PlumpJack Wines

Away from the rowdy ruckus of bars and the caffeinated excitement of cafes is a small storefront with some happy median of what would be in between. Located on the bustling 24th St. of Noe Valley is PlumpJack Wines, an unassuming little shop and seemingly this neighborhood’s choice for exotic wines and conversation.

Upon a visit to the storefront that has been home to a wine shop since the repeal of prohibition, one is confronted with the impressive selection. Their collection consists primarily of Belgian beers, grower-produced Champagnes, and vintage Port dating back to the early 1900’s. There are also over 80 single malt Scotch whiskies from the great as well as lesser-known distilleries. Nothing less is to be expected by a business founded by the likes of Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Recently, controversy has hit the normally quiet street that PlumpJack shares with many other boutiques that cater to the lifestyle specific to the Noe Valley’s notoriously bourgeois lifestyle.

In the storefront, a worker, who previously had helped me find a nice introductory Scotch, told of an incident involving the Palm Reader Psychic in the shop across from Glow Day Spa down the street. Josh, who decidedly will go by his first name due to the violent nature of the incident, explained in a just-heard-it-through-the-grapevine kind of way that there is possibly a turf war going on among psychics in the area.

Apparently, less than two weeks ago, police and emergency paramedics responded to a call from Palm Reader Psychic and found the owner, an older woman in her 50s, severely beaten and otherwise shaken up. According to rumors floating around the neighborhood, an owner of a separate palm reading shop and related family members on 24th is responsible.

It seems like the noise in the Noe just got a bit louder! Time to go see what the future holds.