Best Winemaker Without a Vineyard

In a world trampled by purple-toed
winemakers, renegade fermenter Bill Galarneau has
chucked convention to the wind to stew up the oddest and
rarest wines in the Bay Area. His small Berkeley operation
features fermented elixirs made with tropical and subtropical fruits
and run between 12 and 20 percent alcohol. They technically aren’t
even wine — the proper term for nongrape fruit booze is melomel,
with “wine” officially designated for fermented grape juice — but
those who would get snooty over this nomenclatural detail can take a
hike to Napa. Currently, Adams Point Winery makes Mango Wine,
Mango-Papaya Wine, Persimmon Wine, Persimmon Dessert Wine, Mango
Dessert Wine, and Chocolate Dessert Wine, a stunning portlike drink
that’s as rich as chocolate mousse. On-site tastings have gone on hold
as Galarneau seeks a new location for the winery, which has outgrown
its current home, but the wines can be found at Ledger’s Liquors and
Montclair Village Wines. For an in-person tasting, visit Jack London
Square on August 8 for the Urban Wine Experience, where Galarneau will
be pouring his lineup amidst a flood of sour grape juice.