Carpe Vino is Now an Art Gallery!
If you love art, click here to view work from new artists represented by Carpe Vino, including Michael Godard, the #1 selling artist in the world.

Excuse Our Dust

We launched this site more than three years ago, and now it's time for a
face lift.  We're just finishing our latest expansion, and now we need to
feature our new restaurant, art gallery and new staff members.

We're adding lots of new content and new features, so be patient.

Thanks!

Welcome to Carpe Vino and www.sierrawine.com

This web site is your direct connection to wines of the Sierra Foothills and a slice of history in a tiny enclave called Old Town Auburn. It's where we've set up shop as Carpe Vino, latin for "Seize the Wine."

I-80 is virtually at our doorstep, so as many people find us by accident as those who do on purpose. Bikers head single-mindedly to our two watering holes, the Shanghai and the California Club, where they find comfort in draft beer and community in their brotherhood of riders.

Many travelers simply stop for gas and something to eat as they ply the concrete of I-80, which transverses the full width of the country. For most, encountering our ancient rest stop is a welcome diversion, especially those who enter Carpe Vino.

As much as we appreciate the travelers and tourists who visit our shop, our admiration is unrestrained for the wine enthusiasts of Auburn who have responded so warmly since we opened in August of 2002. Our neighbors have helped turn Carpe Vino into a new social center for the community, giving our business the legs it needs to prosper.

The constant collision of regulars and visitors is what makes our joint something special. It's not exactly Cheers, but no one is alone at our bar, which was built to resemble the original that was removed by movie actress Mary Pickford in 1932. (Click on "History") Come into Carpe Vino, and you'd better have something to say because there is no television.

Our building itself is a marvel, restored to show off as much of the original fabric as possible, while creating an environment where visitors enjoy browsing our inventory of 400 wines as much as they do tasting at the PickFair bar. This ain't no fern bar, but we're as classy as it gets for an authentic Western relic.

We've got two clear-cut objectives for this site. For those of you who live elsewhere but loved your visit to Carpe Vino, you can stay connected to our life in Old Town through visits to the site and by subscribing to our e-newsletter, Window on Old Town. For locals, get the latest information about our wine dinner menus, tours, events and tasting schedule. For everyone, you can buy our wonderful Foothill wines online, as well as join one of our wine clubs. We love you all, but at the end of the day, we've got generate some cash out of this venture, in addition to the endless goodwill of wine drinkers everywhere.

So poke around the site and you'll find cool stuff everywhere. Come back often, because the wines change weekly, and we intend to keep the content fresh. Being a former journalist, Gary has that end covered.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Gary, Laura and Drew Moffat