different pace and lifestyle, but I still get to work with the wines I love,” he says. “We like bringing that restaurant hospitality focus to retail. Service, education, that genuine care — being excited to take care of guests.”
And, yes, a third “Somm” is now in the works. (A second, “Somm: Into the Bottle,” premiered in 2015.) Although the focus of the film will be on three major wine figures — Steven Spurrier, Jancis Robinson and Fred Dame — “my story weaves its way into that narrative,” says Wilson.
So, no question that the man’s been busy — so busy, in fact, that this year he and Railsback decided to pause Vallin, their Santa Barbarabased wine brand with sommelier Brian McClintic and winemaker Justin Willett. (Railsback and Willett continue to collaborate with the Lieu Dit wine brand.) “The wine is sold out and no more will be made,” Wilson says of Vallin. “There’s a chance we may try to get something else up and running at some point, but we’re all so busy with our various other projects that it’s hard to keep up with it.”
Look out for Verve in May.
“We know that the market in San Francisco is really great for the kind of wines we’re into.” Dustin Wilson, Verve Wine owner