Lunardi’s Brings Winetasting to San Bruno with New Sampling Room

Cabernet from Napa. Chianti from Italy. Malbec from Argentina. These and other exclusive wines are coming soon to Lunardi's in San Bruno.

But you won't find them on Aisle 1. They will be brought in for customers to sample and savor as part of the supermarket's new wine tasting room.

The San Bruno Planning Commission unanimously approved the store's request in May to open the wine tasting room. Lunardi's is now waiting for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to give the final OK, which could be a few weeks from now, before opening the sampling to customers.

Phil Jordan, wine supervisor for Lunardi's Markets, said that since the regional grocery chain opened wine tasting rooms at its stores in Danville and San Jose they have been very popular with customers. People from wineries bring in different varieties of wine each week and invite customers to taste them for a few hours, Jordan said. Along with the tasting, he said, customers can interact with someone from the winery who is knowledgable about the products and take advantage of special pricing.

"It's an incentive for (the wineries) to sell wine, and it will be a great deal for the customer," Jordan said, "because after the three hours or so, the price will go back up."

Jordan said he expects the wineries to bring in samples from all over the place, including Napa, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France and Argentina. Specialty beers will also be brought in, he added.

The store was remodeled about a year ago and now has a new façade, more square footage and a new bakery with a Peet's Coffee bar. Adding the wine tasting room will now be like "the cherry on top of the cake," Jordan said.

Once the tasting room opens, customers will be able to sample the wine for a small charge. Only adults will be allowed in the room, which will be located toward the back of the store. Wilson Yee, the San Bruno store manager, said the charge will be donated to charity.