By David Derby, Wine Buyer

I joined up just after Thanksgiving last year after relocating to Oakland from San Diego. As a wine buyer for over a dozen years, I rarely travel far from the vine, but this was going to be a different trip altogether. I have gone on buying trips by myself, and I have traveled with other professionals in the past as well, but I have never gone with a team.

The team is led by Wine Buyer Shaun Bishop, myself, and our three salesman: Mike Supple, Alex Lallos and Andrew Frieden. It fascinates me that we each approach a wine from a completely different direction, and yet almost always end up in the same place. For the next 10 days we hope to provide a glimpse into how French wines are selected for our site so you can enjoy them in your glass. We believe you will be impressed by the commitment and dedication of our quest, and at the same time entertained as we sometimes seem to be closer to Monty Python and the Holy Grail than stuffy English gentleman putting you to sleep with a discourse on yeast reproduction. So tag along, join the fun, invite a friend, and if you learn something, don’t be surprised, just accept it like you should a glass of Champagne.