Closure of the Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective after a decade in Saratoga – The Mercury News

If you’re looking to stock your wine cellar for the holidays, check out the sale by the case at Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective. After 10 years in Saratoga, it closes its doors at the end of December.

“It’s bittersweet, but it’s just too hard to do business here,” Roberts says. “Saratoga has become nothing but restaurants.”

She fears that with the impending removal of parklets, these restaurants will become less attractive.

Although the Saratoga City Council is considering the viability of bringing parklets back at some point, it is moving on, although it has withstood the brunt of the 2020 pandemic and a move to a new location in mid-2021.

Being on Big Basin Way was certainly a boon to visibility for its eclectic wine bar, but being adjacent to a seemingly endless construction project in front of an unsightly barrier does nothing to increase curb appeal.

“It’s like Saratoga doesn’t care about small retail stores,” Roberts says. “We don’t have big box stores that draw people into the village, like Los Gatos. What do you say to a town when they can’t even keep a Starbucks? »

This space, near Blaney Plaza, has been vacant since October.

While Big Basin Way was once a fairly active wine-tasting destination, several tasting rooms have closed during the pandemic. Last year, Roberts moved into the space once occupied by Carla Capek’s Stiletto’s Wine Bar.

“When Lexington and Mindego Ridge and Big Basin Vineyards closed their tasting rooms during the pandemic, it had a huge impact on our traffic,” says Roberts. “These well-known brands have brought people into town, and we’ve enjoyed the benefits of having people willing to explore more of the other wine options available here in town. This draw no longer exists, unfortunately.

The current state of Saratoga can be seen as a lesson in cycles. Thirteen years ago, the only tasting room in town was Cinnabar. Then one by one, wineries, wine shops and wine bars arrived, creating what has become a wine hub. The energy of the city has changed, the wine tours have started and the farmers’ market has been created. Blaney Plaza has been redesigned and new restaurants like Bell Tower, Big Basin Burger Bar, Sipan Peruvian, Hero Ranch Kitchen and then Flowers have arrived bringing something new to experience.

The cycle has begun again, as all that remains of the once active wine scene is Cinnabar (with a new tasting room in Gilroy where the owner is concentrating), Roudon-Smith and the Roberts wine collective.

In January, Roberts will be working at Steven Kent Winery in Livermore, birthplace of incredible Cabernet Franc. Meanwhile, his case sale has a good selection of wines from local talent like Sam Smith of Morgan Winery, whose brand is Samuel Louis Smith: in stock is his 2021 gamay noir from Escolle Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands . Bargetto assistant winemaker Keegan Mayo, who apprenticed at Testarossa with Bill Brosseau, has several of his Assiduous brand wines on the shelves, including Pinot Gris and Chardonnay from Regan Vineyard in Corralitos as well as Merlot from Los Altos Hills.

You’ll find selections from Baiochi, Baccarossa and Perrucci Family Vineyards, and a pinot noir rosé from Pelio Vineyards in Carmel Valley, perfect for any holiday brunch. Their chardonnay and pinot noir are also recommended.

Ruthe Roberts Wine Collective is located at 14510 Big Basin Way, Suite 10. Call 408-504-4013 for a tasting reservation. For more information, visit https://www.rrwcwines.com.