Farmstead Cheeses & Wines was founded in 2003 by Jeff Diamond and sold to Dave Chambers in April of 2023. Dave is an experienced wine merchant and operator of wine clubs who focuses on sustainable, family producers of fine wines. He creates an environment for his staff and customers that is convivial and educational, sharing as much or as little information as each customer seeks.

At Farmstead, we specialize in under the radar and hard-to-find boutique wines and perfectly presented artisan cheeses.

Our tasting programs (wine clubs) are designed to introduce curious wine lovers to affordable new wines by featuring the familar next to the obscure. Using old favorites as a benchmark allows our members to explore new sensations relative to what they know, thus increasing the odds they'll discover a new favorite! Hopefully, this happens multiple times along their wine club journey.

Dave caught the wine bug in his early 20's, and dabbled in the field for decades while working in marketing data and analytics. In the post dot-com bomb in 2001, Dave switched tracks and offered consulting services to the wine industry. After three years of consulting to the erstwhile folks at Bonny Doon Vineyard, Dave the Sideways Wine Club (as a licensee of the move studio, Searchlight Pictures) in 2005 and in 2006 'Tastes of the Valleys' wine bar in the heart of Sideways country - Santa Barbara County's quaint town of Solvang.

The brand morphed from 'Sideways' to 'Dave the Wine Merchant' in 2010 and operations moved to Northern California - perfectly positioned to notice the 2022 posting when Farmstead was put up for sale by its founder. Despite the new name, the goal remains the same - to create a fun and welcoming community for curious wine lovers to meet, learn and share.

Enjoy our fine wines, cheeses and gourmet foods from artisanal producers and curated by our team. You can also find us in Alameda. Speak with our approachable staff to discover your new favorite!