One of Oakland’s best — and most understated — wine shops is turning 30 this year.
Paul Marcus Wines, which opened as one of the original Market Hall tenants in March 1987, is throwing a party to celebrate this anniversary tomorrow.
It will be serving complementary small bites, wine and other refreshments from 4-6 p.m. in the wine shop. Bottles will be 10% off.
The wine shop emphasizes food-friendly French, Italian, German, Austrian, Spanish, Eastern European and Californian wines, and the staff are proud to say that they taste each and every bottle for sale. Most of the wines on offer are affordable, priced between $6 and $25. Owner Paul Marcus is also a music lover; he opened the shop after working as a record buyer for Berkeley’s Leopold Records, which closed in 1996.
Marcus has a loyal cadre of employees; his first employee, Joel Mullennix, is still on staff, specializing in Italian wines. The shop’s manager, Chad Arnold, wrote in an email to customers: “His dedication to the quality of his employees’ lives is astonishing. His understanding and dedication to the good life, to everyone’s good life, has been his greatest gift to us, which is to say, thanks Paul, for giving us better lives, for giving us more time with our families, more time to read poetry and listen to Miles Davis. … It is a pleasure to work here, indeed, it is an honor.”
The Paul Marcus party is part of Market Hall’s year-long 30th anniversary celebration. It will be holding monthly events, on the 30th of the month, over the course of the year. The Pasta Shop (now Market Hall Foods) and Oliveto also opened in the building in 1987, so expect both to join in on the festivities.
