The Wine Steward

What The Wine Steward does

The Wine Steward is a privately-held neighborhood wine retail and experiential business operating from a single storefront at 641 Main Street in Pleasanton, California. Founded in 1999, the company sells hand-picked small-production wines from local and global vintners, both in-store and through a Shopify-based online store that supports in-store pickup only. The business is built around a community-led go-to-market model, anchored by a Mezzanine WineBar hosting weekly rotating tasting flights, a six-tier Wine Club offering monthly curated subscriptions, private event hosting for groups of up to 200 guests, a Wine Journal blog for content marketing, and an email newsletter. The Wine Steward holds exclusive rights to two proprietary house wine blends — Domaine des Plus-de-Vie (TWS-exclusive, produced in collaboration with winemaker Adam Webb of Cochon) and PLUS Red Wine — which serve as flagship differentiated SKUs not available at mass retail.

The company has no proprietary technology platform beyond the standard Shopify e-commerce storefront, and no AI/ML capabilities, integrations, or APIs are in evidence. Revenue is generated through five distinct streams: one-time wine and food retail sales, recurring wine club memberships (6 tiers), paid experiential events such as the $55 Tour de France tasting (capped at 28 RSVPs), cheese and charcuterie add-on platters, and gift cards redeemable only at the physical location. Customer segments include local Pleasanton wine enthusiasts, monthly wine club subscribers, and private event hosts in the broader California Tri-Valley area. Operational scale is constrained to a single ZIP code with 11–50 employees and no disclosed funding, M&A, or expansion activity.

Name

The Wine Steward

Legal name

The Wine Steward

Website

https://thewinesteward.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wine Steward is a privately-held neighborhood wine shop in Pleasanton, California, selling curated small-production wines through one retail storefront, an online pickup channel, and a six-tier wine club subscription, supplemented by weekly tasting events and private event hosting for local enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Wine Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Bars (THAFAEAF), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Retail wine shop
• Wine club subscription
• Wine tasting events
• Artisanal wine sales
• Specialty food retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Pleasanton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wine Sales: Direct retail sales of curated wines from their physical storefront and online store for in-store pickup. Products include their house wines like Domaine des Plus-de-Vie and PLUS Red Wine.
2. Wine Club Memberships: Monthly wine club subscriptions offering curated wine bundles delivered monthly. Customers choose from 6 different clubs matching their taste preferences. Subscription available for monthly pickup.
3. Experiences and Events: Revenue from hosted wine tasting events, tours, and experiences such as the Tour de France tasting event at $55 per person. Also includes private event hosting.
4. Food and Specialty Items: Sales of complementary food products including cheese and charcuterie platters for events and in-store consumption.
5. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold for use at their physical store location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wine Steward is a neighborhood wine retail shop in Pleasanton, California offering curated, hand-picked small-production wines from local and global vintners through both a physical storefront and an online store with in-store pickup. Its offering is anchored by two TWS-exclusive proprietary blends (Domaine des Plus-de-Vie and PLUS Red Wine), complemented by cheese and charcuterie, a Mezzanine WineBar with weekly tasting flights, a six-tier Wine Club subscription, and private event hosting.

