Jason F.
Yelp
Gary's Wine & Marketplace is that lifesaver in the heart of wine country that you didn't even know you needed in your life! Located along the St. Helena Highway in St. Helena, California, Gary's Wine & Marketplace replaced the longstanding Dean & Deluca food hall that once stood in this exact location almost five years ago. Gary's Wine & Marketplace is a franchise that deals in the sales of wine, cheese and charcuterie for more than three decades and is owned by New Jersey native Gary Fisch. With four locations in his native Garden State, this is Gary's first location in the Golden State which makes them the perfect location for lovers of food, wine and picnicking a place to stretch their legs and do a little window shopping for that perfect afternoon treat to satiate any craving they made have or any stocking up of goods that one may want to do. I have wanted to visit Gary's Wine & Marketplace ever since I saw their sign go up replacing the venerable Dean & Deluca, but never found the right time to do so, until a sunny weekday afternoon of driving through wine country and after a period of wine tasting at a winery in Calistoga, I realized that the long drive home would be eased by a brief visit to Gary's Wine & Marketplace because something was telling that they had cold beverages to sip and a sweet treat to nosh and I was right on both counts.
With plenty of parking in front, I wasn't expecting Gary's Wine & Marketplace such an expansion on the goals of what Dean & Deluca once set upon in this very same space. With a center counter area specifically dedicated for cheeses, in addition to additional counters for side salads and sliced meats, Gary's is a place where you can fill your picnic basket to overflow with goodies. Which in turn is matched by the amount of liqueur they have in stock from spirits to wine to beer, one could spend an hour here just looking at everything they have. Me being the sweets and coffee lover that I am, made a beeline for their coffee counter and they have both hot and cold drinks to keep any temperature soothed. Since it was so warm outside, I ordered the one frozen drink that I saw on their menu, their Zap Frappe, their staff asked me what flavor that I wanted and I opted for their Mocha Zap, and with their 16 ounce size being sold for $6.50, I considered this beverage very reasonably priced. Since I was there and their dessert/ pastry counter was calling my name, especially since they had every one of their menu items laying out as examples of what they serve, I ordered their Bourbon Cherry Chocolate Cookie and a wrapped Almond Cake to enjoy as a takeout order. They were gracious enough to honor the Yelp check-in deal with a 10 percent discount off of any deli or cafe purchase, as my total bill was $14.85 before gratuity was added in.
My drink was ready in no time and with seating both inside their food hall and outside in a covered patio over, I sat inside as there was no one there and nice and cool, and sipped on my frosty beverage as it was the perfect blend of chocolate and coffee all blended together. I got a few bites of my chunk cookie in as well, as it was as my barista said was the best cookie they sold here. I opted to take my Almond Cake home and enjoy it for a future meal, and it was a decent pastry but a little too dry for my taste, and in hindsight I should not have ordered it, as their Morning Bun was as usual a tried a try pastry that can last for a couple days. But what I do the next time that I come to Gary's Wine & Marketplace is that I have to order one of their Signature Sandwiches, as a majority of them are sold for only 12 dollars, which is a real steal, and when handcrafted as lovingly as they are at Gary's Wine & Marketplace then you are in luck. When pairing that with some chocolate and a bottle of wine, your wine country picnic is all set, and you are a better off with a visit to Gary's Wine & Marketplace, as you can relieve yourself in more ways than one, and get back out there making your way from wine tasting room to wine tasting room, and isn't that what wine country is all about anyway?