Farmstead Cheeses & Wines was founded in 2003 by Jeff Diamond and sold to Dave Chambers in April of 2023. Dave is an experienced wine merchant and operator of wine clubs who focuses on sustainable, family producers of fine wines. He creates an environment for his staff and customers that is convivial and educational, sharing as much or as little information as each customer seeks.

At Farmstead, we specialize in under the radar and hard-to-find boutique wines and perfectly presented artisan cheeses.

Our tasting programs (wine clubs) are designed to introduce curious wine lovers to affordable new wines by featuring the familar next to the obscure. Using old favorites as a benchmark allows our members to explore new sensations relative to what they know, thus increasing the odds they'll discover a new favorite! Hopefully, this happens multiple times along their wine club journey.

Farmstead's environment and hiring practices attracts employees with a passion for food and wine that is deep, pervasive, engaging, and fun.

Dave caught the wine bug in his early 20's, and dabbled in the field for decades while working in marketing data and analytics. In the post dot-com bomb in 2001, Dave switched tracks and offered consulting services to the wine industry. After three years of consulting to the erstwhile folks at Bonny Doon Vineyard, Dave the Sideways Wine Club (as a licensee of the move studio, Searchlight Pictures) in 2005 and in 2006 'Tastes of the Valleys' wine bar in the heart of Sideways country - Santa Barbara County's quaint town of Solvang.

The brand morphed from 'Sideways' to 'Dave the Wine Merchant' in 2010 and operations moved to Northern California - perfectly positioned to notice the 2022 posting when Farmstead was put up for sale by its founder. Despite the new name, the goal remains the same - to create a fun and welcoming community for curious wine lovers to meet, learn and share.

Enjoy our fine wines, cheeses and gourmet foods from artisanal producers and curated by our team. We provide easy access with our three Northern CA locations in Alameda, Oakland, and Grass Valley. Speak with our approachable staff to discover your new favorite!

Wine Is Life!

We think of wine as a time capsule that contains bits of every person who helped to bring it to you. That time capsule also contains a product shaped by weather, vineyard soils, and the history of the winery and the region and culture that produced it.

There is no better way to appreciate a wine's gestalt than to travel to its place of origin - winemaking regions both domestic and international. Such visits allow us to walk the vineyards and meet growers and producers who share local history, cuisines and wines as they take us through every aspect of their wine.

We encourage our staff and customers to join us on these journeys, and anticipate traveling with some of you on organized tours so you to can discover some of the world's most interesting and satisfying wines along with us.

This is where our industry connections can provide a rare 'insiders' view, introducing you to winemakers, Master Sommeliers, cheesemakers, chefs, journalists, bloggers and importers from around the globe.

Whether you join us on our travels, meet our guest hosts at an in-store event, attend a deep-dive class or simply soak up our staff's enthusiasm over their favorite selections, you'll leave our shops as a more informed and engaged wine lover.


Drink well,
Dave Chambers
Farmstead Cheeses & Wines & Dave the Wine Merchant

Our Team

Our team is an interesting amalgam of enthusiasts who eschew snobbery and attitude as we strive to help you find the right selections for your dinner party, wedding, picnic, or snack. Our current crew consists of trained chefs, former professional musicians, cheese mongers, rock climbers, scientists, grad students and photographers, all united by our love of the world's fine wine and food

A Brief History of (Farmstead) Time

The first Farmstead shop was opened in the Alameda Marketplace in 2003, the second of nine fine food purveyors and eateries that populate the marketplace today. Our second store was opened in 2008 in a former cigar shop in Oakland's charming Montclair Village shopping district.

Both stores feature a broad selection of 50+ hand-cut cheeses, hundreds of boutique wines, and specialty foods and gift items. In addition, each store serves as a pick-up center for our monthly wine clubs that feature great selections from wine regions all over the globe.

We're proud to share that Farmstead has been named Best Cheese Store and Best Wine Store  by the editors of the East Bay Express, Best Wine Shop many times by the readers of Alameda Magazine, and Best Wine Store in the East Bay by the readers of Oakland Magazine, and one of the Best Cheese Shops in the Country by Gourmet.com

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