Product overview

The Wine Steward is a neighborhood wine retail shop offering a curated selection of hand-picked small production wines from local and global vintners, both online and in-store at their Pleasanton, California location. Their core product offerings center on their proprietary wine blends (Domaine des Plus-de-Vie and Plus Red Wine), complemented by specialty food items like cheese and charcuterie platters. The company generates revenue through direct wine sales, experiential wine tasting events (including tasting flights and the TOUR de FRANCE experience), and a Wine Club subscription service. They position themselves as a wine merchant with personalized service, combining retail operations with interactive events and a community-focused tasting lounge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plus Red Wine - Livermore Valley A robust red blend from Livermore Valley, California, made entirely of local fruit with two vintages of Syrah and a small addition of Petite Sirah. Sold for in-store or online pickup at $26.99.
• 2025 Domaine des Plus-de-Vie - Livermore Valley A TWS-exclusive house wine blend from Livermore Valley featuring Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and a touch of Muscat, made via co-fermentation with minimal oak treatment. The 2025 vintage produced 35 cases and is sold for $26.99.
• Cheese & Charcuterie Platter for Events A specially-designed combo of cheeses, meats, crackers, and accompaniments built to enhance wine tasting experiences at events. Priced at $22.00.
• TOUR de FRANCE with TWO IMPORTERS! Tasting Event A sit-down, presentation-style wine tasting event featuring two collaborative importers of small-production French wines spanning Champagne, Burgundy, Loire, Rhône, and other French wine regions. Priced at $55 per attendee with limited capacity per session.
• Wine Club Membership Monthly wine club memberships offering curated bundles of wine matched to taste preferences or adventurous picks. Six different clubs are available for various budgets and tastes; pickup is monthly at the Pleasanton store.
• The Wine Steward Gift Card Gift cards available for purchase (call the store to buy), redeemable only at the physical store at 641 Main Street, Pleasanton, California.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Paul (Importer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench wine importer with portfolio spanning Champagne, Burgundy, Loire, Rhone, and other French wine regions. Collaboratively hosts Tour de France tasting events at The Wine Steward.
• Gregoire (Importer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench wine importer with portfolio spanning Champagne, Burgundy, Loire, Rhone, and other French wine regions. Collaboratively hosts Tour de France tasting events at The Wine Steward.
• Adam Webb (Cochon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinemaker who helped create The Wine Steward's proprietary Domaine des Plus-de-Vie blend. The relationship involves collaborative wine-making for their house wine.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Wine.com: Largest U.S. online wine retailer offering nationwide shipping, a wine club, and curated gift baskets. Compares on product category (curated wines, clubs, gift baskets) but competes via DTC shipping rather than a physical storefront.
• Winc: Online wine subscription club delivering curated wines to members nationwide. Comparable to The Wine Steward's wine club subscription component, though built around a pure DTC/subscription model without physical retail.

Broad incumbents

• BevMo!: Large California-based multi-category alcoholic beverage retailer with both physical stores and online shopping. Comparable product category but at far greater scale, with overlapping geography in Northern California where The Wine Steward operates.
• Total Wine & More: Largest U.S. multi-category wine, beer, and spirits retailer with national footprint, broad assortment, and competitive pricing. Represents the dominant scale incumbent against which specialty shops like The Wine Steward compete on curation and experience rather than price or selection breadth.

Regional players

• Plate & Vine / Local Wine Bars (e.g., The Forge Wine Bar): Local Pleasanton/Bay Area wine bars offering flights, small-production pours, and a community atmosphere. Comparable on the on-premise tasting experience that The Wine Steward offers via its Mezzanine WineBar.
• Bay Grape: Independent Oakland-based wine shop specializing in small-production, natural, and organic wines with a strong tasting/event program. Highly comparable concept (curated small-production retail + experiences) in the same Bay Area region as The Wine Steward.

Direct peers

• Sherry-Lehmann: Historic New York wine and spirits merchant offering curated wines, in-store tastings, and event hosting. Comparable format as a long-established specialty wine retailer with experiential components.
• Astor Wines & Spirits: New York City specialty wine shop known for curated small-production wines, in-store tastings, and wine club/educational events. Closely comparable curated-retail-plus-experience concept, though operating in a different geography.
• K & L Wine Merchants: Long-standing Bay Area specialty wine retailer offering curated small-production wines, in-store tastings, and a wine club. Closely comparable in format (curated shop + club + events) and geography (California) to The Wine Steward.
• Crush Wine & Spirits: Specialty wine retailer focused on small-production and sommelier-curated selections with strong tasting and educational event programming. Comparable curated-retail + educational-event format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WineStewardCA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wine Steward