Wine Vault

Save yourself stress and a headache. Stay away from this place, at least for corporate events. I cannot comment on the wine or prices.
A colleague and I visited the wine bar on two separate occasions. I called Ken a day after my visit and booked the venue for a corporate event. When I booked he said he did not have time to discuss details as he was getting ready for another event. I told him that was fine so long as the date was booked for me. He confirmed it was and said he would call me the following day to work out details. He did not call the following day, I got busy and a week passed. I was not concerned as I knew I had the venue. Today, a week later and two weeks before my event, I called him to discuss the menu. I was surprised to hear that I no longer had the reservation. Ken said that he had only penciled me in and since I did not call him with a credit card he gave the date away to someone else, who as it happens, wanted the entire building instead of just one room. I asked if he had confused me with another client as he never asked me for a credit card. He said that he did remember me. Even if I were penciled in why wouldn’t he call me before giving the space to someone else.
Ken was extremely rude and suggested that I simply change the date of my event. No can do and even if I could, why would I after being treated so poorly. I said that I would report the incident on Unilocal and it was clear he could care less. He said «it’s been done before.» This comment prompted me to read his Unilocal reviews.
I should have read the reviews earier…

Wife and I are in the wine club. These guys know their stuff, and thats not just the extensive Calif/​Oregon knowledge. One day talking wine I said I was plenty stocked with reds and was feeling adventurous in whites. Ken has turned us on to many great finds; Spanish, Italian, French … nothing I’d heard of in both region and varietals. All really good. I set the budget and they find the wine!

Came here a few weeks ago on a Friday right after work. Had two glasses of malbec. The malbec wasn’t very good… I should have ordered a Napa red =(
The service is great, but the place is tiny so not much room for seating.
I here its great if you work for Genentech and join one of their wine clubs =)

Bit of a funky space but the guys who run the joint are great. Hospitality and great wine.

A not too-​well educated staff selling over-​priced wine to rubes. Don’t bother with these rude low rent sellers. Plenty of friendly and knowledgeable wine merchants in SF, Burlingame, and San Mateo.

The owner Michael is horrible!!! I work for a large bio tech company in the area and he basically rips us off, charging us 3 to 5 times the price of the bottle. He also has showed up to our events drunk and out of it. Very unprofessional and bad business!
Stay away at all cost! You can find the wine he has at Trader Joe’s, BevMo or Costco for a lot less.

I went to the Wine Vault because they had a bottle of wine that I had been searching for. The wine itself was nicely priced. I decided to have a glass of wine at the bar, and listen about the wine club. The wine club was intriguing, and I will think about joining. I did think that $ 14 for a glass of zinfandel was a bit pricey though.

The wine-​vault has good selection and is conveniently located in SSF, a stones throw from work and dinner. The vault has a small store-​front, but also offers a side venue space perfect for a small company gathering.

I have not had an event here or given any large orders but i am part of his club where you give him criteria and he picks the wine for you. I Must say he knows his wines, I recieve two bottles a month from Ken and the ones i have drank have been phenominal and within the criteria with the exception that a couple times he has said «you gotta try this» and glad we did. I have seen some of the wines he has gotten for us at the bigger stores but the price tag is also much bigger (atleast 20%). I have never had a problem talking to him on the phone as i have read in other reviews but i have been by during open hours and the doors are locked. Thats why its one star less.

Nice selection of wines; they have great deals during the «Genentech Goes to Town» weeks too. Cute little bar for tasting. If you work at GNE and join one of their wine clubs, they’ll even deliver right to your desk at work. Rad! But their hours are kinda dumb… they rarely seem to be open when my husband and I want to go in for some tasting and shopping. There have been a couple occasions when we’ve walked in well during their posted hours and the guys behind the bar were like «we’re closed» and copped some ‘tude like we were bothering them; not to mention there were other customers drinking at the bar too. Closed huh? WTF?

What a find this place is! I was recently introduced to their vast selection of US and international red and white wines through a work function where I bought a lovely Argentinian Malbec and a Chilean cab for very reasonable prices. I am seriously thinking of joining their wineclub in which they state that they will deliver right to my desk — who could ask for more?

So, here’s why I’m giving it two stars:
1 — We had a mid-​sized party there. We picked out wines and food to be catered. So that’s great, the wine was great, but we realized after the party that food that we HAD NOT ORDERED (Strike 1) and were subsequently charged for — was on the table. I wondered why there was so much food… That food was packed up (yes, the food we paid for) before our party was ready to leave.
2 — We were told that The Wine Vault doesn’t cater to «residents of SSF», they cater to the people that «commute in». Um, OK. Ick.
I’m so sick of snotty wine people. It’s cliché at this point. Get over yourselves. (Strike 2)
3 — When we got the inflated bill we realized that they had already added a very generous tip. OK, understandable for a party larger than say 8 people… but when you sit behind a counter, pour some wine (for the party people and for yourself — you’re welcome — Strike 3) and you’re eating the food we paid for (suppose they figured it was OK since, well, you know, there was stuff that we didn’t order… so, lots of extra).
I’d rather «commute» over to Burlingame and hit up Nectar — where the sommelier is AMAZING.

Ken is our go-​to guy for local wine events in SSF. His shop is great, well stocked, and you can even do some tasting and nibbling on site. He’ll come to you to handle your event (with glassware!), and it is so great to have someone who can talk about the wines with your guests, especially if they’re into wine. He can pair nibblies to go with the wines and makes some of the best rosemary/​olive oil/​salt/​something else mixed nuts around. He has tons of Pinots from Oregon, and none of the pretention that can come with some of the smaller wine shops elsewhere in the bay.

A little gem in South San Francisco. Great place for some serious wine-​buying, or just to do a little sipping or tasting on a Friday afternoon.

Always has a great tasting selection and wide variety of Oregon Pinot Noirs. The owner will always take the time to make recommendations that match your experience and taste. Very laid back for a wine shop, especially in the Bay Area.