On a recent stop by La Grande Orange for a coffee and a Commuter sandwich, we ran into Dave Johnson, the former sommelier at Sol Y Sombra. Johnson has apparently landed on his feet since the sudden closing of Sol about 2 months ago. He’s now in charge of wine buying for the soon-to-open Oakville Grocery at Scottsdale Quarter.

If Oakville sounds familiar, that’s because the place has been open in Napa Valley since forever-ago and you probably stopped there for some tapenade or prosciutto on your way to grapeland. The specialty food retailer moves more homemade goods and fresh food than almost any market in the country. But the big ponder: Will Scottsdale people embrace the quality? Will the stuff on shelves be local and national? Will the merch live up to its NoCal counterpart? What’s on the wine list? And most importantly, which wine distributor has the hottest reps?

Watch the video below to hear Dave Johnson answer some of those questions.

Meanwhile, go surfing: http://www.oakvillegroceryarizona.com

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